COACH Dave Cole praised the second female boxer in March Amateur Boxing Club’s history after she made a winning debut... aged 12.

Patsy Smith, from Murrow, cruised to victory against Brydie O’Keefe at Shrewsbury and Severnside ABC on Friday.

The youngster almost stopped her opponent in the first round during a performance which left Cole with a smile on his face.

“She’s a very strong girl for a 12-year-old,” he said. “But what impresses me most is how focused she is.

“It was a big crowd on Friday - there must have been more than 250 people watching - but Patsy was just so focused. It was like nobody else was there.

“I was really impressed with her.”

Smith follows in the footsteps of Vicky Larham, who became the first female boxer in the club’s 63-year history in 2010.

Her debut victory was the start of a memorable weekend for March ABC as impressive displays from Percy Baxter and Danny Hedges continued the winning streak.

Baxter recorded a comfortable win over David Meadows, of Astley VIP, before Danny Hedges outpointed Portsmouth ABC’s Alfie Steeces.

Cole said he was pleased with the performance produced by Hedges, who takes on Stevenage ABC’s Jack Self in the quarter finals of the National Amateur Boxing Championships on Sunday.