BRAVE Stuart McCrone missed out on a place in the England squad after losing to Stephen Birch in the top-of-the-bill fight at Spennymoor Boxing Academy's Annual Dinner.

Facing a national call-up in the 75kg category McCrone matched his Liverpool-based opponent in the first two rounds with Birch having to face the count in the second but he fought back to turn the tables on Spennymoor's finest.

McCrone then beat the count in each of the last two rounds of the four-round bout which ended 79-77, 79-77 and 79-77.

Despite the defeat McCrone can take heart from the fact that he took Birch the distance - not something the Merseysider is familiar with. Birch's coach Chris Firth paid a back-handed compliment to McCrone saying: "It's very rare that anyone at this level takes Stephen the distance. Normally he knocks them out in the first round. And Stuart's a big lad and that's normally easy for Stephen - he has problems with short, stocky lads."

Spennymoor's Paul Hodgson remained upbeat after the fight admitting: "The bout was a cracking bout, it was to and fro and the lad Birch won it at the end of the night.

"You've got to realise this, Birch is in the ratings at number two and Stuey is in the ratings at number seven and I think that's maybe a reflection of how the bout went."

Attended by infamous East End hardman Frankie Fraser, a patron of the Repton Boxing Club in London who supplied some of Spennymoor's opposition, Hodgson declared the evening a success with the host club winning eight of the 12 bouts.

"Frankie loved it. He said it was one of the best night's boxing he's ever seen.''

Other Spennymoor winners included Gary Fox, who avenged a defeat to Middlesbrough's Lee Conlon last year, Gav McGee, Mark Dawes, Hugh Shannon, Paul Warnett while England international Brad Saunders recorded his 31st win from 33 bouts.