AMATEUR boxing’s rising star Kieran Farrell didn’t take long to make his mark when he was awarded his first England vest.

After a tough series of training and coaching days with the England ABA squad, Farrell, who fights out of the Boarshaw club, came up against some of the most daunting opposition he had ever faced in the under 51 kilo class of the UK Tri-nations championships in Edinburgh last weekend.

But he came home with another title and another trophy to add to his growing collection.

His first win came on his 18th birthday when he faced Scotland’s Danny Singh and triumphed with a 17-8 score.

In the final he was up against English fighter Luke Goodings, and it could not have been more evenly matched.

They finished with identical scores from the judges, but on countback, taking scoring shots into account, Farrell got the verdict by one point.

Kieran said: "I couldn’t have wished for a better debut as an England boxer. Winning on my 18th birthday was brilliant, but becoming a Great Britain champion a day later was unbelievable."

He boxes for England again in four weeks time, against Ireland, in Dublin.