Army v Navy bouts pack a punch
December 20, 2019 | by Matt Halfpenny
A spectacular display of amateur boxing was enjoyed by all as the Royal Navy went toe-to-toe with the Army at the HMS Sultan Boxing Dinner Show.
A combined Royal Navy team, from HMS Sultan and fellow training establishment HMS Collingwood, took on personnel from the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), MOD Lyneham.
The competition was played out in a highly-electric atmosphere, with the show including a display by a Corps of Drums from the HMS Sultan Volunteer Band and a parade of the boxers.
The boxing dinner provides the perfect platform for novice boxers to take those first steps into a competitive boxing ring.
In total, nine action packed bouts were on the card with one all-female Navy fight, in addition to the eight Army v Navy bouts, all consisting of three, three-minute rounds.
The bout of the night turned out to be the clash between Able Rating Samuel Cole (Collingwood) and Craftsman Thomas Hutchinson (REME).
With all the results in, the evening’s top performer award was presented to Leading Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering) Jake Murray (Sultan) who had overcome the challenge of Lance Corporal Bradley Greenwood (REME).
It was the boxer’s third success at a HMS Sultan Boxing Show, having represented the Establishment previously in 2016 and 2018.
The Defence College of Technical Training oversees both the Air and Marine Engineering training at Sultan and the training of REME engineers at Lyneham.
As the evening drew to a close, the Commandant of the College, Air Commodore Adam Sansom was invited to present the winning team with the trophy.
With the balance of bouts tied at 4-4, it was the Royal Navy team who had previously won the show who retained the trophy.
Sultan Boxing Squad Coach, Leading Physical Training Instructor Joel Kirby said: “All the boxers fought with great bravery and, considering it was a lot of their first bouts, showed a great deal of skill and class in the ring
“They put all the hard work in during the weeks leading up to the competition and performed well under the pressure of boxing in front of a crowd of over 500 cheering spectators.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our Navy boxers. The preparation for the show has revealed a lot of talented boxers at Sultan with huge potential, not limited to those who made it into the ring. I hope they all decide to stay in the sport, as they could have great futures, should they desire it.”
Bout results (winners in BOLD)
60kg Female bout – SLt Clare Mawson (SUL) v ET (CIS) Ellie Naylor (CWD)
64kg ET (ME) Marcus Houston (SUL) v LCpl Jack Lewis (REME)
69kg LET (CIS) Billy Robbins (CWD) v CFN Asa Huw Eversley-John (REME)
69kg Mid Thomas De Carvalho Gross (CWD) v Spr James Nelson (REME)
69kg LET (ME) Jake Murray (SUL) v LCpl Bradley Greenwood (REME)
69kg LET (CIS) Callum McCall (CWD) v Lt Max Heron (REME)
75kg ET (ME) Michael Burns (SUL) v Spr Anthony Lowe (REME)
81kg AB Samuel Cole (CWD) v Cfn Thomas Hutchinson (REME)
91+kg PO Dave Gibson (SUL) v Spr George Loveridge (REME)