A COLCHESTER Amateur Boxing Club duo have progressed to the England Boxing National Schools Championships semi-finals.

Blake Marshall and Tommy Reid will contest their national semi-final bouts in Milton Keynes, this weekend.

Marshall secured a unanimous decision victory in his quarter-final against Lympstone ABC's Ed James in Exmouth, Devon.

Marshall, who progressed from the Eastern Counties round by walk-over, took on James in the minors under-41.5kg category.

This bout was all action from the opening bell, as both boxers went toe-to-toe.

Contrary to his usual slow start, Marshall won the opening round by forcing James backwards, as he threw punches with both hands.

James responded in the second round, landing the more eye-catching punches.

But a gritty and determined display of front-foot boxing in the third round secured Marshall's victory.

Reid, who also received a walk-over to the quarter-final, took on Tredworth ABC's Mason Gordon-Brewes in Gloucester.

Facing his taller opponent in the class B under-65kg category, Reid boxed assertively on the front-foot, throwing punches with both hands to head and body.

Gordon-Brewes tried to control the action at long range but Reid's sustained attacks forced him onto the back-foot and into the corners, where the Colchester boxer was able capitalise with fast combinations.

The Tredworth boxer put in a determined display, landing some eye-catching shots over Reid's guard.

But the pressure tactics paid off and Reid secured a unanimous win, to progress to the national semi-finals.

Colchester's Joe Davies took on All-Comers ABC's Alfie Buckley in Ely, Cambridgeshire in an Eastern Counties Final.

Davies knew that victory in the minors under-32.5kg category bout would book him a national quarter-final spot.

Buckley's long-range accurate punching made it difficult for the Colchester boxer to find his range.

Davies stayed competitive throughout the bout but Buckley secured a unanimous decision.

Colchester’s Alfie Smith also faced a difficult challenge against the experienced Kasper Ciureja of Fenland Sparta ABC in March, Cambridgeshire.

The Class A under 41.5kg category bout was also an Eastern Counties Final.

Boxing from his southpaw stance, Smith tried to close the distance but Ciureja's slick movement made it a difficult task.

Smith pressed hard throughout the bout but found his opponent's reach and experience too much of a challenge and lost out on a unanimous decision.

Colchester’s senior prospect Wasim Rach was unlucky to lose out to home boxer Courtney Walcott, on the Chelmsford ABC dinner show.

Rach suffered a cut sustained from a clash of heads near the end of the third and final round, meaning the decision was returned to the judges’ scorecards. It meant that Rach's third and most productive round was in vain, as it would not be counted in the score.

And having narrowly dropped the first two rounds, he was edged out by the Chelmsford boxer.