SOUTH Devon will not be short of flag-bearers when the Western Counties face the Southern Counties in the pre quarter-finals of the English Schools' ABA Schoolboys' Championships at the Golden Ring Boxing Club in Southampton tomorrow.

Two from Apollo (Torquay) ABC, two from Torbay ABC and one from the Paignton Pro-Am Boxing Club make up the strongest representation the Bay has had in years at such an advanced stage of competition.

And the five include 14-year old Westlands schoolboy Nathan Halton (Apollo), who won his age-group final in 2008 when the championships changed names to The Golden Gloves.

Halton will face Stanley Price (Sandwich ABC) in the 68-70 kilo class after winning last weekend's Western Counties finals at Bideford by stopping Bristol based Llewellen Bowen (Empire AB) with a fierce body shot in the first round.

Apollo's Nathan Mackin, 14, also qualified for tomorrow's stage when he, too, produced a wicked body shot for the referee to stop the contest in the third round against Callum O'Connell (Broadplain ABC).

Mackin, a pupil at Torquay Community College, who stopped Torbay ABC's Sam Watt in the second round during the Southern Division finals at Bodmin the previous weekend, now faces Michael Dunphy from Guildford ABC in Surrey.

Torbay ABC, back in the championships for the first time since even long serving coach Dave Stacey can remember, will be represented by 14-year olds Zane Turner (57-60-kilos) and Joshua Hartley (36-38-kilos).

Turner had a walk-over in last Sunday's Six Counties show-down having stopped Jordan Barnett (Tiverton ABC) in the final round during the Southern Division finals.

He will lace-up against Tom Matthews (Faversham ABC).

And Hartley, who received walkovers in both the Southern Division finals and last weekend, will face John-Boy Coates (Sittingbourne ABC).

Fourteen-year old Tyler Barwood from the Paignton Pro-Am Boxing Club, is the fifth from South Devon to have reached what is effectively the third round stage of the championships.

The Torquay Boys' Grammar School pupil from Brixham has had two walkovers up to now in the 42-44k Class B category, but is assured an opponent this time round when he meets Southern Counties qualifier Tommy Mobey from Guildford ABC.