WRESTLING

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25273, 27 August 1947, Page 4

WRESTLING

BLOMFIELD AND RICE DRAW Although Tom Rice, of the United States, who made his first wrestling appearance in Christchurch at the Civic Theatre last evening, should have gained more than passing fame by holding the redoubtable “Lofty” Blomfield, New Zealand’s wrestling idol, to a draw 7 , a fickle public did not take a particularly good view of his performance. He showed a reluctance to break holds when ordered, in conformity with modern wrestling etiquette, but otherwise his “bad man” tactics were not particularly impressive. They consisted chiefly of a menacingly clenched fist which threatened but only occasionally landed, and a fairly unconvincing scowl. The bout began quietly, but two Blomfield jolts drew a roundhouse right from Rice, which almost described a circle and missed oy several feet. A third one set up deep-seated tremors in Rice, just as a jelly will shake when hit smartly with a spoon. When Rice had stopped staggering away, Blomfield applied a standing arm stretch to which Rice had no counter. The New Zealander held it for so long that he eventually changed it to a sitting arm stretch, for comfort. He still held it at the end of the round. The second round produced its usual sensation, Rice gaining a fall after tackling Blomfield There was a certain amount . of unparliamentary practice at the start of tne third round, the men, who held headlocks in turn, changing their grips from side to side to keep them away from the referee:s interference. Rice’s peculiar, loping style* with his arms swinging almost to tne floor, set the spectators laughing, and when Blomfield, holding a body scissors interrupted Rice’s efforts to free himself by a succession of blows on the back of the neck, the merriment was unrestrained. From Rice’s perturbed expression, the occasion seemed about as happy as an early breakfast in the condemned cell. Blomfield showed an almost child-like aversion to Rice in the fourth round, and threw him to the feet of the radio announcer. Rice looked as pleased about this as if someone had just reminded him that New Zealand was embarking on a campaign to save dollars. Near the end of the round, Blomfield, encouraged by the crowd, succeeded in obtaining what was a near relation to the octopus clamp. Rice’s painful drag to his corner when the gong sounded would have done credit to the genuine article. The fifth round opened promisingly, but deteriorated as it progressed, although near the end the clamp was again in sight. At the start of the sixth round, Rice bounced off the ropes and rushed past Blomfield, who threw a punch at him like a man trying to throw a paper through a window of a fast-moving train. The other features of the round were a minor dispute between the referee and Rice, and Blomfield’s success in running Rices head into the supports at the corner of the ring. After some jolts at the opening of the seventh round, Blomfield obtained his clamp and a fall. Rice, after receiving attention in the middle of the ring, got to his feet, but received a mixed reception. Some spectators cheered his courage, others demonstrated against his getting up at all, as it evidently ranked as a slight on the octopus clamp. After a short sprint round the ring in the last round, Rice came to grips and at one stage looked as if he had a prospect of getting the clamp himself. A few illeducated spectators cheered him on; they did not appear to realise that in the 10 years or more that Blomfield has been winning bouts with this particular hold, no one else has learned to apply it successfully, or even discover some sort of counter for it. Later in the round there were some more jolts, one of which sent Rice through the ropes and running up the aisle of the theatre. Jle was encouraged to return, but must have felt badly about it, for only 24 hours previously he had been rejected with a similar scant courtesy from a ring in Hastings. Near the end of the performance, Rice refused to release Blomfield after he had put him over the rt>pes, and when the referee attempted to break the men, he, too. did a somersault out of the ring. On this high note the bout ended. . In a light-heavy-weight professional bout, L. J. Coughlan drew with L. V. McEwen, one fall each. In amateur preliminary contests. K. Leishnan beat R. Hitchings, on points; N. Manders beat H. Kerr by two falls; and R. Muschamp beat D. McKenzie, two falls