WEST DEVON'S Ben Cunniff has won his first national title with an emphatic and impressive points victory over George Bannister at this year's Junior Novice Championships.

Cunniff completely outboxed former Golden Gloves champion Bannister in their Class A three-rounder at Liverpool's Austin Rawlinson Sports Centre.

The 15-year-old Cunniff, who boxes out of Carl Robson's Boxing Stable at Colbrook, took the 75kg body-weight category with a winning 8-3 scoreline.

Cunniff dominated from the first bell and never let his guard slip against his Grainger Park ABC opponent.

It was a terrific success for Ben, who has only 12 amateur bouts to his name.

Carl Robson said: 'It was a tremendous performance from Ben, who seems to be getting better all the time.

'He never let the other boy settle and was stronger, fitter and faster.

'It's a measure of Ben's improvement that he completed outsmarted and outboxed last year's Golden Gloves champion.

Carl said the club was 'absolutely thrilled' for Ben and said his success was a great shot in the arm for the club.

'We can say we've produced a national title winner, and we haven't been a going concern that long,' he said.

Cunniff, who lives at Crapstone, reached the Speke-staged finals with an emphatic semi-final victory over local hero Billy Newham, of Romford ABC in Essex, a weekend earlier.

The Tavistock College student's win had been Newham's first defeat and, as Carl explained, plans are in place for Cunniff to meet Class B victor Samuel Eggington of Warley ABC.

The Class A category is for boxers who were born in 1994 and Class B for those born the previous year.

He said: 'I've just had a call, on the back of Ben's performance in Liverpool, for him to compete on the Warley show against their guy Eggington.

'He won the 75kg B Class category title, so we plan to travel to Birmingham for that show, which is scheduled for December 4. It'll be another chance.'