Sport

Ulster Council opts for McGinty

THE Ulster Council has controversially opted to bring Brett McGinty to the Commonwealth Youth Games instead of Lewis Crocker – going against the recommendation of the IABA’s head of high performance in the North John Conlan.

Conlan sent details of the proposed five-man team he hoped to bring to Samoa in September to an Ulster Council meeting on Tuesday night. And while Stephen McKenna (Old School) at 49kg, James McGivern (St George’s) at 56kg, Tiernan Bradley (Sacred Heart, Omagh) at 60kg and Aidan Walsh (Holy Family) at 64kg were all ratified, Derry’s McGinty (Oakleaf) was selected ahead of Holy Trinity’s Crocker at 69kg.

The news came as a shock to many in the local boxing fraternity, with world champion Carl Frampton taking to Twitter to show his support for Crocker, slamming the Ulster Council decision and describing the 18-year-old as the “best kid in the country”. Crocker’s coach, Michael Hawkins, said the club would be writing a letter to the Ulster Council requesting a box-off “at the very least”.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Hawkins.

“Lewis is the oldest and most internationally experienced of all the boxers on the panel, and the only one to go to both World and European Championships. There was an assessment done last week and Lewis came out top.

“To miss out on selection, having done all that was asked of him and having the backing of the head of high performance in Ulster, is devastating for the lad. It’s just not on. We’re now in the process of asking the council to stage a box-off. It’s the very least they can do. If we’re beat in the ring, so be it.”

Conlan has been running the rule over all the possible Commonwealth contenders at Sport NI’s Jordanstown base in the past month, and says he will work with the team that has been ratified

“I studied and worked really hard and gave an honest opinion of what I felt was the best team to go to the Commonwealths, based on past results, performances and watching them train,” said Conlan, whose Northern Ireland team returned from last summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with nine medals.

“But the Ulster Council has made a decision and I have to work with that. That’s the team they have picked and it’s my job to move forward with the team we have and try and get the best results possible.”

Ulster Council president Paul McMahon insisted the final decision on the panel had been arrived at democratically.

He said: “ I proposed the ratification of the panel, but the motion wasn’t seconded.

“I have a personal opinion, which is that the paid employees should be supported if they make a recommendation. If they don’t get it right, then they can be called to account. I proposed that we accepted the recommendation of the man who has been working with the squad for the last couple of weeks, and it wasn’t seconded. We live in a democracy.

“It’s disappointing that nobody was there to speak on behalf of the young lad [Crocker], but that’s up to them.”

Meanwhile, The Commonwealth Youth Games panel – as well as Crocker – will join an Ulster elite select at a training camp in Russia from July 15-26. This will include a round-robin competition with the host nation, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The Ulster elite squad is TJ Waite (Cairn Lodge, 52kg), Seán Higginson (Holy Trinity, 56kg), Gerard Matthews (St Paul’s, 60kg), Enda Kennedy (All Saints, 64kg), Conor Doherty (Holy Trinity, 69kg), Caoimhín Hynes (Holy Trinity, 75kg), Seán McGlinchey (Oakleaf, 81kg) and Stephen McMonagle (Holy Trinity, 91kg).