Blaney, Flynn, Reilly and Burke guaranteed four European medals for Ireland

Shauna Blaney, Shaneen Flynn, Shannon Reilly and Aoife Burke guaranteed Ireland at least four bronze medals at the European Women’s Youth and Junior Championships in Assisi, Italy yesterday.

The Irish quartet all recorded comprehensive last-eight wins to book their ticket’s into Thursday’s Junior semi-finals. Click here for semi-final card.

Blaney signalled her intentions in the first ten seconds of her clash with Hungary’s Beatrix Kalmav with a flashing left, and the Irish pin-weight never looked back from there, two of the three judges awarding her the first and second rounds on 10-8 scores. It was an emphatic victory and it ensured that Ireland would not be coming home empty-handed from Assisi.

Flynn also scored a run-away win. The Dublin pocket-rocket was giving away a lot in height and reach to Turkish bantamweight Merve Turkmen, but she poured forward with every opportunity to land solid combinations en route to securing Ireland’s second medal.

Reilly, meanwhile, will be bringing another European medal back to the Bray BC – Katie Taylor may have a few of them!. The Wicklow lightweight blasted her way into the last-four after recording an inside the distance win over Romania’s Filip Madalina, who took standing counts in rounds one, two and three.

Aoife Burke was also in power-punching mode. The Irish light-middleweight stopped Hungary’s Gitta Cseri, who also took three standing counts, three seconds from the end of the third and final frame to register Ireland’s third straight victory of the evening session in Assisi.

Earlier today, Natasha Logan was desperately unlucky to end up on the wrong end of a split decision to Russia’s Anna Krsnoperava. The Irish fly showed her class and superior boxing skills to take the first round 10-9 across the board.

Two of the three judges went with the Russian after a close second, leaving Logan with a slender advantage going into the final frame. But despite a solid display from the Ryston BC ace in the last stanza the judges leaned in favour of Krsnoperava.

Orla Garvey produced a gusty display against Russia Vera Kopeikina throughout the three rounds, which the Russian won. A brave performance from Garvey, who gave everything she had against an opponent that will probably win gold.

Natasha O’Reilly appeared to be on course for victory after taking the first round against Mellissa Freitag; the German light-welter was on the floor twice from slips in the opening 30 seconds and also received a public warning for dropping her head.

O’Reilly got a public warning in the second round for holding to even up the penalty points in boxing’s equivalent of a yellow card. Both combatants, who were throwing some heavy leather throughout, had their moments going down the final stretch, but the verdict went to the German girl.

Irish captain Lauren Hogan, Kristina O’Hara, Amy Broadhurst, Cheyanne O’Neill and Ciara Sheedy will be in quarter-final action tomorrow. Click here for schedule.

“We’re happy enough with the four wins, said Irish coach Liam Brereton. “Two of our defeats were on split decisions which could have gone either way, although I honestly believe that Natasha Logan did enough to win.

“The Youths are in tomorrow and hopefully they can keep the results rolling in the right direction for us.”

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

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) v Elit Belismen (Turkey)
51kg Kristina O’Hara (Ireland) v Hayley Ward (England)
57kg Amy Broadhurst (Ireland) v Annunziata Esposito (Italy)
60kg Cheyanne O’Neill (Ireland) v Iryna Yaskova (Ukraine)
64kg Ciara Sheedy (Ireland) v Marryeva Jabrailova (Azerbaijan)

July 24th

Juniors
S/Finals
46kg Shauna Blaney (Ireland) v Baretta Maddalena (Italy)
54kg Shaneen Flynn (Ireland) v Cammarota Matilde (Italy)
60kg Shannon Reilly (Ireland) v Us Urguya (Turkey)
70kg Aoife Burke (Ireland) v Aneta Gojko (Poland)

Irish squad

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

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

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