HOMETOWN fighter Chris Harris produced a sparkling display and lit up a great evening of boxing at the Trinity Club in Dorchester.

The show, staged by the county town's Amateur Boxing Club, included 14 breathtaking bouts with five of them under the Golden Belt Classes of the Western Counties Championships.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Dorchester were in attendance and the highlight of the night was the battle between local rivals Harris and Portland's Josh Ellis.

Every punch Harris landed was met with a huge cheer from his followers, as he beat Ellis to the jab and sent out cunning right crosses.

The second round saw Harris continue to come forward with lefts and rights but his opponent's flamboyant style made life awkward, Both boxers continued to give everything to the final bell but it was Harris who got the decision after producing a rousing finale and finishing the encounter in excellent condition. The two fighters were deservedly awarded The Bout of the Night trophies later in the evening.

Fellow Dorchester boxer Phil Cooney was also in action against the more experienced Joseph Farrent from Exmouth.

It was Phil Cooney's first bout and he worked hard to keep his opponent at bay. A solid left almost dropped Farrent in the opening round and in the second the Devon fighter took another blow that left him hanging on.

The final round was chaotic with Farrent, fearing failure, sending out a torrent of ferocious haymakers. Looking the aggressor he was given a slight points win much to the disappointment of the Dorchester fans in the audience.

Reece Legg, also of Dorchester, produced a confident performance in his first bout against Mark Hunt. The home fighter easily out-shone his opponent in the first round and he followed that up with some crisp, hard punches in the second.

In the final round Hunt continued to remain cautious and that enabled Legg to come up with a stylish finish to claim a deserved points victory.

The other county town boxer who took to the ring for the first time was James Kiss. Hungry for action, the youngster fought Sturminster Newton's Chris Adams who had a considerable size and weight advantage.

Undeterred, Kiss instantly gained the respect of the Dorchester fans by landing some fine left hooks and spinning Adams around with a massive right but it was the visiting fighter who got the decision which surprised many of the onlookers.

Elias Anderson and Luke Cooney were both unable to fight for Dorchester. Anderson came in too heavy and the latter's opponent was ill. Fellow county town boxers Darren Chubb and Daniel Foster were also unfit to fight due to illness.

A Dorchester spokesman said: "Steve Scott and Ben Geyser at ringside were pleased with the efforts from the boys and said they could not have done any better. The boys did the club justice."