N.Z. WRESTLER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 139, 14 June 1935, Page 14

N.Z. WRESTLER.

BLOMFIELD RETURNS. SUCCESSES IN CALIFORNIA. FOUR MATCHES A WEEK. Railway trains, motor cars, steamships and aeroplanes were used by '•Lofty" Blomfield, the Auckland professional heavy-weight wrestler, in keeping his engagements in California. In loss than six months Blomfield, who wrestler in the country appealed to the poea this morning, wrestled 80 matches, his travelling averaging 1000 miles a •week. Arriving in Los Angeles on January 3, Blomfield had his first match two days later. Apparently his etyle and the fact that ho was the only New Zealand ■wrestled in the country appealed to the crowds, for he was kept extremely busy, often wrestling four matches a week. From the time he landed he made a practice of accepting any match that was offered him, without worrying about ■what he was likely to get out of it, and he found that that policy paid him well. His principal success was the winning of the Pacific Coast championship from Joe Malcewieh, but he lost the title a few weeks later to Joe Savoldi on a police disqualification. In 80 matches he had only eight losses and ten draws, thus winning 62 contests. Among the best men lie met was Jini Browning, who beat him twice, "and Stanley Pinto, whom he twice defeated. While in California he succeeded in mastering Browning's famous aeroplane turnover scissors?, with which Browning -won the world's championship. The hold, he said, was previously used only by Browning. Blojnfield added that the match in which he lost the Pacific Coast title was the only one in which he ran foul of the police.

The Aucklander was loud in his praise for the treatment he received in California. He was, he said, usually called' an Australian, and he was often asked where he learned to speak English. "My friends there were greatly amused at what they called my English accent, and I was often asked to 'say Bomethiiig , just for the sake of talking," lie said. Speaking of the control of matches in California, Blomfield said that the police never took any action in a match unless appealed upon to do so. The matches were usually rougher than those in New Zealand, but no rougher, if as rough, as many of those in Australia. Punching was not as common as in Australia, but in California there was a wider variety of "dirty tricks?' If a wrestler turned down a match without adequate reason he was usually suspended by the commission controlling the Sport. It is likely that Blomfleld will go on to Australia after having matches in New Zealand, and he hopes to return to California before the end of the year.