CANDICE Wolstenholme became Bury ABC’s fourth national champion in the past 12 months after cruising to a unanimous victory on points in the final of the England Minors and Schoolboy Championships at Bowlers in Trafford.

The 11-year-old almost stopped her opponent, Courtney Hart, of Devenport ABC, in the second round and while she could not finish her off for the knockdown, the youngster was never in danger of losing her first ever national final.

“The referee gave the other girl a standing count in the second but let the fight continue and Candice could not quite finish her off,” said coach Mick Jelley.

“But she did brilliantly well. Candice is only the second girl, after Sarah Dunne, that I have coached to a national final and she is certainly the youngest. She boxed really well and showed no nerves, even though the place was packed with more than a thousand spectators.

“It was really hot in there, but she handled it ever so well. Candice is a very confident little girl and to achieve a national title in her first season shows she has something special.”

Wolstenholme follows in the footsteps of Bury ABC juniors Ibrahim Nadim, Saif Qureshi and Adil Iqbal, who have all won national titles over the past year, while senior Muhammad Ali made it all the way to the Olympics and has helped the British Lionhearts into the knockout stages of the World Series of Boxing.