Fourth time unlucky but close for Akash Tuqir
Hadley's Akash Tuqir suffered national final heartbreak for a fourth time after a split decision went against him in the England Youth Championships.
Twice in the England Schoolboys and once in the Junior championships has the former Tri-Nations title winner come off second best,
Three times those disappointments come under the banner of Wellington Boxing Academy, before crossing over to the Merridale Club in Wolverhampton last year.
There was more woe to befall him at 52kg by a slender margin, after getting the last hurdle of finals weekend at the at the Ferryhill Community Hub in County Durham.
The 16-year-old felt aggrieved after he was nudged out of Sunday's split decision points verdict after three rounds with Brandon Doard, from Everton Red Triangle in Merseyside.
The southpaw counter punching style that had worked so well in the previous day's semi-final didn't quite come off against Doard, the reigning champion of the division.
Doard just outworked him enough, in the eyes of the judges, to claim back-to-back Youth titles, which hadn't been the case when Tuqir stepped through the ropes on Saturday.
His back-foot style had the complete beating of Morgan Murray, from Hartlepool Catholic Boxing Club, who was defeated unanimously after running out of ideas quickly.
Doard proved a different proposition though, although Tuqir's corner felt he had done enough to win the bout and make it fourth time lucky.
Coach Khalid Hussain said: "I am saddened by the decision, as we all genuinely believed that Akash won the bout.
"I've been coaching Akash since he was 11 years old and I have never been more proud of his performance, he gave it his absolute all. He is a winner in our eyes!"
In the female side of the competition, Donnington's Toni Crooks didn't travel up north to compete at 51kg after failing to make the weight.
Meanwhile, Shropshire still have involvement in the England Junior Championships, where Tuqir progressed from this year, for Sunday's West Midlands finals.
Wellington's Hamza Hussain and Ludlow's Terry Smith are fresh, as they prepare to compete at 50kg and 66kg respectively in the boxers born in 2000 section.
They progressed to the area decider with no opponent to box last weekend at the same venue, where Donnington duo Mohammed Nasser and John Price bowed out at 40kg and 60kg respectively.
Nasser was taken out inside the distance with a third round stoppage, from the second and final standing count, by Jimmy Connors from Willenhall in Coventry.
Price was involved in a stormy affair with Mitchell Lowe, from Tom Lowe in Stoke-on-Trent, where there were three warnings from the referee.
The man in the middle reprimanded Price once and Lowe twice for holding and leaning down on each other, but they made it to the end of the bout.
Deductions left the bout all square on the cards but, as there can be no draws, a winner had to be decided with the judges going for Lowe.
Wellington's Husan Hussain has walked over to next week's first national stages at 42kg in the combined 1999 and 2000 category, as has Donnington's Ryan Tyrer at 52kg.
The all-Shropshire 60kg battle between Ludlow's Chadd Woodfield and Wellington's Idris Mohammed will now take place as a straight after final this weekend.
