Tredagh Boxing Academy enjoy gold rush up North at Armagh/Down Championships
Three of their fighters saw Friday night action at the Armagh/Down Open Championships in Craigavon where Daniel Mathews boxed very well in his semi-final against Dundalk opposition and was unlucky to be edged out on a split decision.
Daniel, only back from a long injury, was very impressive in the first half of the bout but lost the last round, with his inactivity for the past two months a key factor.
Callum Carragher boxed his final against a very sharp Jake Daly from D Box.
This was in the senior section and it was Callum's first experience of three rounds of three minutes duration, with no headguard. This was undoubtedly the fight of the night as it showcased two very talented boxers. Callum's advanced technical combinations and hard-hitting backhands were very impressive in a high-tempo contest and he was crowned as an Armagh/Down Open senior champion by unanimous decision.
Darragh Smyth was in action against a very strong, game boxer Christian Mc Masters from Portavogie Boxing Club and this was another high-tempo, tough bout.
Darragh's skillset has really improved over the past year and this, mixed with his natural strength and hard-hitting backhand, was the difference as he was also crowned as an Armagh/Down Open champion.
The Saturday was another busy day as boxers and coaches from Tredagh Academy took off in different directions.
At the All-Ireland Cadet Championships in the National Stadium both Cian Smyth and Charlie Flanagan were in action again after their impressive wins in the same competition the weekend before.
Cian Smyth was up first and he faced Se O'Neill from St Janice's Boxing Club in what turned out to be another fantastic bout.
The Tredagh fighter was particularly impressive in rounds two and three but lost out on the dreaded split decision. Nevertheless, there was plenty to admire about Cian who is technically still a novice and yet won one bout on his National Stadium debut and very nearly progressed to the semi-finals.
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
Charlie Flanagan from Tredagh faced the current All-Ireland champion from Avona, took the first round and was winning the second when he tripped and injured his knee. Unfortunately, Charlie had to retire and is having the issue medically addressed.
Like young Cian, Charlie really excelled in this competition, coming through two rounds, and it didn't go unnoticed as he was invited onto the coveted Leinster Development Squad.
The same weekend Tredagh also sent a number of boxers to Craigavon for their respective Armagh/Down finals.
Kailin Morris had a cracking contest with Ethan Mulligan (Camlough) and lost narrowly, while James Hackett also fought opposition from Camlough, boxed very well at range and triggered his aggressive, hard-hitting backhand to become an Armagh/Down Open champion by unanimous decision.
Jamie Campbell was also involved in a tough three-round battle against a strong lad in Toryn Simpson (SOTS BC). Jamie bit down on his gumshield hard and showed great determination and will to earn the decision and get crowned as an Armagh/Down Open champion.
Emma O'Gorman had a repeat of her All-Ireland final against an opponent from Castleblayney and raised her game. So much son that the Tredagh corner felt she had won, but the outcome went the other way on a split decision.
There was better fortune for Keith Muma who gave a technical masterclass with aggression to beat Eoin Bennett (John McCoy BC) by unanimous decision and win another Armagh/Down title.
Meanwhile, Ceejay Sheelan and Andrew Mathews attended Leinster Development Squad training in Carlow recently, while Michael James McDonagh and Simon McDonagh boxed at the exhibition show in Bay City BC in Dublin.
Tredagh's head coach Padraig McCullough attended weekend four of the Sport Ireland Coach Developer Course in Limerick University.
Overall, in the past few weeks Tredagh Academy have won seven golds and three silvers in the senior Armagh/Down Championships and seven golds and one silver at the equivalent junior competition - the club's biggest ever number of champions in those two tournaments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
39 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cork boss Pat Ryan makes penalty admission after his side reclaim Munster title
Jubilant Cork boss Pat Ryan hailed his side's fighting qualities as they bounced back from a 16-point drubbing to take the Munster title. Limerick's long reign in the province is over after a dramatic penalty shootout saw their seven-in-a-row dreams dashed as Cork ran out 3-2 winners with the sides were deadlocked at 2-27 to 1-30 after extra time as Darragh Fitzgibbon's last gasp 65 saved a draw for the Rebels. It came just three weeks after Limerick destroyed them at the TUS Gaelic Grounds in the round robin phase, but they're now Munster champions for the first time since 2018. Ryan said: 'We didn't fight the last time we came up here and the lads, look, obviously they worked really hard, we fought really, really hard. 'It just took penalties to separate us and we're just delighted to get the trophy.' He added: 'We know that we're a really, really good team. But it's the same with every other team, there's loads of good teams out there and it's all about the attitude you bring and whether you're going to fight. 'We fought today really, really hard. We were missing a couple of fellas, a couple of bodies came on and sometimes that actually freshens up the team. 'I thought the lads came off the bench today and did a fantastic job. Robbie O'Flynn, Tommy O'Connell, Shane Kingston, I thought they were really, really good.' Cork scored three of the four penalties they took as Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Alan Connolly converted while Fitzgibbon saw his effort saved, though Ryan admitted they hadn't gone through a penalty routine collectively in the build-up to the game. 'None, none,' he said. "All the lads are practising a lot, I think. We had really, really good confidence in them. Eoin Downey probably practised more penalties than anyone.' Ryan has been at pains to keep a lid on the hype on Leeside this year, particularly when they stormed to a League title, and he said: "We won by penalties against a brilliant Limerick team. Do you know what I mean? 'This is just the start. This is just one thing. We move on to the All-Ireland series, the semi-finals. We know we're a really good team. 'We saw what we were like when we were not at it three weeks ago. Three or four weeks ago. That's all to play for. We're really looking forward to going to the Leinster final.' Ahead of an All-Ireland semi-final on July 5 as Limerick head for a quarter-final, Ryan added: "This is one less game. This is probably three or four weeks off. It's probably going to take a bit of managing now. That's something that we haven't accounted for before. 'Limerick have plenty of experience of how they deal with that. That's your four weeks off to manage properly and probably get a bit of advice from fellas that have done it before.'
