LOFTY—CHAMP!

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 259, 1 November 1937, Page 13

LOFTY—CHAMP!

WRESTLING TITLE.

i BLOMFIELD'S BIG NIGHT.

TWO CLAMPS IN ONE BOUT.

Hail the champion—"Lofty" Blomfield, of Auckland! In the final of the New Zealand professional heavy-weight wrestling championship at the Town Hall on Saturday night he lowered "Jolting" Woods, of America, by two falls to one, and about his loins was clamped the handsome silver and gold belt of the Dominion Union. Clamped is the word—for it was with hie famous octopus clamp that he won it (two of them in one bout), in the Hevonth and eighth rounds. In the fourth Woods had taken a fall with a Boston crab.

So Lofty Blomfield. New Zealand-born wrestling champion of New Zealand, goes on his title-attacking way. On November 13 he meets Earl MeCready in Auckland for the British Empire championship, and in January n<>xt be will claim his right to meet Bronko Nagurski in Los Angeles in a contest for the championship of the world. To Lofty, at the moment, it's a great world! Exoited Crowd. The city has let itself go on many occasions this year, when the wrestling rinfi at the Town Hall has been the scene of hectic encounter, but it has never seen such scenes as were witnessed on Saturday night. The thousands who had packed the stadium, and who had filled it with the noise of their partisanship from the opening rounds, came to their feet at the close, and had to be held back from the ring as they crowded round to acclaim Lofty. Woods, too, was not without honour, for through the eight rounds he had given them a great .show of determined and skilful wrestling without once going over the borderline of illegality. Only once did the referee. Mr. Jack MeLean, have to break a mat hold, and that wad a seeming strangle. As Woods staggered out of his corner to congratulate the champion the crowd forgot their heated antagonism of earlier matches, forgot the tactics that had brought injury to several wrestlers from his hands this year, forgot everything l)iit the fact that on that night he had fought a clean, game battle with the odds ncninst him. Generally speaking the New Zealand tournament, owing to a variety of factors, had not had the interest or been as productive of good bouts as had been expected, but the final between Blomfield and Woods was as willing and attractive as any seen in the city. I

Jolt Against JoltAs was expected the jolt played a big' part in the contest, with both men using it as a major medium of attack. Woods was effective in this department, but there was no doubt that Blomfield held the supremacy. Swung to the solar plexus— while Woods mostly aimed for the jaw— Blomfield'* jolts were even more severe than usual, and it was their weakening influence that largely accomplished his victory. , __ , Through the opening exchanges Woods led the attack, punishing Blomfield in scissors and wristlock holds, though a jolting attack gave Blomfield the upper band in the latter part of the first. Woods went in again from the gong to pull Blomfield from the ropes by the legs and try for a Boston crab unsuccessfully. Thrown off a hoadlock against the ropes, Woods brought the crowd to their feet as he lowered Blomfield in a flying tackle, but a second one met the thrust of Lofty « ] e »". and Woods came jolt-heaving. He took Blomfield in a hammcrlock and attempted a surfboard, but lost it. and was sent flyin« bv a jolt, Blomfield again holding sway with a wristlock and jolts A short-arm scissors at the start of Tne third kept Blomfield trussed for ***<**} minutes, while he was somersaulted about the ring, but he broke with a hard forward toehold, and after a jolting scramble Lofty swunc on a rockimr chair splits. There wax excitement as he swung up with an Tndian deathlock applied, fcut it broke up just before the gong. Woods "Crabs" His Style. Lofty opened the fourth with a headlock on Woods and a jolt to the ropes— fc he did not finish it. Wood- came to action with a jolting campaign, J™ the two stood toe to toe while in turn seventeen jolts thudded home in one ot tne merriest mix-ups the ring here has seen. It was a final one to the jaw that sent Blomfield down, and as he fell Woods crabbed his legs, and swung him over in r a ß«ton crab 8 While the crowd yelled wildly Blomfield submitted. The first fall

Tt :»!£ for Blomfield to make hi, play and he went in hard at the a melee of jolts, scissor* holds and headlocksin. which he had the advantage. Woods had another try at the crab hold, Kissed it, and, Blomfield made a Vissors into a full nelson with the legs th : held to. the gong. Action again m the sixth, with the crowd on their ieei „ excitement as first one and then other held the advantage cross-buttocked tw lC e, but lifted_ Woods as he came up to try for a dump and Press Wood? fought it off and again was in danger of the crab hold. Thl/wT missed, but Blomfield suffered under shoulder butts until he threw Woods against the ropes andl twiceagain dumoed him. As he went down to try FoTthe P reV Woods slipped aside and nearly came on top, but the round ended with Woods reeling under several hard jolts to the heart.

The Final Effort. Fighting desperately, Blomfield aimed jolt after jolt at Woods in the seventh, was himself twice thrown with an Irish whip butt, and levelled Woods with a jolt and from a rough and tumble came on top with a toehold. Quickly he struggled for possession and ma moment he was up cleanly with his octopus applied. Woods resisted despairingly, but the hold held and after a full minute Woods gave in. With a round to go they were level on falls and Woods was almost incapacitated. . There was tense drama in the last ana the crowd in a roar of excitement was gathered about the ring as Blomfield made a jolt attack at the limping Woods—and was lowered by a jolt to the jaw from Woods. Woods dived on top, but missed the press. Blomfield again took up the jolt attack and suddenly swung on a legtrip. In a moment the octopus was again on Woods. Again he resisted, urged on by the yelling crowd, but it was too much. It was a fall, and Blomfield held the championship. There was wild excitement as the championship belt was fastened about Blomfield by Mr. F. W. Schramm, MP— and there were cheers, too, for Woods.

The Amateurs. The amateur bouts were bright and attractive. Mr. J. Brown was referee and Messrs. G. Heald and G. Browne acted as judges. J McLeod, 10.8, had much the better of hifl bout with G. Fraser, 10.2, and won by one fall, taken in the first with a VV\ Apps, 12.0, beat M. Broughton, 12.3, by straight falls with headlocks and presses, though Broughton fought gamely. E. Pinches, 9.11, beat W. Wallace, 9.9, by straight falls with presses, but he had to work hard to get it. _ C. Paeemore, 13.3, beat F. Boric, 13.0, on points in an entertaining "what have you ß bout. The crowd enjoyed it. NOLAND DEFEATB WADE. GISBORNE, Sunday. Meeting in the concluding bout of the 1937 wrestling season, Wade and Noland gave a fair attendance little to enthuse over last night. Noland won by two falls to one. Wade obtained a fall in round three with a body press following hatches. In round five Noland threw Wade from the ring three times, Wade injuring his leg on the Press table. He was unable to return to the ring with-n 20 seconds and could not continue, the bout being awarded to Noland.