Barristers swapped their courtroom wigs for boxing gloves for a night of fighting action at the Aston Villa Banqueting Centre – and raised £31,000 for the Marie Curie cancer charity.

Boxing fans from Birmingham and beyond flocked to the Banqueting Centre for the ‘Thriller at the Villa’ and the right to challenge for the Ralph Lewis QC Memorial Cup 2013.

The event was held in memory of former head of No5 Chambers Ralph Lewis, who was a promising boxer whilst at Oxford University. The sport remained one of his twin sporting loves alongside Welsh rugby.

Mr Lewis died in July 2010 after a short and courageous fight against cancer. He was described as one of the best advocates on the legal circuit by the Legal 500, and became head of No5 Chambers in February 2007.

The Thriller at the Villa event comprised eight bouts, and was compered by former professional boxer Steve Holdsworth. Tony McDaid, No5 Chambers’ practice director, said: “My respect and thanks must be given to all those who trained so hard during 2013, particularly those who put on their gloves at Aston Villa.

“I should also thank the team who ran the boxing boot camp at the Fighting City Gym, which has strict procedures in place to provide a controlled and managed environment for the fighters.”

The card on the night comprised:

* Brett Moloney (No5 clerk) v Neville Crawford (landscape gardener)

* Anthony Priest (No5 clerk) v Abid Khan (corporate telecoms consultant)

* Elaine Mitchell (Mills & Reeve solicitor for No5) v Sat Bains (partner at a solicitors’ firm)

* Peter Mottram (No5 clerk) v Adam Kerr (solicitor from Moseley Chapman and Skemp)

* Jinder Boora (No5 personal injury barrister) v Andrew Constantinou

* Matthew Saunderson (No5) v Paul Currie (SGH Martineau)

* Michael Maher (No5 clerk) v Ed King (writer)

* Ecky Tiwana (No5 criminal barrister) v Chris Rosier (director at Chord Developments)

The contenders were divided into two teams, red (No5 Chambers) and blue.

Gemma Chance, of Marie Curie, said: “The Ralph Lewis QC Memorial Cup 2013 boxing tournament truly was an exciting evening. Most thrilling for me is the news that this event raised so much for us.

“The new West Midlands Marie Curie Hospice relies on public donations to deliver its services. Marie Curie needs continued support to fund the work in the hospice which costs more than £4 million a year to run.

“£435 pays for someone with a terminal illness to stay in our hospice for 24 hours, so that they can receive the hands-on care they need in their final days. The money raised from No 5 Chambers’ 2013 event equates to just over 71 days of care, which is a huge contribution to our work.”

A thrilling night of boxing eventually saw No5 regain the Ralph Lewis QC Memorial Cup following two wins from Priest and Mitchell, compared to King’s solitary victory for the blue team. The ‘fight of the night’ award went to Michael Maher and Ed King. Current head of Chambers Paul Bleasdale QC handed out the awards to the fighters.