Brothers Kelvin and Karl Armstrong had never entered a national boxing championship until this season, but both have reached finals of their respective tournaments.

Karl, 14, fights in a rearranged National Schoolboy Final in Barnsley next Saturday while 17-year-old Kelvin's big night is tomorrow in Margate, South London.

The elder sibling will compete at 86kg with Steve Doherty of Cambridge ABC for the for the National ABA Championship Junior title.

Trainer Michael Mason is immensely proud of the Craghead ABC pair, and praised their commitment, saying: "These boys have been training from scratch since coming to us. They're both good boys and they both work hard - they work six days a week.

"It's the first time they've been in a national competition so to get to the final is a massive achievement, especially with the standard of competition there is these days.

Michael has reminded the brothers of his own success, telling how he once brought national boxing glory to the region.

"I won a national junior title in 1977. I was the first from Northumberland and fifth from the region to win one back then but since there's been loads more from up here in the 1980s and 90s. I've told them - it drives them on."