Alive and kicking: Maltby thai boxing club packing extra punch after Round Table donation

Rotherham Round Table chairman James Fox (third left) is pictured ytying out the equipment with Phil Glover (centre) and club members (from left to right): Luke Roberts, Seth Owen, Evan Roberts, Sam Earl, Liam Bell and Riley O'Connor. 190905

Maltby’s Thai Boxing Club has spent the £500 influx from Rotherham Round Table on new training pads to replace ageing equipment which had been worn thin by a decade or more of punches and kicks.

Round Table chairman James Fox visited the club recently to try out some of the new kit.

The club, which is overseen by instructor and former European champion Phil Glover, trains children thai boxing skills from an early age and also has an adult section.

Phil said: “This donation has made a huge difference. We were running really short of equipment. The pads we had have been in use for more than ten years and we desperately needed some more.

“Everything else we need can be provided by parents but the specialist pads have to come from the club.

“One of the members put us in touch with Matt (Ridsdale, past chairman of Round Table) and it went from there.”

Phil, who runs the club himself in premises behind Maltby’s Tesco store, said young fighters trained to take part in inter-club bouts under protective conditions.

“The pads are important to prepare them for the punches and kicks they will take and with the older pads you can feel the impact a lot more,” he added.

“Having some new ones is a big help.”