DROITWICH Spa boxer Michael Pardoe begins the defence of his national schools' title this weekend as five town fighters go in search of glory.

Pardoe, of Droitwich Amateur Boxing Club, is the reigning champion for Year 10 students at 63kg and, because he is a year older, cannot compete in that event. But on Saturday he will begin his Year 11 championship quest in Wolverhampton.

Coach Chris Andrews said: "He must be one of the front runners but he could find himself with a completely different group of opponents."

Among the five boxers joining Pardoe, aged 16, will be Sean Donnelly, who turned in a peach of a performance at a recent tournament in Birmingham.

Donnelly outpointed David Heaney, of Walsall Wood, despite having previously been defeated by his opponent. But the 13-year-old avenged that loss with a strong, aggressive display, which saw him win every round.

Donnelly piled up the points with an accurate jab and stepped in to keep Heaney on the defensive.

Droitwich light middleweight boxer Matt Greening also had a useful workout at the event when he outpointed Tamworth's Bernard Barney.

Barney, a tall, awkward southpaw, posed 21-year-old Greening problems in the initial stages but Greening stuck to his guns and was on top by the end of the second round.

The third round was mainly one-way traffic as Greening powered forward, exposing Barney's tactics. All the solid punches came from the Droitwich boxer and Barney was forced to hold and was given a public warning as Greening stormed through for victory.

Andrews said: "We were hoping for a less strenuous contest. The senior Amateur Boxing Championships start next week and we all agreed Matt needed a warm-up bout but this guy proved one of the most awkward I could have picked.

"Had the bout gone on for four rounds, I think Matt may have stopped him."