Rangiora wrestler beat the odds

Press, 19 July 1989, Page 34

Rangiora wrestler beat the odds

A Rangiora Amateur Wrestling Club member has been chosen to represent New Zealand in the Australian Espoir international wrestling tournament in September. Craig Jones, aged 16, has been wrestling for 12 years and is the immediate past holder of the New Zealand Inter-Colle-giate title and the national title for 14 to 16-year-olds. He is the only South Island representative in the junior team which will compete against teams from Australia, Japan, Korea and the United States in Sydney. The team was announced at the recent New Zealand championships in New Plymouth, said the Rangiora Club coach, Mr Kevan McLaughlan. Jones was nominated though he fights in the boys’ division for 14 to 16-year-olds (the

junior division is for 17 to 20-year-olds) and, normally, lack of experience in the junior age level would have counted against him. TJie selection board knew of Jones’ past record in wrestling so arranged two bouts with the. new junior champion to see if he was worthy of selection. He won both of them. The first fight was arranged 20 minutes after the 19-year-old from Waikato had completed the finals so because of suspicion that he was tired, another fight was arranged the next morning. "Everyone thought I was going to get whipped so I had something to prove to them as well as myself,” said Craig Jones. He was pleased a second fight had been arranged because he, too, believed that the junior

champion was tired.

“He must have been and I wouldn’t like to compete for a place in a national team so soon after competing for a national title,” he said. Following in his older brother Shane’s footsteps, Craig Jones has also been nominated for the team to travel to the world cadet wrestling championships in Missouri next month. Shane represented New Zealand at the championships in 1980, when aged 15. “Craig is a definite for the team (to Missouri) if a team is sent and providing funding for the trip can be worked out,” Mr McLaughlan said. The club had only been notified about Craig’s selection on the week-end which did not leave much time to gather the required funds. KATE FEARN