WRESTLING

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 31, 5 August 1933, Page 7

WRESTLING

MIX-UP IN AUCKLAND

DISPUTED DECISION

"Astonishing scenes, not the least surprising of which was that of the referee endeavouring to explain to a hooting audience that in his opinion the rules were being flaunted, were witnessed at tho professional match between George Walker and Harry Mamos in the Auckland Town Hall last Monday, The 'Occurrences were unprecedented, and for a time the hall was ■in an uproar. Officially, the contest, winch was staged in aid of Prosperity Week, ended in a draw (reports the Auckland "Star"). All the trouble came in the seventh round. Up till that stage neither man had scored a fall. The contest had started brightly, and entertaining wrestling had been seen in the first and second rounds, but in the succeeding terms much of the life had petered out. ■of the contest, and, except for occasional displays of bad feeling, there had been a general sameness about the wrestling, with first one man and then the other taking control, usually with throws from headlocks. Up till the seventh round the outstanding feature of the match had been the manner in which Mamos (13st 1311b) had successfully fought the 'numerous hammerlocks that Walker (14st 51b) had clapped on in an effort to secure a submission fall. BOTH MEN OUT OF RING. The excitement that came in round seven compensated for what had been missing in the earlier sessions. When the round was three minutes old Walker secured a headlbck from which Mamos could not escape, and when he held on to his hold as he threw the Greek to the mat both men rolled through the ropes. For a second they remained balanced on the edge of the staging on which the ring was erected, and then they crashed, four feet on to the floor of the main hall, landing at tho feet of the excited spectators in the front row, Mamos was underneath when tho pair hit tho boards, and although Walker at once got to his feet the Greek, remained where ho lay. The referee, Mr. H. Sidford, immediately jumped from the ring to the floor of the hall and commenced to count. At tho same time many spectators left, their seats and crowded round the prostrate wrestler. The voico of tho referee counting off tho seconds could not be heard above the uproar. Walker, in the meantime, was resting with his head on his arms against the staging of the ring. Policemen moved about the crowd and prevented possible disorder. After completing his count the referee announced that he had declared tho contest a draw. He attempted to explain why he had come to that decision, but tho uproar that followed his first announcement completely drowned his voice, and he loft the ring. The wrestlers returned to the ring, but the crowd refused to accept the official ruling, and clamoured for tho contest to continue. Officials spoke to tho wrestlers, both of whom, appeared genuinely surprised at the turn events had taken, and the police endeavoured to get the spectators back to their seats. "ONE ROUND TO GO." After several minutes of confusion tho association's announcer, ,Mr. V. Salek, informed the crowd that, with the consent of the wrestlers, it had been decided to "take it as one fall each with one round to go." Loud cheering greeted the announcement. Recalled from his dressing-room, Mr. Sidford met with a'hostile reception whon he re-entered the ring. He endeavoured to inform the crowd that ho was' continuing the contest at the request of the committee and against his own convictions, but he- was not allowed a hearing. The final round then proceeded. In this Walker had much the better of things, but was unable to gain a fall, and at the final gong the refereo declared a draw —his previous decision. lie declined to make 'an award on points. The hall then emptied amid a hubbub of discussion. Mr. Sidford's ruling after tho seventh round mix-up was difficult to understand. Apparently his argument was that as neither man had re-entered tho ring within the stipulated twenty sec-

onds, neither could bo awarded' a fall. Also, ho apparently felt that ho could not award a fall to each /man, which would mean two falls in tho same round. It seems, however, that the most logical course for him to have followed would have been for him to give each man a fall and to continuo the eighth and final round. If Walker had got back into tho ring after regaining his feet he would have been entitled to one fall, but it is not likely that he would have been straightway declared the winner, unless Mamos had been unable to come up for the last round.- !