THREE FALLS IN 4½ MINUTES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 63, 8 December 1936, Page 2

THREE FALLS IN 4½ MINUTES

Brief Wrestling Match BLOMFIELD DEFEATS SAVOLDI The wrestling match between Blomlield and Savoldi last night, in the Wellington Town Hall, came to an unexpectedly early finish, Blomiield winning by two falls to one after half-au-hour in the ring. Blomfield’s weight was announced at 16.6, and that of Savoldi at 15.4. There was plenty of hal'd work in the two opening rounds, but most of it was permeated with an element of showmanship, especially on the part of Sayoldi, whose unties pleased the crowd immensely. Although the crowd took it all good humouredly, there must have been much disappointment over the dramatic suddenness with which the contest was brought to a close iu the fifth round. Savoldi took a fall early in the third, Blomfield retaliated at the beginning of the fourth, and secured the winning fall early in the fifth. Three falls in 4 minutes 39 seconds was the record established. Blomfield sent his opponent to the mat at the outset of the opening round with a headlock, but Savoldi quickly broke away and executed a series of his favoured elbow-jolts before applying a headlock. Both men then ttigged feverishly at each other’s hair, provoking a wanting from the referee, Mr. A. Jenkins. When they broke apart Savoldi worked tlie crowd into an uproar by his actions in springing from one side of the riug to the other about half a dozen times. Blomfield, however, succeeded in keeping clear until finally Savoldi appealed to the referee to call Blomiield to the centre of the ring. Just before the close of the round Blomfield broke from a reverse wristlock. Both wrestlers were again warned at the start of the second round for pulling at each other’s hair. There was a good deal of slapping by both, and for a minute or two the indications were for plenty of rough work. Blomfield secured Savoldi in an arm-bar, which he later converted to a short-arm scissors. Breaking free from that Savoldi applied the pressure with a toe-hold, before manoeuvring round for a short-arm scissors. “What you say about it, boy?” asked Savoldi of his opponent, who was wriggling from side to side in a frantic effort to get out of the hold. Blomfield refused to submit, however, and Savoldi appealed to Mr. Jenkins: “Watch his shoulders, ref., watch his shoulders.” Savoldi succeeded in applying another short-arm scissors on his opponent right at the start of the third round. Sitting in the centre of the ring with Blomfield struggling in this hold, he gazed round at the crowd with a wry smile of satisfaction. Blomfield soon wriggled free, however, but he gained little. Savoldi caught him with three drop-kicks, knocking him to the mat, finally pinning him with a body-press after Imin. 53sec, Spurred to greater things by this fall, Savoldi went in at the start of the fourth with a series of elbow jolts and two. dropkicks. Blomfield’s means. of retaliation, however, was a succession of flying tackles. It was following one of these that he pounced on Savoldi to equalise by securing a fall with a body-press, the round being all over in exactly one minute. Savoldi seemed to make little effort to evade the fall. The fifth round did not last much longer, closing after Imin. 46sec. Blomfield threw Savoldi round with a number of severe elbow jolts. Savoldi made an effort nt a drop-kick, but missed his mark and fell to the mat, for Blomfield to pounce on him for a second, fall with a body-press under similar circumstances to those in the previous round. Amateur preliminaries resulted as follows: L. Hancock (Kilbirnie), 10.3, drew with D. Flett (Island Bay), 10.3, one fall each; 11. Douley (Kilbirnie), 6.3, drew with B. Heyes (Koolman’s), 6.9, one fall each; J. Hill (Koolman’s), 9.9, beat J. Rennage (Poverty Bav), 9.9, the latter being disqualified; S. McDonald (Kilbirnie), 10.5, drew with S. Spalding (Koolmau's), 10.5.