COMMONWEALH Games silver medallist Rosie Eccles has paid a glowing tribute to the coaches who first recognised her talent, writes Bob Cypher.

Writing on social media, Rosie, who took the boxing silver medal when narrowly beaten 4-3 in the final Down Under, praised Chepstow Boxing Club’s coaches for giving her the chance to box.

“I want to thank everyone for their huge support,” she said.

“First I’m so grateful for being introduced to boxing at 16, thank you both Chepstow and Pontypool boxing clubs for the time and effort you have put in for me over the years.”

Three of the coaches who spotted Rosie’s potential back then were Chepstow BC’s Steve Woods, Doug Lewis and Colin Fear.

“Five years ago Rosie walked into our gym and asked to join us," Woods remembered.

“At first we didn’t think she would last a week, like a lot of girls who come to the gym, but this one was different – very different,” he added.

“When we went out for runs of six or eight miles up and down hills, Rosie would always be first back and when it came to sparring, she would spar with everyone in the gym, over and over, even though she would take a lot of punishment.

“In her first competitive bout, the ref stopped it after 15 seconds but in her fourth bout she won the Welsh novice title.

"We travelled the county to box, finding a slightly more experienced boxer each time and she beat them all.”

By then, Doug Lewis, still coaching at 77, was opening the gym in the afternoons for extra training for her and she reached the Great Britain finals, losing very narrowly to the English favourite.

Doug was always in Rosie’s corner for bouts and the two have formed a special bond.

“Rosie is a phenomenal athlete, she is happy to train and spar and has amazing stamina. She has swum for Wales and is just a great all-round sportswoman,” Lewis said.

“She still calls me from wherever she is in the world, before and after every bout to discuss how it went.”

Woods made numerous phone calls asking for Rosie to be looked at by the Wales coach and he finally invited her to a Welsh squad weekend, for sparring.

"I had an amazing phone call the following Monday asking where I got her from,” Woods continued.

“They soon had her boxing for Wales and she won the next GB title, beating the girl she lost to a year earlier.

“Since then she has competed and medalled at many European tournaments.

“When she moved to Cardiff to take up a place at Cardiff Metropolitan University, it was difficult for her to get to Chepstow to train and I was asked by the Welsh performance director if she could train at different gyms where she would get better sparring.

”Of course, I agreed and soon she was sparring and training at Pontypool with other Welsh squad members.

“Today was a very proud day for all of us at Chepstow BC.”