CHAMPION WRESTLERS DRAW

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 45, 17 November 1936, Page 2

CHAMPION WRESTLERS DRAW

Rough, But Cunning, Bout GEORGE GIVES SAVOLDI AEROPLANE SPIN Rough tactics and cunning matchcraft, distinguished last night’s wrestling match between the two ex-world champions, Joe Savoldl and Ed Don George, at the Town Hall, Wellington. The two drew, with one fall each. George, in the fourth round, lifted Savoldi in au aeroplane spin, after he had knocked him groggy with elbowjolts and halches, but iu the seventh be submitted to Savoldi’s short-arm scissors. Although it saw no fall, the final round was tense and savage, and held the large crowd breathless. The match was remarkable in that Savoldi, the drop-kick master, launched only a single drop-kick, and that flew wide of its mark.

George weighed 16.6, to Savoldi’s 15.4, but the latter was wiry and wellmuscled and moved with the lithe grace of a cat.

George took the offensive. He tossed Savoldi with a head-lock, and then applied a yoke-hold, which he repeated as soon as Savoldi threw him off. Savoldi sprang out of the grip, shaking his head, but George held him in a powerful headlock. Ho tossed him again, spun him round with a jolt, dumped him, and pounced on him to pin him. But Savoldi slipped from under him, and checked George's attack with a thrust of his shoulder.

The crowd, whose sympathies were with Savoldi, hooted cheerfully when George escaped from a hammerlock by plunging through the ropes. When George retaliated with a hammerlock, too, Savoldi tripped him smartly. He prowled round George as the latter rose slowly to his feet. Both men were on their feet, breathing heavily, when the bell sounded. Virile action had marked the opening round. George missed badly when he tried to trip Savoldi. Savoldi’s flying tackle went wide, but he rolled over lightly aud bounced up like an india-rubber ball. . With George’s muscular arms round his waist he was forced to the mat, and there went into a huddle. George could make nothing of it and abandoned his opponent with a gesture of disgust, the onlookers shouting with laughter. Picking himself up after a hard jolt from Savoldi, George bent the other backward, inch by inch, with a four-finger hold. Carrying the full weight of his opponent, as well as his own, with only his feet and the back of bis head for support, Savoldi arched beautifully, while George bounced vigorously on his stomach. When George tried au extra high bounce Savoldi slipped awgy and George landed prostrate. He lay on his face while Savoldi danced round the ring, feinting flying tackles from every point of the compass in turn. Savoldi sat unperturbed in a splits, and as George did not rock him he broke it with a wristlock. “What you say? I’ll break it?” he threatened. When be held George in a headlock George thrust out bis tongue, rolling his eyes, but the referee for some time declined to interfere. When he did warn Savoldi to relax the strangle, George wriggled clear, only to find himself iu the same toils again. After the. bell he went after the referee, apparently to protest. . ■ Growling to himself, George lifted Savoldi iu a grizzly-bear hug .and sat him on the mat. Savoldi promptly jumped into a bead-scissors George again put his tongue out, making suffocating noises and pointing to his throat. Without disengaging Savoldi the referee made George more comfortable. But Savoldi bumped bls’ head repeatedly, until he escaped. . "Watch his shoulders,’ said Savoldi, fasteniug another head scissors. George s head drove iuto the pit of his stomach, however, and he let go. . Savoldi tripped George, jolted him, and tied him up with a short-arm seissors on the right arm, whereon George booked his feet into the ropes. ‘ Leave go the ropes, George,” ordered the reteree. Savoldi was dragging George back into the open when a kick in the face disconcerted him. He landed a hard elbow-jolt and 'followed it with a flying headlock. Then be tried to repeat the manoeuvre. George ducked and Savoldi hurtled o\er the ropes into the audience. Eager supporters hoisted bun into the ring groggy aud dazed. George was waiting.’ Smacking elbow-jolts three times sent Savoldi to the mat. George htted him iuto mid-air with stroug halches. Then he lifted him overhead, whirling him iu an aeroplane spin aud depositing and pinning him in the fourth minute of the round. , ... As if determined to make un end,, with headlock, elbow-jolt and baled George hunted Savoldi round the ring. Once again a shoulder-butt cheeked him. lie made a feint of a flying tackle, but Savoldi sprang into the air; had George completed the attack he would have measured his length. When George applied au arm-stretch Savoldi cunningly reversed the position. When George held him helpless with a hammerlock, Savoldi beat the mat with his palm and shook his head in distress. "Going to give iu?” asked the referee, stooping. Savoldi raised his head as if to speak, but as the referee leant toward him he shook it aud said curtly “No I” Evidently pleased with the laughter that greeted this performance, he repented it several times. George did not let go until the bell.

A storm of jolts brought Savoldi to his kuecw iu the sixth round, but he battled to his feet aud let go his only drop-kick during the evening. It was a failure. Ho lauded heavily and massaged his back tenderly as he regained his feet “What about watching his shoulders instead of mine?” he asked the referee when George countered a body scissons with an attempt at a jack-knife. "He was standing up,” retorted the official. Savoldi then developed an excruciating short-arm scissors which left George nursing his right arm at the conclusion of the round. When the bout resumed, Savoldi prowleo round the ring after George, waiting his chance to snatch at the other's still maimed right arm. He caught it, brought George down with an arm-bar, aud again clapped on his short-arm scissors, jerking and jumping with all his strength and all his weight on George’s imprisoned limb. George was glad to submit. The round had lasted a minute aud a half, of which all but some 15 seconds had been spent in manoeuvring for position. Tense silence greeted the opening phases of the last round. After more circling and sparring Savoldi again caught George's arm, but did not manage another fall. George kicked him in the face and sprang up. He met Savoldi’s advance with an elbow jolt, then a flying mare. After another jolt he ran in, lilted Savoldi in a crotch-hold, and dutnired him hard. He picked him up, swinging him aloft for an aeroplane spin. But Savoldi mustered his failing energy just when he appeared lost, and, in the air, fastened a crucifix on George. The big man found to his astonishment that he could not let go his burden ; he sat down astonished; and Savoldi, fighting hard, managed to fend him off until the final bell. Mr. A. Jenkins refereed,

Ainateur Preliminaries.

Welterweight: S. McDonald (Kilbirnie, 10.7) and F. Spalding (Lack’s, 10.9) drev , with no falls. Bantamweight: L. Ruby (Kilbirnie, 8.6) beat R. Lockwood (Petone, 8.5) by a penalty fall, when Lockwood went through the ropes in the second round, and a fall tVitli a pile-driver in the third. Flyweight: H. Dooley (Kilbirnie, 6.8) and L. Hislop (Petone, 6.9) drew; Dooley took a fall in the first round with a body-

press, and Hislop >ne iu the second with a headlock and press. Welterweight: L. Hancock (Kilbirnie, 10.6) beat B. Liddle (Johnsonville, 10.5) b’- one fall, with a reverse grape vine in the first round. Mr. J. H. Thompson refereed the amateur bouts.