EASTBURN Boxing Club's Josh Holmes will aim for a spot in the semi-finals of the England Senior Development Championships on Thursday night after his quarter-final bout last weekend was postponed due to vandalism at the scheduled venue.

Holmes, from Earby, was set to box Astley VIP opponent Jason Weir on Sunday at Havercroft and Ryhill Sport and Youth Centre but all the last-eight contests have been switched to the Doncaster Dome.

The Championships were due to start last Saturday when numerous vehicles had their windows smashed outside the venue at Havercroft.

The incident caused the two-day event to be postponed at short notice and Eastburn trainer Naz Jalil labelled the vandalism 'disgusting'.

He said: "Josh was all geared up to box and I had to tell him at 9.30 on Saturday night that it was off.

"He'd booked a day off work and we had to ring round all his family and friends. We'd ordered a mini-bus and it was a massive disruption.

"Josh has an excellent following and there were about 50 people coming to watch him.

"Whoever did this caused thousands of pounds of damage and I really feel for those directly affected."

Two rings will operate at the Doncaster Dome to ensure all the scheduled bouts take place on Thursday, with Holmes boxing in the 60kg category.

Jalil admits the delay is far from ideal. He said: "Josh was at peak condition for the weekend and I have to keep him there now."