South Yorkshire Times, October 28th 1944
Splendid Boxing Show at Thurnscoe
The canteen at Hickleton Colliery was well filled on Saturday for N.C.A.B.A. rules in aid of the Hickleton Main Ambulance Cadets’ Fund. It was a splendid programme and if this was a sample of the fare to be provided at the Colliery, Thurnscoe will be a popular rendezvous for boxing fans this winter.
Chief attraction on Saturday was a return contest between Billy Thompson, A.B.A. Champion. Davis had scored a points decision over the Thurnscoe man in London a few days earlier and though Thompson turned the tables on Saturday there was little to choose between the two. Thompson seemed a little over anxious at the start but there was no mistaking his intention to take the initiative. Apart from a brief period at the end of the first round, when Davis cornered hm, he was always the more aggressive and scored freely with both hands. Davis made the best of slight advantages in height and reach, and was quick to counter, but Thompson made the going and earned his points verdict.
What was technically perhaps the best boxing of the evening was seen in the welterweight clash between W. McHale (Darfield) and F. Wilks (Birkenhead). Both men are A.T.C. champions. McHale’s immaculate leading with his left put him in front at the start, but Wilks, an equally good technician, proved the stronger in a savage finish, and won a points decision.