It proved to be a disappointing excursion to Aylesbury for the three local contenders involved in the semi-finals of this year's Golden Belt Championships.

o Imtiaz Khandokar, from the Banbury Spit 'n' Sawdust outfit, delivered a gutsy display in his Class 3 (for competitors born in 1991) bantamweight clash with Runcorn's Paul Larkin.

Khandokar gained most success with hook combinations on the counter, but he could not match the overall scoring rate of his Cheshire rival and lost on points.

Berinsfield's Will Joyce will be the first to admit that he did not show his true potential in suffering defeat against Gian Gill, of the Bedworth Ex-Serviceman's Gym.

But the unluckiest of the local participants had to John Collins, who faced Midlands champion Sam Bowen, from the Earl Shilton ABC in the Class 2 (boxers born in 1992) 52kg semi-final.

Although Bowen proved nimble on his feet, the accuracy of his punching came into question with several slaps landed that escaped the attention of the referee.

Collins never lost his concentration and switching between the orthodox and southpaw stances often opened chinks in his rival's guard to land solid straight shots.

Bowen got the nod from the judges, but it prompted a lengthy debate in the hall, where spectators saw 34 bouts staged over more than eight hours at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium.