SCOWL—TO SMILE!

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 170, 20 July 1936, Page 14

SCOWL—TO SMILE!

LOFTY LIMPS HOME.

ONE UP ON "REB» RUSSELL.

ALL-IN BOUT AT TOWN HALL.

Lofty Blomfield scowled as he entered the ring at the Town Hall on Saturday night—but he smiled as he left, the victor over Cowboy "Reb." Russell, by two falls to one. While Lofty scowled it was tough, all-in wrestling, with the Cowboy (who, according to reports, has handled "bad men" before, out West, where they breed them) joining in with a will. It was Lofty's first victory over the American, and lie earned it with very little to spare. Conditions outside were stormy, and, come to think of it, there was no "anticyclone" inside either. Tne resultV Well, a packed house had a full collection of what they paid to see. A P-iixed Offering. The point on Saturday was the meeting between Blomlield, 16.8, and Russell, 15.4. What Russell lost in weight he made up in wrestling skill, and as neither made any bones about his toughness the crowd was out of its collective seat roaring in excitement from start to finish. They saw a struggle for supremacy in Indian deathlocks, they saw Russell claim toll with one in the fourth round and Blomfiekl take the mastery with liis octopus clamp in the seventh and eighth; and they saw, too, intermittent jolting matches that frequently became Dofmybrooks, with fists flying. It was just what the lady with the non-stop voice likes to see. As it was remarked at the start, Lofty 6cowled as lie went in to play and he let Russell have it with a head throw and a full ration of jolts before the American took him down with an arm throw to apply a head scissors. And then it was a mat scramble with mixed wristlocks and head scissors, with jolts to put them on the mat again when they came up to breathe. The excitement was at fever heat as Russell, stopping three jolts, suddenly breathed fire, let Lofty have five stingers, and as the Aucklander reeled up threw him three times in succession. Would it be a fall?—but no. Blomfield came up to butt off the fourth and the gong sounded with Russell in a headlock on the mat. Back in his corner, Blomfield bowed his head in courtly grace to a hooting gallery. With Fists Flying. A minor fistic encounter . opened the second and then Blomfield had Russell down on the mat in a headlock. Blomfield was putting in a lot of work , on Russell's damaged eyes with those headlocks. Mostly again it was mat work, with Lofty having the better of it. Once Russell tried to jump oil him, but missed, and then he was down in a wristlock, with Blomfield kneeling on his arm and trying a little bouncing on it as Well. It looked na6ty—but the gong saved the situation. Then again with the opening of the third round fists were flying as the two became excited in a jolting squabble, and the referee, Mr. C. Pollard, had to step between them. Again he had to hand out a warning a moment later when Lofty brought his knee up sharply to Russell's fuce. And then they were at it . hammer and tongs again, with Lofty stopping a tornado of jolts an<l another Donnybrook developing in the corner. From that Lofty was down in a rocking chair splits. He bided his time, but suddenly he was up with a deathlock applied—not quite, and lie endeavoured to improve by stoopkig to jolt several times. That settled it. He overbalanced and as he went down Russell came up with the deathlock on Lofty. He, too, tried jolts to finish it —and he, too, overbalanced, and was caught in a headlock and then a hammerlock at the gong. Lofty Locked. The fourth had the crowd on its toes. Lofty let fly his usual jolt, but was head' thrown three- times, jolted clear, headthrew Russell," and then let him have two more. If he wanted to annoy Russell he did. The American came in, elbows working overtime, .and under a rain of blows Blomfield went down, narrowly escaped a press, and was held in a shortarm scissors. He was up again, missed an attempt at a boston crab, and, again resorted to jolts. Again Russell replied and under three tough ones Blomfield was down and an easy victim to an Indian death-lock. One fall to Russell and Blomfield being worked on by his seconds as he lies on the mat Blomfield was limping at the start of the fifth, and there was a sparring , for time before they were at it again, with Russell on top in the mat work but stopping a fair measure of Blomfield's special assorted jolts. At the end Blomfield was down in a double-arm scissors, looking savage while Russell soothed liis hair caressingly. Again Lofty bowed to the hooters— "Gentlemen, the matter is in your hands." Admonished and Discharged. But it wasn't, really. For now the tenor of battle changed. For a while Blomfield knelt on Russell's arm and applied a wristlock. Whilst reflecting, he, too, did caressing things to Russell's hair. And then they were at it again—thump, ■thud, thump, thud and then . . . "Gentlemen, gentlemen—please—no slapping. It isn't done." Mr. Pollard had issued a separation order, but Russell tried a trifle of clawing at Blomfield's face, was gathered in, and generally sat-upon in a hammerlock, and then a short-arm scissors. Russell got home with a lying splits, a toe-hold-and a barred wristlock in succession, but was himself in a barred toe-hold at the gong. The end was near. Blomfield got in with four jolts to open the seventh, but was tripped and a toe-hold applied. Blomfield came on top with a body scissors, and used Russell's hair and nose to better matters, taking a double-arm scissors. That, too, was broken, and after a bit more mixed mat work they were up and at it with jolts. Under a tough one Lofty reeled, but suddenly he leg-tripped Russell and in a moment had him neatly in an octopus clamp. No argument this time. A fall to Lofty, and with Russell under treatment for his legs it looked like the end. It was. He came up again at the Cong, but a moment later was submitting in a hard toe-hold on his damaged leg. Then Lofty smiled—it was the smile on the face of the tiger. The Amateurs. T. Irving (11.2) and R. Jugum (11.10) wrestled a draw, one fall each, from headlocks and presses. Both were novices, but they were willing and made it a hard SO. M. Sewell (9.6) was awarded the decision on points against C. Curtice (9.6) in a bout that held little of interest. W. Kaike (10.7), a newcomer from the Akarana gymnasium, showed promising form against E. Johnson (10.13), and well deserved his win on points. An experienced opponent, Johnson was outguessed and outwitted all the way. W. Williamson (9i7) beat H. Franklin (9.6), notching falls from a Chinese twist in the second and an octopus in the fourth, to Franklin's one fall from a press following head-throws in the third. It was amusing, too.

POLICE STOP LURICH BOUT.

SYDNEY, July 19. At the Leiclihardt Stadium last evening a wrestling contest between Lurich and the Englishman, Douglas Clark, was stopped in the fourth round by the police. Lurich was awarded the decision, which had a mixed reception. Neither wrestler secured a fall. Lurich twice threw Clark over the ropes into the crowd in the fourth round.

KRUSE BEATS ZAHARIAS.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) GREYMOUTH, Sunday. In a professional wrestling contest here last ni"ht Bob Kruse defeated Chris, '/qliarias by two submission falls with "wmierlocks, the bout ending in the ii th round. k.