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Bendigo, Friday afternoon.-

England rolled over Australia's boxing gold diggers like the redcoats at Eureka in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Youth Games at West Bendigo Stadium last night.
The Union Jack boxers are in all six finals tonight. Only two Australians remain, featherweight Joel Brunker and middleweight Omar Shaick. A pair of powerful English southpaws threatens them.

Joel Brunker was back in his best Olympic form and had the New Zealand featherweight, Scott Gardner beaten on the whistle, 32-12, in round two.

Charging southpaw from England, James McElvaney matched this in the second semi-final. He eliminated Joey Kelso of Scotland on the whistle in round two, 30-10.

Their Friday night decider will demand Peter Lalor valor in Joel to get gold.

Omar Shaick, the close-quarter southpaw middleweight from Queensland, punched point-blank with portside power like Vic Patrick, to win his semi-final from athletic Samoan, Warren Fuiavailili. The islander had reflexes like a teen Tony Mundine and could be great with the right training. Shaick on the cards, 40-22.

England mounts a dangerous southpaw, James Deagale against Omar in the middleweight final tonight. Deagale put two serious hands to work on the Scot, Andy McKelvie and won the decision over four frames, 36-22.
Deagale's punishing right lead was a lesson to the Prince Hamid imitators waving their antenna.

The first Aussie Davey Browne was eliminated at bantamweight by the speedy hands of Liam Walsh, an English surprise packet with a great future.
Down from Campbelltown to cheer Davey were his celebrated brother, Tommy Browne, the WBC Youth Champ, and trainer Todd Makelin.

Liam has the makings of a golden boy, and poured it on to an rsco 2 whistle at 41-21. But when we belatedly cottoned on that Davey Browne can still make 48 kg, light-fly, and only went up to the 54 kg class for this tourney – which omitted both 48kg and 51 kg flyweight - we were amazed by his rash daring.

Homeland lightweight, Leonardo Zappavigna, fought it out hard with the Scot, Dave Appleby to lose 32-27.

Southpaw Gary Barker of England beat Irish Dave McComb 23-16. Gary's use of his right hand as a waving feather duster infuriated a fan called Charlie behind the press bench to yell: "I want Appleby to murder this bloke in the final," Appleby could do. He's a pale skinned, red blooded destroyer with a poker face.

The next Aussie to end with a bronze medal was West Australian Michael Hatwell, taking on the England light-welterweight star, Bradley Saunders. A winner in four previous nations, Saunders, who took Ryan Pickard's scalp in younger days, damaged Hatwell's nose and Bodo Andreass applied an iced bottle between rounds.

Saunders won 31-8 from the stoical WA boxer newly enrolled in the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.

Another Aussie, Dean Russell battled the New Zealand welterweight, Joey Blackbourn in a hard hitting encounter. Blackbourn's drilled rights won him a whistle victory 31-11 in round 3 and Russell took bronze.

England's Ryan Pickard beat the novice Cook Island welter, Keve Tukia in the third round 25-5 without damaging him. Keve fought with a broken thumbnail, in only his fourth ring contest. The first was Tunstall Trophyman, Todd Kidd at Oceania!

PRESS BOX
Kid Kalin caught the England National junior coach, Chris Edmunds after.
"Congratulations., Can you win six Golds?" says KK.
"It's England versus the Rest of thr World and winner takes all!" says Chris.
For World write Commonwealth, says Kalin. We - will - see.