WRESTLING Zebra Kid And Hrstich In Colourful, Drawn Bout

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28616, 19 June 1958, Page 7

WRESTLING Zebra Kid And Hrstich In Colourful, Drawn Bout

Like most great artsits, Dick Hrstich and the Zebra Kid have movements of sheer inspiration The general level of their performance when they met in a professional wrestling bout at the Civic Theatre last evening was high, but in the fourth and eighth rounds they soared —if the term can be used about an aggregate of 5001 b of wrestlers —to the heights. The bout was drawn and a packed house enjoyed it all immensely, save, perhaps, the two young women in a ring-side seat with whom the Zebra Kid briefly made a third. The Zebra Kid was in a bellicose frame of mind during the whole of the evening. Nothing seemed to please him. least of all the crowd. But when he was on the offensive and threatening to reduce Hrstich to pulp at any moment, he pursued his quarry with a peculiarly purnosefnl almost dignified, tread—it really needed the “Grand March” from “Aida” to put it in a proper setting. He does no’ seem to love his fellow man. but it must be conceded that he teamed excellently with Hrstich a quick and clever performer in his own right. Their aerial work was remarkablv good, and to see the Zebra Kid pronelling his 19st 81b into somersaults and the like —even when encouraged by some devilish grin held bv Hrstich—was to aonlaud. Perhaos ’he show did not have the pace and fire of the Spanish Danrp Theatre, but it was good enough to win Hrstich many new admirers. and to lose the Zebra Kid the remainder of his friends and that was as it should be. There was considerable action all the wav. with the first minor climax in the third round, which was marked bv a heavv crop of grapevines There was some athletic stuff from Hrstich in the fourth, with dron-Hck« and spectacular back drops Once after sending his opponent on his way unrejoicing. Hrstich threw himpelf nimblv from his head to his feet to resume operations, a performance greeted with sustains applause, much as a ballet audience mav count the fouettes. Once however. Hrstich missed with a drop kirk and fell heavilv The Zebra Kid. looking like a" errant barrage balloon. la”nched himself into snare with the express purpose of landing on Hrstich. But bv the time -rayitv »-ad its Hrstich had departed the building reverberated Then Hrstich missed with a back drop and this time the Z«*ra Kid was there to press him for a fall.

There was a tremendous barrage of punches from Hrstich in the fifth, with the Zebra Kid shaking beneath it like a jelly held by a nervous waitress. There was more swift activity in the sixth, and Hrstich applied a figure four head scissors, and that was one for the connoisseurs Hrstich’s fall m the seventh was the most spectacular for many a day. He repeatedly flung his opponent into th ropes, and then, as the target loomed up again. Hrstich threw it over his back He finally took his fall with a flying cross, a sort of grapevine effect, while throwing himself backwards.

The final chapter seemed endless. The Zebra Kid did some apparently damaging things in the region of Hrstich's eyes, and this brought the piece to a final crescendo. At the height of the stormiest passages, the referee bad an arm caugtu firmly in twined ropes, the Zebra Kid climbed into a corner to dea out the cosh treatment, but fell over the top rope, into an area in which he was immediately letur ed by a dropkick. Then he was sent through the ropes into the radio announcer’s fable A slightly-built technician, no doubt with his mind on his transistors and cats whiskers, swift!' flung him back again. The performers suffered so much wear and tear that at one stage they were crawling about on their knees but it all ended fairly cosily When the referee proclaimed a draw, the Zebra Kid invited Hrstich back for some more. Then he invited the audience into the ring, and he, might have been talking still had a sergeant of police not motioned him away.

The impatience of the man After all. he must have known that he could take the matter further, when he meets Hrstich at Timaru tonight AMATEUR BOUTS Amateur wrestling bouts in the Civic Theatre last evening resulted: Paper-weight: M. Townsend <Toc H. Linwood) beat T. Vincent (Belfast) on points, no tails: K McDonald (Belfast) beat B. Roberts (Crichton Cobbers) by one fall to nil. Bantam-weight: W. Campbell (Toe H, Linwood) and R. Gilchrist (Health and Strength) drew, no falls Feather-weight: G. Robinson (Health and Strength) beat B Tullott (Toe H, Linwood) on points, no falls Ligiit-weight: 1. B. Roberts (Toe H, Linwood) and G. Wtleon (Toe H, Linwood) drew, one fall each.