Birtley struck double gold when Mayfair JD Sports Domes staged the first blows of England’s Senior Elite Championship.
Jake Slater and Isaac Milburn both won their Tyne, Tees & Wear finals at the packed-out Seaton Carew venue, with East Durham’s Adam Gair clinching the other title on Saturday night.
There were three finals in the nine bouts in the regional stage of what is still popularly known as the ABA Championships.
Slater looked slick in his U60 kilo final with Sunderland boxer, Kevin Nelson.
Flicking out his left jab, the Birtley boxer used the ring and his right hand to good effect to control the first two rounds.
The Bo’s fighter came on strong in the last to force Slater onto the back foot but Jake was a worthy unanimous points winner.
Milburn was next in the ring for the U64 final against Brandon’s Peter Hardman.
Hardman, as befits his name, was not short of aggression or energy, but the quality work came from Milburn, who was also handed a unanimous decision.
Gair did not require the judges in the night’s finale, the 86 Kilo final, against Jack Wilson.
The East Durham boxer felled his rival early in the second and while the Dunston lad got back up, he was soon handed another standing eight count from referee Paul Allen.
And when Gair landed two stinging head shots, Mr Allen stepped in to halt the bout.
Contest of the night came in the Senior Elite Championship opener between Joe Laws and Bobby Dalton.
Laws, another of the Birtley contingent, looked for power from the opening bell of their U69 kilo quarter-final, while his opponent, from Redcar, did the cleaner work up close.
Joe clinched a split decision thanks to his aggressive approach but Bobby played a full part in a rip-roaring contest, which could have gone either way.
Next up was an U69 kilo semi-final with the excellent Sunderland southpaw, Travis Waters, seeing off Tom Summerbell, from Tootill.
Waters produced some fine work downstairs in the last en route to a unanimous verdict.
Michael Jobson produced some quality work in a split decision against the all-action Spennymoor warrior Gary Dodds at U75 kilos.
The first round was exciting stuff but the Walkerfield boxer used his height and reach to good value to take the second and had the better of the third too with some fine jabs and back hands.
Dodds was as brave as a lion but Jobson deserved to
win.
Sol Starke also used his jab superbly in another U75 kilos split decision.
Up against Sunderland’s Matthew Stewart, the Houghton southpaw used both gloves wisely and while Stewart pushed forward in the last, the left-hander was a worthy winner.
The U81 kilo semi between James Tyers and Ben Jarvis (Redcar) was a fascinating bout, with Tyers supplying the aggression and Jarvis landing the cleaner shots. The East Durham boxer got the nod on a split decision.
The other 81 kilo semi was an easier contest to score as referee Liam Dineen raised the left arm of Birtley’s Ben Rees who defeated Dan Lennon, from Brandon.
Lennon was strong and delivered some decent single shots but the tidier boxing came from Rees.
The remainder of the TTW Elite Championship finals take place in Middlesbrough on Wednesday and Sunderland on Friday.
Words: Roy Kelly
