FOUR aspiring young boxers travelled to their first national championship in Banbury, Oxfordshire, over the weekend.

Young members of JC's Boxing Club on Jackson Street, Parr, competed in the England Boxing National Youth Championships on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16.

The young fighters who had the opportunity to compete were Josh Whittle (13), Edward Evans (11), Niamh May (12), and Emily Rigby (12).

St Helens Star: The young boxers travelled to the national champions as part of JC's Boxing Club in ParrThe young boxers travelled to the national champions as part of JC's Boxing Club in Parr

Although the results were not as they hoped, their coach Tony Muir said that it was a "fantastic experience" for them to be involved in a national competition at a young age.

In their respective fights, Edward lost by a split decision in the semi-final while Josh and Niamh lost in "close contests" in the final of their age categories.

Emily was unable to compete as she hasn't had enough contests but is said to have loved the experience.

Tony said: "We usually compete in the regional, Merseyside and Cheshire division, so it was a fantastic experience for them to get away and compete in a national championship.

"They are inspiring because they are in the gym five days a week and they were back in the gym on the Monday [after the championship]."

Perecving that boxing can be used as a tool to discipline young people and keep them out of trouble, Tony added that it has been "great to witness their development over a short space of time".

St Helens Star: The four young boxers are looking forward to their next competitionsThe four young boxers are looking forward to their next competitions

Despite only being in operation for around five years, Tony said it is a testament to the boxers that train at JC's as they are going up against boxing clubs who have been competing for decades.

Across their age and weight categories, JC's have had 18 divisional champions over the last five years.

After their tough performances over the weekend, Joshua and Niamh have also been picked to compete for England in their respective categories.