Sussex were hit by a double blow as they drew 6-6 with Norfolk in front of 600 fight fans at Hove Town Hall last night.

With Audley Harrison's Olympic gold medal win, Savages ABC were determined to put a show to revive amateur boxing in the county.

And they managed it, although they had victory snatched away in two dramatic incidents.

Firstly, Dean Larter, the Savages light welterweight, thought he had clinched the match at 7-4 by outpointing Robert Keegan, the ABA novice champion from last year.

But embarrassed MC Steve Holdsworth admitted he had added up the judges' scores wrong and Keegan was awarded the bout.

Then debuting super heavyweight Terry Negus suffered a dislocated shoulder as he bid to win the match for the home county against 6ft 6in David Sedwick.

Peter Saar, a Polish middleweight from Savages, pole-axed debutant Steve Russell with the best demolition job of the night.

Saar, tall and rangy, was all over Russell and felled him with a right.

Within seconds Russell was rolling on his back again and almost out of the ring, and had to take a second standing count.

Saar had the scent of victory in his nostrils and referee Eddie Bryant stopped Russell from further punishment.

Dave Bishop came close to a dream comeback in his first fight for 19 years.

The Westhill welterweight from Hastings looked fit, fast and strong against Norfolk's Steve Cropton.

But the age difference - Bishop being 34 and Cropton 21 - was eventually exposed. The Sussex fighter was docked for holding and laying on as he wilted.

Joel Spencer, the tall Savages lightweight, looked a bright prospect, judging by his emphatic victory over Richard White, the Bognor fighter representing Norfolk.

The hard, fast and accurate punching of Spencer left White groggy as his corner threw in the towel in the opening round.

Alex Gibbons made a dramatic return after a three year absence from the ring when he stopped Norfolk's Sam Sexton after just one minute 58 seconds of the first round in their light welterweight clash.

The 16-year-old from Bognor, dressed in black, stormed out of his corner like a bat from hell and Sexton was on the retreat throughout their brief encounter.

Gibbons caught his opponent with a peach of a right hook and the Norfolk fighter hit the canvas before taking a standing count.

A few seconds later Gibbons drew blood from Sexton's nose as he piled on the pressure.

The visitor's defences were down as he leaned back on the ropes and referee Bryant stepped in swiftly to end the contest.

The victory had put Sussex ahead for the first time in the match at 3-2.

But it was all square when Savages' pocket battleship of a lightweight James Falzon, in a battle of little and large, found the taller and technically gifted Glen Moran hard to catch, but although he put in a spirited final round, it was not enough.

A veteran slug-out, with the opponents' combined ages totalling 63 years, was won by Steve Reed.

The Savages' light heavyweight made it five wins out of five as he scored a unanimous verdict against debutant Jason Legg.

Earlier Sussex went one down when Southwick and Lancing's Anthony Keywood was stopped after one minute 27 seconds of the second round by aggressive Norfolk southpaw Ben Cowles in a 45kg contest. Keywood took a standing count before Bryant stopped the contest.

Club mate Leon Dajou lost a majority decision in a 35kg bout to another aggressive visitor Shane Weston, a Horsham southpaw representing Norfolk.

But Sussex pulled one back when 14-year-old Luke Finnigan (McKenzie) earned a majority verdict against Tom Cowles in a flyweight showdown.

Stylish Barry Buchanan (Westhill, Hastings) put Sussex level with a majority verdict against hard-working Ros Matherson in a tight contest.