Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club is an amateur boxing club (ABC) in Kent.Established in 1912 as the Orpington Lads Club [1] 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 clubs that formed the Kent Amateur Boxing Association in 1948. [2]
The club has met in a variety of locations and now has a gym in Petts Wood. Orpington has records dating back to 1895 at the village hall.[3]
In 1936, Jack Doyle built a boxing centre in Orpington on Lagoon Road, playing 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.[4]
Orpington & District ABC has produced amateur champions. Some of these include Jimmy Cable,[5] Albert Hillman [6] who fought kirkland Laing[7] Simon Grix, Chris Genkins [8] and Mark Baker. Prior to 1974 the club had garnered the highest number of Kent, Southern Counties, and London Champions titles.[9] From 1962 to 1980,[10] Orpington & District ABC won a record number of school boy titles in Kent.[7] The club also hosted the Kent and Southern Counties school boy championships at the RoseCroft Club.[11] The club competed in the South East Divisional championships and has won multiple London titles.[12]
In 1986, the club affiliated with Surrey ABA Southern Counties when it was based in Westerham.[13]
Orpington & District ABC is one of the oldest boxing clubs in Kent and is currently located in Pettswood.[14] In 1936, the club changed its name from Orpington Lads Club to Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club [15] under the guidance of former professional boxer Harry Taylor, who introduced the Taylor's Cup.[16]
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.[17]
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, along with Great Elms in Bromley and Bromley Boxing Athletic Club (Bromley ABC)[18]
Harry Taylor, the head coach, played a pivotal role in the development of several boxing clubs, including Cray Valley, Orpington & District ABC, and the Orpington Boys Club. He also contributed to clubs in Bromley, such as Great Elms at Shooters Common (now Bromley Common) and the Bromley Athletic Club, which was located at Hayes Lane, home to Bromley Football Club. Alongside Pat Dowers, Taylor helped manage the Downham & Bromley Club, established in 1938, which fell under the Orpington & District regional association.
In 1950, all these clubs unified under the name Orpington & District ABC. A constitution was drafted to govern this association, ensuring that all clubs within the borough were affiliated with the Kent Amateur Boxing Association (ABA).This constitution protects the clubs and stipulates that they can only be operated by the committee of Orpington & District ABC. [19]
It wasn't until 1962 when the club re-opened, under the leadership of Alf Reilly at St. Joseph's Boys School in Orpington and Eric Lubbock MP as the president,[20] 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 [21] Jack Stewart, the then-president of Rosecroft, helped organise various Interclub club sparring shows, club, regional and national shows, with Coaches Ted Norris and Peter Hugh, holding various Kent Schools, and junior national shows.Mr Stewart introduced his Sons, and Grandson to boxing along with Larry McGuire, Jack ensured the club had a home until he resigned in 1980,[9]
In 1965 the Downham Community Club which had formerly had connections with Orpington ABC with Harry Taylor & Pat Dowers in the 50s joined The Orpington ABC Association of clubs due to closure, Downham Community ABC amalgamated with Orpington & District ABC once again, and a constitution (legal document)was written & agreed in 1966 that all clubs within the Borough moving forward would come under auspices of the Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Clubs.
Orpington & District ABC has produced amateur champions,[22] including Mick Spencer, 5 times national champion and England Representative, Gary Cable, Alan Cable, Johnny Hillman, Albert Hillman, Mark Baker, Robert Mullholland, Robert Stacey, Terry Pearson,[23]