Savannah Marshall and Jack Bateson star at GB Boxing Championship

Savannah Marshall and Jack Bateson continued their fight to impress the GB selectors with victories at the GB Boxing Championship.

It has been a typically busy week for the Sky Academy Sports Scholars, with some taking part in crucial competitions on home soil, while others have been training around the world - all getting ready for Olympic year.

Tyson Fury helped wave the flag for British boxing at the weekend but last Thursday, two of the country's young hopefuls in the ring were also leading the way with wins at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

Marshall was under pressure to see off rising star Natasha Gale with the European Olympic qualifier and World Championships coming up and the former world No 1 did not let herself or the country down.

The 24-year-old from Hartlepool started slowly but her power and tactics guided her safely through and as well as proving she is still GB's No 1, the 2012 world champion was rewarded with a trophy presentation from former team-mate Anthony Joshua.

Marshall admitted there were still room for improvement like her reaction times, but overall, she was very satisfied with her efforts.

"I felt good and I'm happy with the win," the middleweight fighter said. "I've still got things to work on and I can't wait to get back in the gym with my coach Tim Coulter.

"Having a rival in the GB Boxing squad has definitely spurred me on to train and work harder. I did feel quite nervous before the bout as Natasha is a tough opponent, so it was a relief to secure the win."

Bateson overcame a chest infection and the drama of a late withdrawal from GB rival and opponent Muhammad Ali because of injury, to expertly deal with the last-minute replacement Ionita Alexandru of Romania.

The 21-year-old flyweight said: "It felt great to be back in front of a home crowd performing in front of my friends and family.

"It was nice hearing so many familiar voices cheering me on to victory. Since becoming an international boxer I have become used to boxing away from home in foreign countries with no one but my coaches and team-mates to spur me on.

"I won the bout by unanimous decision and although I won comfortably and controlled the fight I had to stay mentally strong.

"I was ill but I still fought because this was probably my last chance to compete for the year and I need to stay as active as possible before an important Olympic year coming up. I wasn't as sharp as I have been in the gym but in the end all the hard work paid off as I dug deep to get the win against a tough and game opponent."

The cold muddy trails in Liverpool welcomed the cross country shoes of Jess Judd at the weekend as Sefton Park hosted the trials for the European Cross Country Championships coming up in Hyères in the south of France.

The 20-year-old from Essex, a 1500m runner during the summer, revealed in her latest blog why she got stuck into such a "brutal" event and she didn't disappoint by finishing in the leading pack.

Judd said: "I'm absolutely over the moon with my sixth place. 8k is a long way but I gave it absolutely everything."

Meanwhile, gymnast Sam Oldham is fighting back after injury prevented him from being risked at the World Championships. The 22-year-old has just returned from a lively nine-day training visit to Japan.

Oldham said: "I've had the most amazing time. I've met incredible people and this experience is something I'll remember forever."

Pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw is gearing up for a busy year in athletics with warm weather training in South Africa, while road cyclist Lucy Garner is attending her first training camp in Spain with her new team Wiggle Honda.

To wrap up this very lively weekend for the scholars, there was a place at the top of the podium for Quillan Isidore who was victorious at the BMX winter nationals in Manchester in the indoor series.

WHAT'S COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS

NOVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 4: Lucy Garner, training camp in Spain

NOVEMBER 31: Elise Christie, World Cup Shanghai

25 NOV-DEC 21: Holly Bradshaw, South Africa training camp