CARDIGAN boxer Peter Price's quest to join the small but elite band of west Wales boxers who have won a national title ended in frustrating failure at Washington, Tyne on Wear, on Thursday when he dropped a close points decision to Liverpudlian Bradley Strand in the British CYP 54kg final.

Strand, a double British schoollboy champ, built up a clear lead in the first and although Price, 16, relentlessly cut the deficit over the next two rounds, the judges felt he had not done quite enough to snatch victory.

"We feel Pete showed Strand too much respect in the opening round," said Cardigan ABC chairman Mike Lewis. "The second could have gone either way and Pete definitely won the last - unfortunately the judges felt it was too little, too late.

"Pete's understandably feeling pretty sick at the moment, but the outcome was desperately close and he's undoubtedly proved he belongs at this level."

Meanwhile, Cardigan ABC's schoolboy champ Ioan Croft - who won the best boxer of the night award at the club's Mathry show on his 12th birthday the previous week - gained swift revenge over Joe Morgan, of Mountain Ash, at Tumble on Saturday night.

Morgan, who had controversially outpointed Ioan's twin brother Garan at Mathry, received a comprehensive boxing lesson as the Crymych schoolboy maintained his spectacular unbeaten run.