AmateurHeadline News

Ireland guaranteed at least one silver in European Youth and Junior Championships

Shaneen Flynn guaranteed Ireland a first silver medal at the European Youth and Junior Championships in Italy today.

But Shauna Blaney, Shannon Reilly and Aoife Burke had to settle for bronze despite brave performances in Assisi.

Flynn was once again giving away a lot of height and reach against an opponent, but the Crumlin BC dynamo stepped inside Cammarota Matilde’s guard to once again deliver the goods, courtesy of solid two-punch combinations.

A constant ball of motion, Flynn received a harsh public warning for dropping her head against the Italian in the second, but the penalty mattered little as Flynn still won the round and the bout – 29-27,29-27,29-27.

She’ll now meet Anastashia Artamonova in the final on Sunday. The Russian, a southpaw, likes to box at her own pace. That’s unlikely to happen against Flynn, who has injected pace and dynamism into the bouts she’s been involved in in Assisi so far this week.

“She’s a little flier, the old Crumlin style. She’s a bobber and a weaver, a bit like Gavin Brown, said Crumlin BC coach Phil Sutcliffe, a former Irish Olympian and two-time European Elite medallist.

“She trains under Jimmy Upton and you only have to tell her something once, I wish some of the boys were like that! We’re absolutely delighted with the win and hopefully she can now go on to win the gold.”

Meanwhile, Blaney clipped Italy’s Baretta Maddalena with a neat combo in the first round of their 46kg clash, but the Navan BC pin-weight was caught by a right in a neutral corner near the end of the frame and took a standing count.

The second round was close, but Blaney took another count in the third against the lively Italian. Reilly dropped a tight first round against Turkey’s Us Urguya 10-9 across the board.

But the Wicklow lightweight had a fine second frame. However, despite rocking Urguya back on her heels with a massive right and finding the target with most of the telling punches, two of the three judges still went with the Turk.

Reilly went for broke in the third, but the second round scoring left her with a mountain to climb. Reilly is a team-mate of Katie Taylor at the Bray BC, which is now the only club in the country to win European Women’s Elite and Junior medals.

“Congratulations to Shannon and to all the Irish girls in Italy, said Bray BC Chief Seconds Pete Taylor. “Shannon gave it everything and she can be very proud of her performance.”

Burke was desperately unlucky to lose her light-middleweight duel to Poland’s Aneta Gojko on a split decision. Burke took the first round of the 70kg slug-fest on two of the judges scorecards.

But the Pole claimed the second across the board. However, the best punch of the frame, a sweet left from Burke right on the bell, was probably not factored into the scoring.

Burke also won the third round on two of the judges cards, but Gojko got the decision – 28-29,29-28,29-28.

Friday is a rest day at the Championships. Lauren Hogan, Kristina O’Hara, Amy Broadhurst and Cheyanne O’Neill will be involved in Youth semi-finals tomorrow. The finals will be held on Sunday.

European Women’ s Youth and Junior Championships Assisi, Italy

July 20th

Junior

Q/Final
48kg Kelsey Leonard (Ireland) lost to Melissa Hall (England) 0-3
Last 16
50kg Caitlin Sweeney (Ireland) lost to Ebonie Jones (England) 0-3

July 22nd

Q/Finals
46kg Shauna Blaney (Ireland) beat Beatrix Kalmav (Hungary) 3-0
52kg Natasha Logan (Ireland) lost to Anna Krsnoperava (Russia) 1-2
54kg Shaneen Flynn (Ireland) beat Merve Turkmen (Turkey) 3-0
57kg Orla Garvey (Ireland) lost to Vera Kopeikina (Russia) 0-3
60kg Shannon Reilly (Ireland) beat Filip Madalina (Romania) TKO3
63kg Natasha O’Reilly (Ireland) lost to Mellissa Freitag (Germany) 1-2
70kg Aoife Burke (Ireland) beat Gitta Cseri (Hungary) TKO3

July 24th
S/Finals
46kg Shauna Blaney (Ireland) lost to Baretta Maddalena (Italy) 0-3
54kg Shaneen Flynn (Ireland) beat Cammarota Matilde (Italy) 3-0
60kg Shannon Reilly (Ireland) lost to Us Urguya (Turkey) 0-3
70kg Aoife Burke (Ireland) lost to Aneta Gojko (Poland) 1-2

July 27th
Final
54kg Shaneen Flynn (Ireland) v Anastashia Artamonova (Russia)

Youth

July 21st
Last 16
51kg Kristina O’Hara (Ireland) beat Istik Neriman (Turkey) 2-1
54kg Siabh Greene (Ireland) lost to Malys Gangloff (France) 0-3
75kg Niamh Folan (Ireland) lost to Elisaveta Saiushkina (Ukraine) 1-2

July 23rd
Q/Finals
48kg Lauren Hogan (Ireland) beat Elit Belismen (Turkey) 2-1
51kg Kristina O’Hara (Ireland) beat Hayley Ward (England) TKO4
57kg Amy Broadhurst (Ireland) beat Annunziata Esposito (Italy) TKO4
60kg Cheyanne O’Neill (Ireland) beat Iryna Yaskova (Ukraine) 3-0
64kg Ciara Sheedy (Ireland) lost to Marryeva Jabrailova (Azerbaijan) 1-2

July 26th
S/Finals
48kg Lauren Hogan (Ireland) v Wiktoria Sadej (Poland)
51kg Kristina O’Hara (Ireland) v Hanna Ohota (Ukraine)
57kg Amy Broadhurst (Ireland) v Fina Westerlind (Sweden)
60kg Cheyanne O’Neill (Ireland) v Justyna Pietas (Poland)

Irish squad

Youths
48kg Lauren Hogan cpt (St Brigid’s Edenderry) (Bronze, at least)
51kg Kristina O’Hara (Emerald) (Bronze, at least)
54kg Siabh Greene (Ballinacarrow)
57kg Amy Boardhurst (Dealgan) (Bronze, at least)
60kg Cheyanne O’Neill (Athlone) (Bronze, at least)
64kg Ciara Sheedy (Aglish)
75kg Niamh Folan (Connemara)

Juniors
46kg Shauna Blaney (Navan) (Bronze)
48kg Kelsey Leonard (Curragh)
50kg Caitlin Sweeney (St Brigid’s Kildare)
52kg Natasha Logan (Ryston)
54kg Shaneen Flynn (Crumlin) (Silver, at least)
57kg Orla Garvey (Dealgan)
60kg Shannon Reilly (Bray) (Bronze)
63kg Natasha O’Reilly St Brigid’s (Kildare)
70kg Aoife Burke (St Mary’s) (Bronze)

Team Manager Maura Campbell
Coaches: John McCormack, Noreen Quinn, Antoinette Fay, Liam Brereton

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