Portlaoise Boxing Club fielding its biggest ever team in National U15 & U17 Championships
Vanessa Doyle (Portlaoise Boxing Club) pictured with her coaches Jimmy Doyle and Pat Ryan
PORTLAOISE Boxing Club will field its biggest team ever in this season’s National Under 15 and Under 17 Championships, with no less than six members representing the club in the hope of securing a shot at European Championship qualification later in the year.
Starting last weekend in Holy Family Boxing Club, Drogheda, this season’s championships saw Portlaoise’s Vanessa Doyle secure her place in the last four of the Under 17 57kg division following a unanimous 5-0 victory over Ellie Murray of Golden Gloves Cork.
Delighted with her performance, Portlaoise head coach, Pat Ryan told the : “Vanessa used her jab to great effect, scoring more often than her opponent.
“She followed instructions very well, keeping her opponent at the end of her long jab. She managed her distance very well and controlled the contest from start to finish.
“Vanessa has won three All-Irelands and two National Cadet Championships, so she is, without a doubt, one to watch in these National Championships.
“Her opponent for the semi-final is Nina O’Toole from the Ballybrack Boxing Club in Dublin. It’s a difficult opponent for Vanessa, however, I think she has all the tools needed to get her hand up,” he said.
While Doyle continues on in her bid for another national title, five more of her clubmates kick-start their own campaigns this weekend at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght.
Also competing for Portlaoise at Under 17 degree will be Thomas O’Reilly (75kg), Paul Casey (44kg), and Tyson McInerney (40kg), while lining out in the Under 15 Championship for the club will be Rosaletta Casey (46kg) and Bernard Doyle (46kg).
O’Reilly will face off against Tadgh Brennan of Avona in the semi-finals, looking to secure his place in the title decider against either Camlough’s Cathal Hughes or Daniel Lambagiu of St. Michael’s Athy.
O’Reilly is no stranger to national championship success having picked up his fifth title back in March when he went all the way in the Boy Four 75kg competition, serving up a first-round stoppage to Jake Hayes of Fr. Horgans in the semi-finals before doing likewise in the second round against Patrick McDaid of St. Bridget’s, Clonmany in the final.
Head coach Ryan, continues to be hugely impressed by the powerful Portlaoise competitor, who also landed gold at last October’s European Under 15 Championships following victories over opposition from England, Turkey and Azerbaijan, remarking: “You just wouldn't believe his physique. He’s extremely strong.”
Paul Casey is another Portlaoise competitor riding high after his National Championship success back in March when he beat Sean O’Sullivan of Elite Boxing Club in the penultimate rounds before surmounting Johnny Sweeney of Olympic Galway BC in the decider of the Boy Four 46kg division, subsequently lifting his first ever All-Ireland title.
After receiving a bye through the last eight, Casey will take on Jamie Roberts of Ballybrack in the 44kg semi-finals, and Ryan is hopeful he can maintain that impressive run in what has proven a real breakout season for the young boxer, saying: “I don't think Paul can be doing any more. He's after having the best of spars.
“We’re after brining in lads from all over the country, even Belfast, to spend a day or two with him, and I absolutely think he can have a great run in these championships,” he said.
Tyson McInerney will be igniting his 40kg campaign also at the semi-final stages, as he gears up to take on Isaac Ireland of Banbridge in the hope of securing his spot in the gold-medal bout against either Nutgrove’s Rio Johnson or Thomas Carroll of Setanta.
“Tyson is one of those rare boys. He's a laid back chap, and never gets flustered or anything like that, but then, all of a sudden, you see him starting to do things” remarked Ryan.
“He would be sparring the likes of Rosaletta [Casey], and he's at that level as well. He's a very elusive boy, and now he's starting to get the knowledge and the experience to really know how to box,” he said.
Rosaletta Casey has good reason to feel confident ahead of her start in the National Under 15 Championships having, only last month, scooped gold at the Four Nations in Scotland following superb wins over home boxer, Michaela Arthur and England’s Edie Mayes.
A four-time national champion, Casey also carded a third-place finish at last year’s European Under 15 Championships in Montenegro.
This weekend will see her go up against Loughglynn’s Shantelle McCrudden in the National Under 15 46kg semi-finals, with a clash against either Aoibhinn Gillespie of Twin Towns or St. Martha’s Emma Crowley awaiting the winner in the final.
Ryan is confident she has the potential to add to her already impressive roll of honour this summer, saying “Rosaletta is after winning the Four Nations and we’re going to keep her at 46kg.
“She's doing everything that she can. And I think she’s really capable of going the whole way. She’s just immersed herself in boxing, so she’s got great potential.” he said.
Bernard Doyle, meanwhile, will take on Edward Ward of Olympic BC in the last eight of the Under 15 46kg competition and Ryan believes he can pull off some big results, telling the “Bernard is one of those up and coming young lads.
“He's a very brave and courageous young man. He just needs to develop that skill factor needed to get him over the line.
“We had him boxing at 48kg, but we dropped him to 46kg, and I think that will work for him. He's a long-range boxer and he has all the levers,” he insisted.
The National Under 15 and Under 17 Championships are part of a busy summer for Portlaoise BC, which will also see their own Johnny Harty and Cody O'Reilly going forward for the National Under 23 Championships in August before they field a team of some 15 boxers in the Barum Box Cup in England from 4-7 September.
