DORSET duo Darcy Cooper and Ruby White both tasted victory at the English Boxing National Schools Championships finals day.

In the first event of its kind since the coronavirus pandemic, two young stars from the county emerged victorious at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle.

More than 200 boxers attended to battle for belts across the weight divisions, with 65 clubs now able to boast a national champion.

Cooper of Wimborne defeated Hunslet's Siobhan Haley in a tight final of the female cadet under-56kg category, winning by a split decision.

Meanwhile, Sturminster Newton star White was a clear winner against Neve Wright of Aston in the female class B under-48kg final.

White won by unanimous decision, with her performance on the day also seeing her named among a group of three 'female boxers of the tournament'.

England Boxing's development coach Amanda Coulson said: “It was fantastic to see boxers back in action at a national event after such a long time out of the ring because of lockdown, and what better to way to start off than with the stars of the future?

“There are definitely a number of talented boxers to keep an eye on in the future – girls and boys – and there were some great contests in among the bouts, along with plenty of effort from all those who took part.

“Considering the lockdown and the part that has played in stopping boxing for a while, the determination and resilience shown by these boxers to come back as they have is second to none.

“We look forward to seeing what these boxers are going to go on and achieve in the future.”

Class B and Class A champions were rewarded with a pair of golden gloves, while Cadets won a gold medal.

Beaten finalists in all classes picked up silver medals and losing semi-finalists bronze medals, while all boxers received an England Boxing certificate in recognition of their efforts.

Those who won titles in Class B and Class A, which includes White, are now being invited to train with the England Talent coaches at a Schools Champions Day between October 23-25.