HOCKLEY Boxing Club are celebrating a successful first year.

The club already boasts 12 Essex champions and five fighters ranked inside the country’s top 10.

And head coach Tim Yeates has been thrilled by the progress made in the club’s first 12 months.

“It’s been a really good first year for us and we’re really happy with how it’s gone and how well the boys have done,” said Yeates.

“Danny Thompson and myself started up the club after moving on from elsewhere and as successful former fighters ourselves I think people like coming to work with us.

“We have 50 or 60 boys we train so it’s been great and the response we’ve received from everyone has been superb.”

Hockley Boxing Club currently hold their training sessions at Hockley Gym on the Eldon Industrial Estate.

And they are currently looking for backing to be able to expand.

“With the numbers we’ve been getting along to the training sessions it would be great if we could expand what we’re doing” said Yeates.

“It’s good what we’re doing at the moment but we want to keep on pushing on and progressing so we can have an even better second year.”

Hockley’s Luke Brooke, Sol Brooks, Luke Bellfield and Levi Bellfield all entered this year’s ABAs along with Ben Brooke who made the semi-finals.

In the schoolboy championships, Levi Crabb and Tyler Fairburn both won at county level while Josh Crabb made it through to the national semi-finals before he suffered a controversial points decision defeat.