LEILANI BEATS ZORRO IN SPECTACULAR BOUT

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27690, 21 June 1955, Page 14

LEILANI BEATS ZORRO IN SPECTACULAR BOUT

It says much for the Great Zorro that in his bout with Alo Leilani in the Civic Theatre last evening he was able to add a mite to a reputation which, with wrestling patrons, compares unfavourably with that of Ivan the Terrible among his unfortunate subjects. Zorro lost, of course, but for a man who has dedicated his considerable talents to achieving full houses, empty rings, and abusive audiences. it was the equal of a century at Lord’s. It is doubtful if any wrestling crowd has ever beeri so deliriously happy, or quite so noisy, as when Leilani won his fall in the sixth round. But if much of the nonsense was distinctly transparent, it was one of the most entertaining exhibitions of the season.

Zorro, with his dramatic red cloak, was received as if he had a dagger hidden beneath it—and few would have been surprised if he had; Leilani. with green and white sarong and lei to match, looked confident. He must have been studying Zorro’s record in New Zealand. There was a tremendous uproar even in the first round, and it was occasioned by Leilani’s judo chop—an annarently lethal ' weapon, although it looked extraordinarily like an old-fashioned smack on the face. It was sometimes preceded by a leap in the air, which somehow added to the drama of it all. By the time the second round was half done, the bout had become as animated as a hospital board meeting. Zorro applied a throttle hold, and hid it from sight as the referee darted from side to side, like a child keeping his dirty hands out of range of parental censure. Zorro, in fact, did little wrestling at all. If he was ntot gripping Leilani’s throat enthusiastically, he was usually concentrating on trunks or tonsure. In the third round Leilani held Zorro from behind in a body scissors, and they were fast together, like a pair of unsociable oarsmen. At the end of the round Leilani walked innocently back to his corner but Zorro stalked him with the intent air of a lepidopterist in pursuit of a rare species. The Nepia-like kick he aimed at his retreating opponent missed by inches, through the good offices of the referee, who then became the object of an harangue which made the Gettysburg address seem like something scribbled hastily on the back of a used envelope. Zorro thought it wasn’t fair. Leilani won applause for a rolling short arm scissors at the start of the fourth round. Zorro failing to enjoy what looked like a roller coaster ride. There was some fisticuffs, nothing serious—and after Zorro had perpetrated some outrage with the help of the ropes, Leilani did. likewise. Leilani then applied a hammerlock which he held at the bell, and Zorro brought his injured arm to his front for a care-

ful inspection, as if it was something the butcher had thrust upon him during the Friday rush. In the fifth round Leilani twice came off the ropes at Zorro, who looked dazedly around for-him like a castaway searching for a sail. But within moments it was Leilani who was sinking. He was thrown hither and thither, and succumbed to a throat drop. Zorro in his delight trotted about, head back, knees up vigorously, like a highstepping hackney. The sixth was the round of the night. Zorro held the initiative and some diabolical grips, but there was a welter of judo cuts and punches and knees from Leilani. Zorro crawled out through the ropes disconsolately, but seconds later they were both outside the ropes, and so was the referee. There were all the makings of local wrestling history when Zorro attempted to toss the referee over the ropes, but Mr J. W. Duke is not inexperienced. and Zorro turned to other prey. Back in the ring, with the patrons roaring approval, Leilani let loose a flood of judo cuts and drop kicks and won his fall. Zorro, enraged, pointed to about two inches of his boot projecting beneath • the ropes as evidence in rebuttal; it was rather as if King John had questioned ! the Magna Carta because of an uncrossed T.

The highlight of the seventh round was Leilani’s ballerina-like movements when, with arms extended gracefully, he held Zorro’s head between his feet and performed a dainty pirouette. Zorro was no patron of the arts, but he has survived more perils than Jungle Jim. There was another lovely piece at the end of the round when Zorro, in a fine fury, stepped out of the ring to address his detractors. He shaped up to the front row of the stalls, and the reaction was wonderful. One young man also shaped up, and Zorro aimed a kick at him; another roared with laughter, a third obviously felt there was little enough to laugh about. The last round was also full of furious activity, with Zorro persistently in danger of disqualification. When he discovered he had lost once again, he raged some more in a darkened ring. It was comforting to think that in all probability he spends his leisure time worrying about taxes, and raising begonias. b AMATEUR BOUTS Amateur wrestling bouts in the Civie Theatre last evening resulted as follows H. Subman (Ist 71b) beat B. Jeram C7st) A - Sin ® er <sst 121 b) beat C. Hintz (6st 51b) by two falls - B SlbVhv (10st ® lb > beat A O’Brien (lost om ft 11 to nil: G - Robinson (3st Sib) beat P May (Bst 121 b) by two falls: mn?°a son <llst 4lb) and E - Hadcroft (list 101 b) drew, no falls.