Quarter masters

Solid start: Debutant Sig Niki Gittus (R Signals) lands a right hook on AB Andy Neylon on his way to an 18-12 points win in the pair’s middleweight bout

Report: Andy Simms
Picture: Graeme Main

BOBBING the blows of an ever-improving Royal Navy squad and parrying pre-tournament predictions of defeat, the Army stretched their rule of the Inter-Services ring to a quarter of a century at Aldershot’s Maida Gymnasium.

While four walkovers undoubtedly helped the Army cause, it was some clinical finishing inside the ropes that secured the defending champions a landmark victory in a historic unbeaten run, which began back in 1984 under the tutelage of current England coach Mick Gannon.

Needing two wins to retain the Noble Statuette for a record 25th successive year, WO2 Chris Bessey’s squad held their nerve after an early setback – bantamweight Spr Scott Southey (25 Engr Regt) being KO’d by MEM Gareth Smith in round three of the opening bout – to record a 7-5 victory.

It was light welterweight Cpl Steve Turner (3 UK ADSR), who first silenced the Navy’s travelling supporters, edging the Army to within one bout of the silverware by out-boxing Mne Paul Ferguson.

Putting his clear height and reach advantage to good effect, Turner made light work of his stocky opponent’s fight plan – head down, step forward – with his unerringly accurate jab and deservedly finished on the right side of a 22-8 victory.

The Army, however, were made to wait for their champagne moment by AB Mark Flowers who, after sharing three evenly-contested rounds with welterweight LCpl Gav McGee (5 Rifles), managed to step up and find an extra gear in the fourth.

A thunderous left hook sent McGee stumbling to the canvas midway through the final round of the clash, and although the 2007 ABA novice champion returned to his feet, seconds later he was again the subject of the referee’s count and was promptly saved from further punishment by the arrival in the ring of Bessey’s white towel.

And so it fell to Inter-Services debutant Sig Niki Gittus (30 Sig Regt) to notch up the all-important win, and the junior ABA champion revelled in his starring role in the Army’s 25-year success story.

In a completely one-sided encounter, the Army middleweight’s one flaw in a 18-12 points decision was to allow an element of showboating to creep into his performance.

With the team trophy once again secure, light heavyweight Cpl Tony Richardson (LD) underlined the Army’s championship credentials by marching into an unassailable points lead against Mne Nick McGarry.

The Navy fought back fiercely and claimed three back-to-back wins in the crusier, heavy and super heavyweight contests – a hat-trick which gave them a 5-3 lead on the night – but the war had already been lost.

However, suggestions from some at ringside that the Army – who had the luxury of a 4-0 lead before a single punch was thrown – were lucky not to have been dethroned were unjust.
The Navy’s inability to field fighters in four of the lighter weight categories meant that Bessey was unable to deploy the prodigious talents of junior England international and reigning Combined Services flyweight champion Spr Adam Whitfield, England international and junior Olympic gold medallist Pte Martin Stead, and former England schoolboy Cpl James Allen, who was an ABA semi-finalist in 2006.

Celebrating his third consecutive Inter-Services championship title as coach, Bessey told SoldierSport: “Although we lost on the evening as far as bouts go, they didn’t have the lads to put in against us, which is unlucky for them and lucky for us, but I’m confident we would have won at least three of those walkovers.

“I was on the team as a boxer when the Army won the title for the tenth year running and it is amazing that 15 years later I’m here as coach,” added Bessey, who finished his career in the ring with a haul of six ABA titles, a Commonwealth Games gold and European Championships bronze. “Victory has not really sunk in yet but this is a big thing for the Army.

“Mick [Gannon] was coach when I first came on to the Army team and we’ve been friends ever since.

“He has always said that I would be one of the best Army coaches to lose the Noble [Statuette].

“While I don’t like hearing that I can understand what he means – it is getting harder every year.”