Irish Elite squad record comfortable victory over China in Wexford

The Irish Elite squad recorded a comfortable 9-3 victory over the China Elite team at a sold out Brandon Hotel in Newross, Wexford last night.

World Senior and Youth champions Katie Taylor and Joe Ward both had their hands raised in triumph.

Irish Elite champions Michael Conlon, Michael McDonagh, Katie Rowland, Sinead Kavanagh, John Joe Nevin and Darren O'Neill and Patrick Corcoran also helped Ireland to an impressive win.

Taylor, boxing for the second time in 24 hours - she beat Spain's Spain's Maria del Carman Moreno at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin on Saturday night - beat Cheng Dong 6-2 in a repeat of the 2008 and 2010 AIBA World lightweight finals which the Bray woman won in China and Barbados.

Ward, the current AIBA World Youth champion, forced Fanlong Meng into a standing count in the third en route to a 9-2 victory.

Belfast flyweight Conlon ensured that Ireland hit the ground running with an impressive 15-4 verdict over Yong Chang in the opening bout of the evening.

And McDonagh followed that up with a 2-0 win over Qiang Lio, followed by victory for European Youth silver medalist Katie Rowland.

China, who finished in number one spot in the medals table at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, pulled on back after Drimnagh super-heavyweight Sean Turner - who produced one of the performances of the evening - was edged out on a double countback by 2008 Olympic silver medalist Zhilei Zaifula.

However, Cavan bantamweight John Joe Nevin got Ireland back to winning ways with a classy 7-1 win over Hongliang Zhang.

European silver medalist Darren O'Neill had three points to spare over Jianting Zhang in the middleweight class. That victory opened up an unassailable 7-1 lead for the hosts.

Niall Murray, a late replacement for Elite champ Ross Hickey, and Karl Brabazon both lost out to Richabilige Hu and Qiong Maimaitituersun in the light-welterweight and welterweight categories.

Galway heavyweight Patrick Corcoran sealed an impressive win for the hosts with a 7-4 decision over Maimaiti Zaifula in the final bout of the evening.

Both nations will meet again at the Dungarvan Sports Centre on Wednesday night and at the National Stadium in Dublin next Friday.