WRESTLING OPENS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 188, 8 May 1934, Page 10

WRESTLING OPENS

Strenuous Contest Between Michot and Meyer FRENCHMAN INJURED Unbeaten champion of France, Rene Michot was takon to hospital at the conclusion of his wrestling bout with Dr. Freddy Meyer at the Wellington Town Hall last evening. He received a twisted muscle' in his neck in the seventh round and had to be carried from the ring to his dressing-room, where he complained of feeling ill. He expressed a wish to go to hospital, and was taken there in rhe Free Ambulance, although ihe doctors who examined hi i apparently did hot think it necessary. The end of the bout < ..me with dramatic suddenness. Michot. who had scored the only fall, was squatted defensively in the middle of the ring in Oriental fashion. Meyer could not secure an effective hold so he attempted a headlock. Michot, it seemed, was caught unawares and be fell back with an expression of pain on his face. The referee. Mr. G. Bennett, signalled for a doctor, and the injured man was carried to bis corner. Unable to Continue. As the gong sounded for the last round Michot was unable to continue ami the referee awarded the decision to him. Tile crowd was surprised at the verdict, for it indicated that Meyer had fouled his opponent. The confusion increased when a minute or two later the referee walked to Meyer’s corner and raised Ills arm in token of victory. “Is someone coming back to explain all this?” came a.querulous voice from the gallery. The crowd stood about expecting an explanation, 6ut it was not forthcoming. Mr. Bennett, how ever, accounted for his action to a re porter afterward. He realised that the fall should have been awarded to Meyer, but thought wrongly that it happened in the last round. As each man had then a fall each, bis "vote would go to Michot. So far as the contest went, it was, fairly strenuous and interesting. Both men opened proceedings with wristlocks, and Michot threw his opponent with a headlock, and brought him down again with a cross-buttocks Meyer came up groggily, but brought Michot down with a reverse wristlock, and attempted a hammerlock. With a mighty heave the Frenchman tore himself free and applied an armlock from which Meyer'escaped by punching the other man on the jaw. The crowd booed. A rabbit-punch was employed by Meyer to get out of a wristlock, and he was using elbow jolts before Michot caught him in a hold new to Wellington—a double wristlock, which surprised the doctor. Meyer was. trapped in a body-scissors, but lie switched out of it suddenly with a toe-hold, which he held feverishly The Frenchman freed himself from a Japanese scissors, and at the gong he had prospects of gaining a fall with a press. <1 A forward headlock applied with pressure and Meyer was taken to the canvas, but again his elbows beat off the other man. Meyer, whose fists and elbows wore flying in the air, was warned by the referee, but Michot, adopting the same tactics., chased his man. who was warned again for a rabbit punch with both hands. The crowd showed its disapproval by loud and sustained booing, and Meyer appealed to the referee. Frenchman Secures Fall.

In tlie fourth round Michot was caught in wristlocks and head-scissors and, pretending grogginess, when Meyer came in - with forward headlocks and elbow jolts, he suddenly lifted the doctor in the air and dumped him for a fall at 2.50. The crowd cheered wildly. The referee broke them up when Meyer tried to bring the rope under Michot’s neck, but the Frenchman was in danger again through a sitting splits. A figure-four went, to the credit of Meyer, who advised tlie referee to watch for a fall. He saved himself from a backslant, and as Michot employed the squat lie waved Ills hands disgustedly because he could do nothing. Both applied painful toe-holds and Meyer was writhing in agony when a double-barrelled toe-hold went against him. The gong saved him from submitting. Tlie end. ns described above, came at 2.15 in the seventh round, after Meyer had been bowled over a number of times with solid headlocks. Preliminary Bouts. The preliminary bouts, which were refereed by Mr. J. 11. Thompson. resulted as followD. Halford. 8.10. beat R. Lockwood, 8.7. by straight falls; L, Nolan, 8.10. beat R. Nathan. 9.6. by straight falls: R. Allen. 11.7. beat L. Short. 12.8. on pionts; R. Maiitimer, 11.0. beat R. Austin. 11.6. by falls in the -first and last rounds.