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Dara Curran late point helps Roscommon minors find the extra in Louth win and seals All-Ireland semi-final
Roscommon reached their first All-Ireland minor football semi-final in five years, thanks to Dara Curran's late point in a pulsating contest that required extra-time at Kingspan Breffni.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
From the glorious chaos of the Gaelic Grounds, the Rebels rise again
Everything about it was staggering: the suffocating intensity, the twists, the spectacular scores and the crazy misses. Cork and Limerick were locked in a clench from teatime until shortly before bedtime and neither of them knew how to let go. The longest night in the history of the Munster Championship ended with a penalty shoot-out and a season set ablaze. Hallelujah. After being eviscerated by Limerick in the round-robin phase, Cork reclaimed everything they had lost three weeks ago. All the doubts about their temperament and their stomach for the fight were obliterated. This group of Cork players couldn't afford to fall over again. They stood up to everything Limerick could muster. The cruelty of penalties is a modern phenomenon in the GAA. For an epic contest such as this to be decided by such a capricious tiebreaker is a function of the condensed calendar and, no doubt, there will be another chorus of dissent. There should be. In the event, Limerick's third and fourth penalties missed the target; in between Alan Connolly buried a penalty with characteristic panache. After nearly 100 minutes, that was the only difference. READ MORE The psychological capital for Cork is incalculable. After their late collapse in Ennis and their abject surrender in the Gaelic Grounds three weeks ago, there were widespread doubts about Cork's credentials as serious contenders. This performance was the only credible answer. Aaron Gillane scores a late point for Limerick. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The teams were level 17 times in all, but it was Cork who found the equaliser at the end of normal time and at the conclusion of extra-time. Limerick had chances to finish the game in 70 minutes, but Darragh O'Donovan dropped a shot short and Aaron Gillane missed a free from an acute angle. Cork had earned their reprieve. For Limerick there is an obvious cost. For the first time since their breakthrough season in 2018 they must navigate a quarter-final in a fortnight's time, and for an ageing team that is a tax they would prefer not to pay. John Kiely has never made any secret of his fondness for the month long break granted to provincial winners but they must do without it now. At various times in the second half of normal time, when they were playing with the wind, it looked like Limerick would assert control and kick on. But they couldn't. Cork's four-point half-time lead was wiped out in just 11 minutes, but from there until the finish they never led by more than a point. In normal time they managed just 28 shots from play when they would usually expect to register that many scores, or more. When Cork beat them in the round-robin game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh 13 months ago they were the first team to have more shots than Limerick in the Kiely era. Here, they exceeded Limerick's total by eight shots. For Limerick, a team whose potency is built on volume, this was a massive systems failure. Primary possession had been a massive problem for Cork three weeks ago, but that core issue was successfully addressed too. Cork won 59 per cent of their own puck-outs and restricted Limerick to 62 per cent on their own ball; that game that a platform to compete. Cork's Tommy O'Connell in action against Limerick's Barry Nash. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho The biggest difference, though, was Cork's aggression and abrasiveness and relentlessness. From the start they stood in the middle of the ring and traded body blows. They were ravenous for turnovers and flew into contests for ball on the ground. This was the fundamental stuff that Pat Ryan has demanded from this group for the last three years but had been so painfully absent three weeks ago. Cian Lynch was hounded by the outstanding Ciaran Joyce and a posse of lieutenants. Diarmaid Byrnes was tormented by Seamus Harnedy, just as he was in the game 13 months ago, and eventually the Limerick wing back was taken off. Kyle Hayes was magnificent in the opening 20 minutes, but by half-time Shane Barrett had scored 1-3 from play on his watch, and for the remainder of the game Hayes was just another bamboozled mortal, going around with his tongue hanging out like everybody else. In a game like this, with both teams going at each other like rutting stags, the referee was bound to be part of the story. Members of both management teams made a bolt for Tomas Walsh as he left the field at half-time and ended up getting stuck in each other. There was pushing and jostling and jawing and shaping and all of it was out or order. It was clear during the first half, though, that both managers had become increasingly wound up by Walsh's refusal to penalise obvious fouls – or at least when it suited them. The fourth official and the linesman on the Mackey Stand side were on the receiving end of constant feedback and hot takes. Limerick's Cian Lynch after the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Just like Brian Cody's Kilkenny years ago, Kiely's Limerick are usually sanguine about matches where the physical contact is unregulated and Cork clearly came to the Gaelic Grounds with the stomach for a battle. Walsh granted permission for illegal contact all over the field and both teams flaked away. In these situations, though, everyone loves the spectacle until they're gasping for a free and there's an unpenalized foul in front of the goal for an offence that had also gone unpenalized in the middle of the field. For Cork's first goal, Brian Hayes and Patrick Horgan were both mangled by Limerick defenders, but Walsh's hand wasn't raised for an advantage before Shane Barrett whipped the ball to the net. There were no laws in the jungle. Walsh booked four players in the first 10 minutes of the second half but there was no end to the viral fouling. It would have been the most delicious of ironies if the game had been decided by a free, but Gillane's effort from an acute angle in the fourth minute of stoppage time flew wide of the far post. Limerick will feel like they blew it, which is the same feeling they had against Cork twice last year. The wheel has turned again.
