Double for Donnington in Schools national finals

They join Telford girl Simran Kaur, who represents Merridale in Wolverhampton, in Saturday's title deciders at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport.

She and Donnington's Carlos Stewart are boxing straight finals with no matches for them past the area and into the national stages so far, writes Craig Birch.

And Stewart's club-mate Bradley Thompson came through last weekend's semi-final with another impressive victory in the competition.

Thompson stepped through the ropes in Class B, for boxers born 2001, with Evesham's De Montfort Sports Hall playing host to the clash.

He and 34kg rival Cameron Lonsdale-Quinn, from Horden in Peterlee, contested three rounds with the Shropshire fighter fast out of the blocks.

The slippery southpaw fended off his opponent with the jab and then spun into shots on the turn, which caught the eye in the first two sessions.

Thompson sat back in the third and last round allowing Lonsdale-Quinn to take over, but he had already built up a significant enough advantage.

It went to the cards where two went with Thompson, one by a 30-27 shut-out and the other 29-27, giving him a split decision victory. The other judge had it to Lonsdale-Quinn 29-28.

Davies said: "I thought Brad won the first two rounds, he did fade a bit towards the end and maybe the weight told in his performance a bit.

"He's had a growth spurt recently, so we are going to have to take him up the weights after this is over, but it was a good and controlled display.

"The speed was there and he's an awkward opponent with that left hand, which we want him to take into the final. That's what he's good at.

"He got to the national quarter-finals in Class A last year, so he's already gone better than that. Let's hope he can now become the champion."

Now standing in the way of Thompson, a student at Sutherland Co-Operative Academy in Trench, is Cameron Paul, from Bushey in Hertfordshire.

Stewart will take on Jamie-Lee Davis, from Stainforth in Doncaster. They meet at 72kg, the highest weight in Class A, to decide the spoils.

If either prevail, they will present Donnington with their first national title since Bradley's half-brother Liam Davies was a 2011 Schools champion.

Kaur - like Stewart, a pupil at Hadley Learning Community - faces an all-or-nothing affair with Jackie Birch, from St Mary's of Kent, at 43kg in the female Class B.

Merridale cohort Kara Murray, also of Telford, has been thwarted in her attempts at glory. The Thomas Telford School girl has no opponents at all at 62kg in Class B.