Draft:Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club

Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club is situated in Pettswood, Orpington, England. Originally established in 1912 as the Orpington Lads Club by the St. Mary Cray Scout Troop, the club aimed to support underprivileged young men in the Orpington area, Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club was one of the original 16 forming clubs of Kent Amateur Boxing Association established 1948

Orpington has a rich history of boxing with early records dating to 1895 at the Village Hall.

In 1936 Jack Doyle built a boxing centre in Orpington in Lagoon road which played a pivotal part of the development of Orpington ABC. In 1936 the British Olympic Boxing team, team GB trained at the centre. Amateur boxers from Orpington & District ABC helped assist in the training.

Orpington & District ABC has produced notable amateur champions. Some of these include Jimmy Cable, Albert Hillman who fought kirkland Laing Simon Grix, Chris Genkins and Mark Baker. The club has a remarkable record of producing numerous national champions, making it a standout among other boxing clubs in the borough. Additionally, it has garnered the highest number of Kent, Southern Counties, and London Champions titles, further solidifying its reputation as a successful and influential establishment in the boxing community.. From 1962 to 1980, Orpington & District ABC won a record number of school boy titles in Kent. The club also hosted the Kent and Southern Counties school boy championships at the RoseCroft Club. The club competes in the South East Divisional championships and has won multiple London titles.

In 1986, the club affiliated with Surrey ABA Southern Counties when it was based in Westerham.

Orpington & District ABC is one of the oldest boxing clubs in Kent and is currently located in Pettswood. In 1936, the club changed its name from Orpington Lads Club to Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club under the guidance of former professional boxer Harry Taylor, who introduced the Taylor's Cup.

In 1937, under Harry Taylor's guidance, the club organised various tournaments to raise funds for Cray Wanders Football Club, ensuring its survival during challenging times.

During World War II, the club temporarily closed its doors, as many institutions did during that time. After the war there were four clubs in Orpington, Cray Valley Boxing Club, Orpington Boys Club,Chelsfield Valley Junior Boxing Club and Orpington & District Boxing Club.

Harry Taylor head coach was the coach at Cray Valley, Orpington & District ABC and Orpington boys club. Come 1950 all clubs would come under the name Orpington & District ABC.

It wasn't until 1962, under the leadership of Alf Reilly at St. Joseph's Boys School in Orpington and Eric Lubbock MP as the president, that the club gained national success. It later moved to St Mary Cray's Sea Cadet Hall and then the Rosecroft Social Club. Eric Lubbock an Oxford Blue boxed for Orpington and District ABC which made headlines in the Daily mail Jack Stewart, the then-president of Rosecroft, helped organise various Interclub club sparring shows, club, regional and national shows, Mr Stewart introduced his Sons, and Grandsons to boxing along with Larry McGuire, Jack ensured the club had a home until he resigned in 1980,

Orpington & District ABC has produced amateur champions, including Mick Spencer, Gary Cable, Alan Cable, Johnny Hillman, Albert Hillman, Mark Baker, Robert Mullholland, Robert Stacey, Terry Pearson, P Martin, and Ray Mason.

In 1966, the club successfully raised funds to build the Magpie Hall Lane Youth Centre in Southborough. It briefly operated from the Youth Centre at Magpie Hall Lane in Pettswood before relocating to the Rosecroft social club in St. Mary's Cray, where it was coached by ex-England international and national champion Mick Spencer.

In 1980, the club moved again, this time behind the Queenshead public house in Green St. Green, with Mick Spencer moving to the Fitzroy Lodge. Arthur Davis, a former professional, became the head coach. In 1986, the club merged with the Sir Winston Churchill Boxing Club and the Spitfire Boxing Club in Bigginhill due to a lack of funding and an unsuitable venue. Jimmy Cable served as president, and John Hart as coach during this period. The club continued to produce national champions, such as Robert Stacey and Mark Baker, as well as regional boxers like Neville Smith, Dean Philp, Justin Worrel, Ian Tebbit, and Mark Dalton.

The club faced challenges in the 1990s when the Royal Standard pub in Westerham closed, resulting in the closure of all three clubs: Spitfire, Sir Winston Churchill, and Orpington ABC. This led to temporary closures due to a lack of venues and funding. In 2007, the Cray Valley Boxing Club in Cray valley briefly reopened and whey relocating to Tillingbourne Green they were called again Orpington & District Amateur Boxing club, the club produced regional champions under coach Olly Rutherford and national finalists such as Ernie Rutherford, However, the club closed in 2013 due to a lack of funding once again.

Orpington & District ABC reopened its doors in Pettswood on April 8, 2024, with a 15-year lease.

Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club is the only official regulated boxing club affiliated with the National Governing Body England Boxing & Sport England in Pettswood. The club also has a professional affiliation with the British Boxing Board of Control.

The club’s motto is ‘progredior’ (to make progress, advance, develop, proceed, go on)

Today, the club is run by ex-boxers and family members of the original Orpington & District ABC under the affiliation of England Boxing, established in 1880.

Television
In 1965 Orpington & District Amateur boxing club was featured on the BBC1 6pm news featuring club training with Michael Spencer and Robert Reily

Books
Orpington & District boxing club is mentioned in The Gifted One biography of Kirkland Laing by Oliver Jarratt and details the bout between Kirkland Laing and Orpington & District ABC Boxer Albert Hillman.

The bout between Chris Genkins of Orpington & District ABC and Charlie Magri is mentioned in the book Champagne Charlie.

Jimmy Cable the ex president & former boxer for Orpington & District ABC is mentioned in a book by Steve Bunce.

The club is mentioned in Anthony Whatleys book the Ghost of the Fisher.

Ian Stones book about the British athlete Alec Nelson cites the Orpington Village Hall as the location of his bout, the village hall was the location for Orpington boxing club in 1895. Alec boxed Charnock from Orpington ABC.