FINAL NIGHT

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 17th Year

Issue

Issue No.

9

Date Released

May 1964

Length of issue (in feet)

905

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1LIQUID ASSETS
2. 2DOWNFALL
3. 3FINAL NIGHT

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: Last of N.C.B. National Final of the Mineworkers’ Amateur Boxing Championship, with Terence Halpin winning the featherweight championship for the 14th year running.
NCB Commentary - There’ll be fighting in Barnsley tonight - in the Civic Hall for the National Finals of the Mineworkers’ Amateur Boxing Championships.
As the fans filed in, behind the scenes the twenty contenders were getting ready for the evening’s ten championship bouts. They were not to go unrewarded.
A boxing ring has been described as the loneliest place in the world and it’s a brave man who’ll step into one unless he’s good and ready. The boxing miners are among the brave.
Take the case of Terence Halpin, 22-years old and a fitters’ mate at Yorkshire’s Darfield Main Collery.
Under the guidance of Arthur Cherry, who is blind, Terry’s technique is honed and polished during days and weeks of rigorous training.
Terry’s home life is shared by his daughter Sherry, and his wife Tina. Here’s ample proof of Terry’s past fighting record.
And so to business.
Round 1 - the first of three-minute rounds.
To expert eyes these looked an evenly matched pair. Terry’s opponent is making his first appearance in the National Finals.
Round 2 - Terry goes down - but in a second he’s up again - and how - and now it’s Shield’s turn.
Round 3 - Both boys are trying to pull out that little extra that will clinch the bout. The decision will be up to the judges - it’s a testing time for them, too.
So Terry Halpin wins the Featherweight award for the fourth successive year - a fine curtain to the last of the NCB National Amateur Boxing Championships.
Today’s miner is in there punching at the coal face more than he is in the ring.

Keywords

Competitions; Boxing; Mining

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963

Credits:

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Production Co.

National Coal Board Film Unit