A wrestling club is hoping to follow a successful 2013 with another trophy-filled campaign this year.

Chester Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Submission Wrestling Club, based at Chester Boxers gym in Hoole, bagged a string of titles in 2013.

In the autumn, debut fighters Matt Holmes and Mark Williams travelled to Manchester to compete in an MMA competition and both won in devastating fashion in under two minutes.

Holmes finished with his trademark takedown and choke combination, while Williams’ fight was stopped by the referee when he overwhelmed his opponent with a barrage of punches on the ground.

To cap off the year, at the UMA National Open Submission Grappling Championships in Stoke-on-Trent, the Chester MMA team took 13 competitors and brought home a total of nine medals – as well as the overall team championship trophy.

There were stand-out performances from Dan Lancaster, Mick Holgate, Rich Caplan and Ieuan Evans, who employed throws, takedowns, chokes and armlocks to win gold in each of their respective weight divisions.

Head coach David Ives said: “The team has trained hard together and they did themselves proud competing in 2013, showcasing the aggressive dominant style they’re known for.

“We’re already back to training for more fights and tournaments in 2014, and we’re definitely planning on holding on to the UMA team trophy.”