The emergence of an exciting young boxer was one of the highlights of a big boxing bout at Barrfields in February 1966.

Although he started boxing at the age of 14, Tommy Marshall didn’t take up the sport seriously until he was 16, when he went on to fight from the Shetland Isles to Southampton. He’s represented Scotland five times, boxed internationally five times and has won 62 out of his 79 fights.

And in an edition of the Largs and Millport Weekly News, under the headline ‘Boxing Thrills for Barrfields’, we reported: “Largs had its first boxing show on Monday for 18 years and it was an exciting affair, It was held in aid of the new hall of St Columba’s Episcopal Hall. The Early and Countess of Glasgow were in the audience, which had a good sprinkling of the ‘fair sex’.

“The ring in Barrfields Pavilion was erected in the stalls area in front of the stage.

“A popular victory particularly with the local crowd was that of Largs lad Tommy Marshall, a member of the Garnock Valley Club, who won a unanimous verdict on points against Jim Mount of Larkfield, Greenock in a Lightweight contest.

“Marshall, a boy of promise, fought with cleverness and effectiveness and was always on top.” “The top of the bill bout between Light Welterweights David Burns and John O’Neill was a tremendous affair, and a shock defeat for Burns.

“Nearly every other fight had something in it to keep the crownd interested and for most of the itme roaring.

“There was no question about the success of the show.” Tommy Marshall’s success continued, and despite only two years into the game, he’d amounted a rake of trophies and held the Scottish Lightweight Amateur Championship.

Despite not winning his bout with boxing legend Jim Watt in 1966, Tommy went on to out-rate him in the 1967 National Amateur Lightweight Championships. Watt was beaten in the quarter finals and was rated 12th while Tommy got through and was rated 9th.

Tommy won the Scottish Senior Amateur Lightweight Boxing Championship title, before Jim Watt, on 25 February 1967, where he showed incredible stamina and mettle.

In an interview last year, Tommy said: “In those days you’d to fight three matches in the one night. The final bell was rung at twenty to one that morning.” This makes him Largs’ only senior sporting championship holder.

Since hanging up his gloves, Tommy keeps himself fit by cycling. He also regularly meets up with the ex-boxers’ association in Glasgow.

“We visit other associations throughout the land and swap boxing stories. “I remember one time in London. They did us proud with a big slap up meal and they’d set up a row of Scottish flags down the middle of our table.” Our home grown sporting hero has also got deep rooted historical connections in Largs. His great-great-grandfather, William Marshall was the last bell ringer in Largs, his term of office being 1830-70.

Last year, Tommy, a local steel fixer, was honoured as a volunteer for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and was certainly well qualified for the task of marshalling boxing matches, after a lifetime’s experience as an amateur boxer to draw on.