CANNINGS Martial Arts’ (CMA) charity kickboxing and boxing show held at BCoT proved to be a great success, as a crowd of over 400 packed into the venue and over £1,000 was raised for Naomi House.

The main event was a Southern Area title fight decider between Basing-stoke Kickboxing Organisation’s George Peploe and Sacchin Sharma from Slough.

Both fighters started well, with Peploe using his movement to evade attacks, and it was a fast-paced bout for all three rounds.

It was a tough decision, but the win went to the Slough man.

Earlier in the evening, the crowd enjoyed a white collar boxing bout that saw RW Armstrong contracts manager John Scannelli make his debut after only 12 weeks of training. He faced Alex Gibson, a boxer from Farnborough.

Scannelli was fighting in aid of his chosen charity Naomi House and he worked tremendously hard, showing true grit and determination in the bout.

Taking some strong solid shots, Scannelli faced up to the challenge and surprised many with his boxing ability, evading his opponent with some good footwork, but after three rounds had to settle for second place.

Odiham’s professional boxer Matt Goddard was on hand to give both fighters their trophies.

BCoT principal Anthony Bravo showcased his previous experience in semi-contact kickboxing, facing an instructor from an Andover kickboxing club in an exhibition bout and putting on a great display.

The evening also highlighted other local talent and was opened by CMA’s Kane Barker, who began the first round cautiously against his opponent from Slough and used his jab to good effect.

Both fighters fought extremely well and showed no sign of stepping down and Barker eventually won on a split decision.

Basingstoke Kickboxing Organisation’s Heather Chilcott was next in the ring and showed great kicking technique and composure to beat her opponent from Andover over the three fast-paced rounds.

CMA’s Ryan Barker faced a fellow black belt from Kent and another close contest saw the Basingstoke fighter win on a split decision.

Club-mate Andy Brown took on a bodybuilding enthusiast from Kent, who applied the pressure straight away, forcing Brown to box and counter with clinical punches and solid kicks.

After this, the home fighter took control and went on to record a victory through the pain barrier, battling a knee injury to take the win.

After a great evening, organiser Kyle Cannings said: “Cannings Martial Arts would like to thank all who attended this amazing event, BCoT principal Anthony Bravo and site co-ordinator Richard Wilkins for their help and support, along with the BCoT staff and work experience students who made the evening a success.

“We would also like to thank RW Armstrong Builders, who made significant contributions to Naomi House and supported the event from the start.

“Big Scaffolding also sponsored a fight on the evening, helping contribute to the money raised for charity.”