Rest for Bradley Thompson after home win

Thompson sits out this weekend's first national stage of the pre quarter-finals on a bye with no opponent to box at the weight, writes Craig Birch.

The second national tournament on the unpaid calendar for 2016 continues with two divisions separated by age, one encompassing 2000-2001 born entrants and another solely for 2001.

Last year's Schools finalist was crowned a West Midlands champion on Sunday in his Juniors debut season.

Shropshire has staged all three regional rounds, with Donnington again the hosts at the Telford district's Sports & Social Club on Turreff Avenue.

Thompson did the shuffle with Mohammed Ali, from Hall Green in Birmingham, and scored a second straight unanimous points win.

He's in the 2001 only 'cadet' class at 42kg, up from 34kg after a growth spurt. Ali went the same way as Droitwich's Clarence Hall, at the same venue two weeks previously, after three rounds.

Coach Tristan Davies said: "I was actually a bit annoyed by Brad, I thought he just boxed in his comfort zone and should have pushed more in the last round.

"If he had gone for it, he could have hammered the lad away. Sometimes that's the better way, though, and I'm pleased by the win."

Thompson helped make up a Shropshire six still in the running, but was the only one to have already fought in the competition.

Club-mate John Price featured at 60kg in the 2000-01 category at 60kg and bowed out to Solihull's Joshua Da Silva unanimously.

Davies said: "John won the first round, but then got himself into a brawl. He stood there and let the lad take the last two on aggression. He's not been out-punched, either, so it's disappointing."

Wellington Boxing Academy's Shayan Hussain was eliminated in a box-off for the area decider at 57kg, on a split decision to Birmingham City's Mickey-Lee Broughton.

Raheem Mohammed, coached by Telford's Khalid Hussain out of Merridale Boxing Club in Wolverhampton, is also from Wellington.

And he prevailed with a bang from his clash at 48kg with a second round stoppage of Anthony Wilson, from O'Dells in Birmingham.

A confident Mohammed will now engage in a pre-quarters tie against Bury's Shamraiz Nadin this Sunday, across the Midlands at the Newdigate Social Club in Bedworth.

In the girls section, Merridale club-mates and Shropshire cohorts Simran Kaur and Kara Murray are already through to finals weekend next month.

The semi-finals and final will be staged by the Heart of Portsmouth outfit on the South Coast, over two days on the weekend commencing April 2.

Both have yet to take part in the tournament, but are still involved in the 2000-01 section. Former Schools champion Kaur will come into the reckoning at a five-pronged 48kg.

Murray - like Kaur, from Telford - will get her opportunity to claim her first national title. She boxes a straight final at 60kg against the well-schooled Elisha Mannouch, from Swale Gloves in Kent.