A THAITANS Martial Arts Academy quartet starred at the United Kingdom Muaythai Federation National Trials in Leeds.
This prestigious tournament was held to find the very best juniors to make up the Great Britain national team which will travel to Thailand in August to fight in the World International Federation of Muaythai Amateur Championships.
This will also be the bedrock of the Olympic Thai boxing team should Thai boxing be accepted into the Olympics after the 2020 trial.
Redditch-based Thaitans had Cameron Harris, 12, George Rowand, 12, Ellie Pardy, 13, and Ethan Walkes, 13, representing the town.
Harris was fighting a game Scottish opponent and the Redditch fighter started at a fast pace, landing some well-timed leg kicks. The Scottish lad faltered under the pressure and the referee stopped the bout inside 30 seconds, declaring Harris the winner and into the final.
In Harris’ second fight he faced a strong opponent from Manchester. Harris won the first round comfortably but in the second round he did not quite find his rhythm, meaning the north west fighter took round two.
Going into the last round they were level on points but the lad from Manchester just did enough to win the round and the fight.
Next up was Pardy who also faced a Scottish opponent. Pardy took command of the fight early – scoring well in the clinch – and this continued throughout as Pardy prevailed and moved into the final.
In the final she faced another Scottish girl and it was a mirror image of the first fight as Pardy triumphed, which means she is now eligible to be picked for the GB squad.
Next up was Rowand against a Birmingham fighter. Rowand was slick and dominated every round to book his place in the final in which he took on a Newcastle opponent.
The Geordie youngster had a great first round to leave Rowand with work to do but the Redditch fighter found his style and comfortably outgunned his opponent in rounds two and three to seal a victory which also leaves him eligible for GB selection.
Walkes was straight into the final against a Scottish opponent and soon dominated in the clinch before sealing victory by counting the lad with his knees.
The Scot made the count but Walkes immediately piled the pressure on and the referee stopped the bout in the closing seconds, declaring Walkes the winner via TKO and also sealing his eligibility for GB selection.
Thaitans hold regular classes throughout the week for ladies, kids, beginners, advanced and fitness. For more details contact Kevin Dorman on 07956 4303646 or email [email protected].
