SINGH MAKES GOOD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 208, 3 September 1929, Page 13

SINGH MAKES GOOD.

WIN OVER MARACCI GARDEMI.

LOSER DISPLAYS GRIT. SHOULDER DISLOCATED— GOES 03ST. Hard wrestling, stripped of all frills of showmanship, characterised the professional match in which Naranjan Singh, of India, defeated Maraeci Gardeni, of Ameiica, in the Town Hall last evening. Singh, who took the match in the fifth round, impressed as a very formidable if not colourful, wrestler, although his occasional use of the strangle hold earned him the displeasure of the crowd. Gardeni set the pace and brought the best out of the Sikh, and he made a host of friends when lie gamely attempted to continue after his right shoulder had i been dislocated in the fifth round. The house was again a good one. There was a murmur of surprise when Singh (13.0:]) was announced as being only three and three-quarter pounds heavier than Gardeni, and there were few in the house who would not have wagered on the margin in the weights being greater. The instructions of t'he referee (Air. Yal Dunne) were made known to Singh through an interpreter. Eight from the start Gardeni showed himself lively on his feet, and the more deliberate movements of the Sikh looked slow by comparison. Actually when danger threatened the brown man displayed plenty of speed. The pair were longer than usual on their feet, Singh eventually upsetting his man and getting a standing splits hold. There was a roar of applause when Gardeni broke free. Again the Sikh tried the splits without effect. Gardeni then applied a toe hold which Singh broke by getting his foot to the Italian-American's face. The Indian appeared to be stronger and heavier than Gardeni, who was cheered when he broke free from a headloek. The Sikh was wrestling barefooted, and was unable to gain any material advantage with toeholds. The Indian's round. Strangle Hold Introduced. A wristlock, followed by a combination hold, had Gardeni thinking hard at the start of round two, but the lighter man broke free and applied a toe hold. Singh next moved nippilv to secure a standing splits, but it was of no use to him. Again Gardeni put on a toe hold, and ' again Singh brought his free leg into play and broke loose by jabbing it into his opponent's face. Free again, Singh marred i his excellent wrestling up to that point by putting on a strangle hold which hej was made to drop. When Singh again! got a standing splits near the end of the j ro 1 Gardeni sent him floundering at- the ring by a kick in the seat of his trunks. Again in term three Singh applied a strangle hold and Gardeni protested as best he could. The Indian by this time was perspiring freely, and Gardeni found him very slippery to handle. Getting his favourite splits hold again Singh dropped to one knee to obtain greater leverage, but the* Italian-American broke away and delighted the crowd later when he sent Singh floundering with a foot push to that portion of Singh's body that he puts on a chair. Singh's strangle hold incensed the crowd, and there were cheers when Gardeni made the brown man wince by means of a toe hold. After kicking free and trying ineffectively with a splits Singh trod on his man's head. Both essayed toe holds, and then Gardeni banged his man hard with a reverse headloek, but Singh went calmly on with his job. There was a lively start to round four, and the spectators were treated to plenty of action before Singh upset his man and got a scissors on the head. Baflled in his attempts to free himself Gardeni twice tried to get on to his feet, but the Indian was too heavy for him. These efforts, plus the strangle holds of the earlier rounds, took a lot of strength out of Gardeni, whose face at this stage was noticably paler than when he started. Finally, Singh got a hammer lock, and although Gardeni fought hard to break it, the hold gave the, Indian a fall. When Singh released him Gardeni lay on the mat with his arm doubled under him, and was obviously in considerable pain. He was assisted to his corner and his injured arm examined. The ItalianAmerican was scarcely able to move his right arm (it transpired after the contest that the shoulder was dislocated), . and during the interval he writhed about on his chair. With the gong for the fifth round Gardeni came from his corner obviously in pain and in no condition to continue. It was an easy matter for Singh to grab the injured member and apply another hold, and with this the referee wisely intervened and awarded 1 him the match. The decision was greeted ; with hoots and cheers. Curiously enough, the final hold applied by the Sikh had the effect of putting Gardeni's dislocated ; shoulder back into place. The Supports. A special exhibition bout between A. Edwards (10.7), middle-weight champion i of Australia, and J. O'Keefe (11.7) showed the Australian to be a clever ( wrestler, especially with his legs. Edwards issued a challenge to any man his weight, particularly mentioning M. A. . Sunni. Hawkins (9.4) beat Paget (9.0). _ . R. Pilkington (9.0) beat L. Pickering , (9.0). B. Palkiner (11.0) beat Johansson . (11.0). i L. Jellie (8.12) beat A. Webb (8.12). , Jellie was more experienced, and won , falls with a scissors on the head, and a headloek. 1 L. Naylor (11.0) drew with C. Bacon 1 (11.3). : All the amateur bouts were refereed i by Farmer Vance, and when they tended i to be a little dull the Canadian champion, ' who was given a great reception, humoured the house with a sprint from ' an imaginary danger or with a comical facial gesture. j : ( ALLEY'S REPLY. i CHALLENGE BY VANCE. \ Unless compelled by the New Zealand • Wrestling Association to do so, Tom Alley will not meet Farmer Vance in a third match. Alley, who scored a win in both his meetings with the Canadian, considers that he has a right to decline Vance's challenge and to be given matcli£s against any of the other wrestlers Trho have won. It is Alley s opinion that two wins over Vance should entitle him to a match against Eklund without him having to meet the Canadian a third time. 1 ' The above is Alley's reply to the challenge issued to him by Vance on Saturday. j