"JUST SILLY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 155, 4 July 1938, Page 10

"JUST SILLY."

AMATEUR WRESTLING.

NEW ROUND REGULATIONS.

OLYMPIC RULE CONFLICT. A &ew Government regulation affecting the conduct of amateur wrestling bouts is likely*" to cause quite a lot of controversy. Gazetted by Order-in-Council it is concerned with the affiliation of the Dominion Wrestling Union with the Olympic council controlling the sport internationally, Earlier in the season some associations including Auckland, introduced full Olympic rules ill amateur bouts, and they were well received both by the contestants and the public. However, the police informed the associations that until new regulations were gazetted the old rule for three five-minnte rounds with breaks between would have to be continued. The Olympic rule called for one round of 15 minutes, divided into four sections— the first of six minutes, begun from a standing position, and the other three of three minutes, par terre (or mat) wrestling, with the competitors tossing to see which has the attacking position. One pin fall ended the contest at any stage.

Committee To Meet. The new regulation, which came into force on July 1, reads as follows:—"(h) That no contest other than one between professional wrestlers shall exceed four rounds—namely, one round of six minutes and three rounds of three minutes each, with an interval of not less than one minute between successive rounds—save that in 6uch a contest if each competitor has obtained one fall tne referee, if he is unable to come to a decision on point*, may order an extra round of three minutes."

The chairman of the amateur committee of the Auckland Wrestling Association. Mr. H. J. Ashby, described this regulation this morning aa being "the silliest thing that has yet been done." It must have been introduced on the advice of the Dominidh Union in Wellington, he said, and argued ignorance of the rules. The full Olympic rule had been wrestled by the amateurs in intergymnasinm .contests in the paat two weeks, and had proved most successful. The new regulation was worse than the old three five-minute round rule, •as there was no real test of a wrestler's ability, and it meant long-drawn-out contest g, of, possibly, 21 minutes. Mr. Ashby said that he would be convening a meeting of the amateur committee this week to consider the matter. They had. been pressing for the past eighteen months to have the fnle amended, and it was a disappointing result.