IT WAS a case of like father, like daughter at the World Kickboxing Championships when Jason and Leasha Morrison both battled their way onto the podium.

Dad-of-five Jason, aged 47, won silver in the under-84kg division of the World Association of Kickboxing Organisation (WAKO) in the masters class.

He equalled the feat of coach Joe Tierney and eldest son Lewis Morrison, who are the only other Boltonians ever to have won world WAKO silver.

And daughter Leasha, aged 25, kept it in the family by claiming bronze in the senior women's u60kg division.

Both Leasha and Jason, who lives in Barrow Bridge and runs Bolton Dragons martial arts centre in Halliwell, were competing for the WAKO GB team at the championships in Budapest, Hungary after winning a national title in February this year.

"There were fighters from Hungary, USA, Germany, Uzbekistan, Spain and Great Britain in my division," said Jason.

"There was also a guy who went over from Guatamala but he was disqualified because he did not make the weight.

"I fought the Spanish fighter in the semi-final.

"He was very strong and hit hard for the duration of our two two-minute rounds, but I managed to win the bout 13-3.

"I was delighted with my performance, especially as my right knee cap was knocked out of place during the fight.

"The joint had to be manipulated back into place but I still managed to make the final, which was the following morning.

"I came up against a German called Leonard Ademji and it turned into a really good contest, which I lost narrowly 11-7.

"I felt the judges missed some of my scoring shots early in the fight and, as a result, I was always playing catch-up, but it was still an amazing experience to be in a world final."

Leasha also did tremendously well to get on the podium, finishing third of 13 athletes in her division and only losing to the eventual champion, Belgian Evelyn Neyers.

Jason now intends to remain in training with a view to competing in the European WAKO championships in Slovenia next year.

And he has appealed to any local businesses to help sponsor his quest after highlighting the sacrifices needed to compete on an international level.

"We had to pay our own way," he said. "All the other athletes on the British team had local sponsors, while the other countries had central government funding through their respective sports councils.

"It was hard as in the run-up to the championships I had to combine working 12-hour shifts with four hours of training each day.

"We also underwent rigorous squad training sessions with the national team, including a weekend training camp when we all completed 16 hours on the mat over the two days as the selectors monitored our performance to make sure we were entered at the correct weight.

"I had to work really hard to reduce muscle to make sure I hit my fighting weight as I actually won my British title at 92kg.

"It was decided that to capitalise on my power and speed I should drop down a weight and I did it gradually over a four-month period.

"For three days leading up to the event I could only eat 1,500 calories and on the flight out there until the weigh-in I could only eat 1,000 calories.

"It was only actually during the flight from Heathrow to Budapest and then the coach ride to the Syma Conference Centre that I actually made weight.

"But I was happy to put in the effort. While both myself and Leasha were competing for Britain, we felt more keenly that we were representing the people of Bolton, and I hope we made them proud."

Jason and Leasha's bouts at the world championships can be viewed on the Bolton Dragons Facebook page.