N.Z. WRESTLING TOURNAMENT

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28050, 18 August 1956, Page 7

N.Z. WRESTLING TOURNAMENT

Apart from Ron Kavanagh, who took the fly-weight title, Canterbury amateur wresUers failed badly at the New Zealand championships at Durham this week.

Kavanagh o-ened the tournament with a spectacular three minute and a half win over P. Singh (Waikato), and followed this by beating S. Murcott (Otago) in three minutes. Kavanagh clinched his title with a win by a fall over C. Le Gros (Wellington) after a fast bout lasting seven minutes. This title caps a sensational season for Kavanagh, as he had now won the Canterbury, South Island, and New Zealand honours after finishing in fourth place in the local chamoionships last season. Des Keats, South Island title-holder of the bantam-weight division, lost his first two bouts and was eliminated on the first day of the championships. Keats was unfortunate that both his losses were on points only, but nevertheless he was far below his Canterbury form.

In the light-weight. I. B. Roberts suffered a similar fate, being eliminated in two bouts. Roberts failed to show his true form, and in both his bouts he rarely adopted an attacking role. Consequently, he lost many points in each match.

Gordon Hobson, a former New Zealand title-holder, finished runner-up in the welter-weights. In his bout with J. Monaghan (Southland), present title-holder and winner of this division this year, points were even up to the last two minutes of the bout. There was but a point difference at the final bell, in Monaghan’s favour.

M. Fearnly, Canterbury’s light heavy-weight representative, started well with a win over I. Robinson, of Hastings, but in his next two bouts he was beaten by P. Parson, the winner of the championship, and D. Cowie, the runner-up. Moir’s Good Start

R. Moir, a former New Zealand titleholder, also opened promisingly in the middle-weight section with a win over D. McTaggart a former Scottish champion, and P. Ballantyne, holder of the South Island title, but two successive losses put him out of the running. It is hard to see an” member of the Canterbury team winning Olympic representation on performances at this vital tournament. Lack of experience may debar Kavanagh, nothwithstanding the title he won.