Western News: July 09, 2019

WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday July 9 2019 13
Boxing champ’s son takes title
• By Gordon Findlater
CHRISTCHURCH BOYS’ High
School’s Daniel Meehan has
continued his impressive junior
boxing career with a win at the
New Zealand Golden Gloves.
Meehan, 16, backed up his
recent South Island Golden
Glove title by going on to claim
the junior 60kg national Golden
Gloves title by unanimous
decision in Rotorua.
Boxing is in his blood. Meehan
is the son of Danny Meehan – a
former Jameson Belt holder.
The belt is awarded to the most
scientific senior boxer at the
national championships.
The teenager has been boxing
for the past four-and-a-half years
at the Smiling Tigers Boxing
Club under coach Mark Fuller.
Meehan’s title came as
little surprise to Fuller. He
has previously won two New
Zealand titles and an Australian
Golden Gloves title. He also
came into the NZ Golden Gloves
on the back of a win in Australia.
“Because of his work rate and
his angle changes I think he had
his opponent flummoxed, it was
a really convincing win for him,”
said Fuller.
Titles were also won by
Woolston boxers Hamuera
Tainui, Ryley Sutherland
and Meehan’s Smiling Tigers
clubmate Kwahli Beauchamp.
Tainui took out the junior 66kg
title, Sutherland won in the 46kg
SPORT
cadet, while Beauchamp won the
40kg cadet title.
All four Canterbury boxers
have also been selected in
the New Zealand junior
development squad following the
Golden Gloves. The squad will
travel to Australia later in the
year.
“They’ve actually started
concentrating on the juniors
as well which is really good
. . . this is the first time in a very
long time that they’ve sent away
a good size squad like this, it’s
going to be great and a good sign
of things to come I think,” said
Fuller.
“All of those four boys have
been around a wee while now,
they’re only young, but they’ve
got quite a bit of experience
and they’re only going to get
better with what the Canterbury
association is doing to support
them.”
CONTENDER: Daniel Meehan
won the junior 60kg title at
the New Zealand Golden
Gloves. ​
China
tournament
for student
footballers
THREE FOOTBALLERS from
western secondary schools have
been selected to represent New
Zealand at an under-16 women’s
tournament in China this month.
Alyssa Whinham of Riccarton
High School, Freya Lodge-
Whitham of Christchurch Girls’
High and Claudia Wilson of
Burnside High will take part in
the tournament from July 14 to
22 in Weifang, where they will
play three matches against yet-tobe-confirmed
Asian opposition.
They will be joined by three
other Canterbury players Kate
Taylor, Zoe McMeeken and Samantha
Senior in the squad of 18
which will be staking their claim
to be part of next year’s FIFA
U-17 Women’s World Cup.
“It will be a real eye-opener for
the players in terms of the level
required and . . . they need to go
out and showcase themselves,
both individually and collectively.
It should give us real clarity
around where we’re at, which
would be a good space to be in
15 months out from the World
Cup,” said coach Leon Birnie.
No players are returning from
last year’s U-17 Women’s World
Cup, in which the New Zealand
team captured the hearts of the
country’s sporting public with a
remarkable third place finish.