O'Donoghue set for Sweden trip (From Swindon Advertiser)

O'Donoghue set for Sweden trip

6:00am Saturday 5th January 2013 in Sport

RISING Walcot star Jordan O’Donoghue is set to compete against some of the top female talent in Europe after the club raised money to help her broaden her boxing education.

The 14-year-old has been entered to the prestigious ‘Golden Girls’ tournament which starts on January 10, and will travel to Sweden to take part in the event in Borus.

Accompanying her on the four-day trip will be her dad Jason who is a newly qualified Walcot coach, as well as experienced coach Lionel McCrea.

Walcot committee member and coach Mike Bolton organised much of the fundraising, which included bag packing at Sainsbury’s, and was pleased with the amount of money raised.

“I arranged for myself, fellow coach Danny Hughes and some of our boxers to pack shopping bags in Sainsbury’s in West Swindon, just before Christmas,” he said.

“To make it easier for the boxers they were allowed to remove their boxing gloves. It was an enjoyable 2-3 hours and the shoppers were very generous and we managed to raise around £280 which was a brilliant effort.

“I also collected a large amount of old unwanted clothes from the boxers to sell by weight, which raised another £80.”

Walcot supporter Mrs Sweeney donated £200 to the cause, and all money raised will be topped up by club funds.

Chief coach Harry Scott added: “Jordan is ranked in the top four in the country for her age and weight, but opponents are hard to find in this country.

“She is a real prospect who could easily feature in a future Olympic Games.

“But she needs more experience in the ring, so we are sending her to gain experience in this tournament.

“It will be tough, but could be invaluable in her development.

“I must thank Mike Bolton for his hard work in raising much of the money, and I hope Jordan enjoys the experience.”