KRUSE IS GOOD

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 16

KRUSE IS GOOD

MEHEINGER BEATEN

WRIST LOCK SPECIALIST

WRESTLING AT TOWN HALL

Bob Kruse has two sources of income; one is cabbage farming and the other is wrestling. The conclusion reached by those who saw him handle Pete Mehringer at the Town Hall last night was that he needs only to be as good a producer of cabbages and other vegetables as he is of wrist locks to make his produce (he calls it "truck") sell at a premium in the Portland marts.

If there are better wrestlers where Kruse comes from one would like to see them, for he is certainly going to cause the men in this country much trouble before he is finished. As previously indicated, wrist locks figure prominently in his equipment, and few more effective attacking measures have been seen in the local ring, but it would be unwise to suggest that they form the limits of either his wrestling knowledge or application. They enabled him to do all that was necessary against Mehringer, but the bout had not been in progress more than a few minutes before it was apparent that Kruse had a good deal in reserve —just how much will probably be revealed' when he comes up against the stiffer opposition which lies ahead of him- , , , 1 Mehringer is a fast and skilful wrestler, but in Kruse he was tackling a man who was more than a handful for him. His weigh l was given as 15st 31b and Kruse's as 15st 41b, but the latter was far stronger and tougher. To Mehringer's credit it must be said that he almost always took the initiative, and generally managed to get far enough to silence those who called for a quick finish. Kruse opened the scoring with a fall in the third round, Mehringer drew level in the fifth, and the end came early in the sixth. Kruse's superiority had apparently been expected, as there was one of the smallest crowds of the season.

PONEKE COLOURS, A pair of bright red tights covered Kruse's legs, topped by black shorts, lending a touch of Poneke colour to the proceedings. Kruse lost no time in bringing his specialties into play and took his man down early in the first round with a wrist lock. The former suffered a hammer lock for a while but was soon on top again with a head lock. The crowd was with Mehringer and gave him vocal support when he adroitly switched into a cradle splits. Kruse was tough, however, and was not long in using another wrist lock and arm stretch. Some wicked forearm rips added to Mehringer's discomfiture and when he was off his guard for a moment Kruse had a hammer lock under way like a flash. He found Mehringer a trier, however, and the latter came to light with a grapevine. Before the round ended. Kruse was looking interrogatively at the referee after being annoyed by Mehringer's arm. . ' Mehringer had a busy time in the second round, escaping wrist locks, though he found the opportunity to clamp on a hammer lock. He could not get much "work" on, and before long was being chased round the ung at the point of Kruse's elbow. Kruse followed up fast with an arm lock and, ill" a trice, had Mehringer flat under him for a fall at 3min 51 sec. - Mehringer kept his left arm out of danger when hostilities were renewed and lost no time in jumping clear when threatened with more wrist-lock trouble. The crowd was becoming rather restive but there was a better spirit when the men became entangled near the ropes and were slow in breaking after the referee had given the word. Mehringer was pulled off but before leaving he drew a grunt out of Kruse by planting a foot m his middle. Kruse thought this was not fair and resorted to lynch law by using his elbows. Mehringer counterattacked and the result was quite a lively interlude. When the excitement had died down Mehringer was working on Kruse's left arm but had produced no results before the gong made him let go.

REFEREE ENTANGLED. Though he must have known he was up against it Mehringer made the first advance in the fourth round. He fell into a heap of trouble, however, before he managed to tie up Kruse with a body scissors. "What are you looking for, Jenkins?" called a voice, as i the referee watched Kruse's shoulders hovering near the mat. Then Kruse started to send his closed nst into Mehringer's stomach and the referee decided to call a halt. His orders to break, however, fell on deaf ears and he succeeded only in becoming entangled with the men when he tried to pull them apart. The original offender was Kruse, but it was Mehringer who refused to break clear. "Let me get to him," he growled, but order was i*estored and an admonishing finger was waved in Kruse's face. There was further evidence of friction before the end of the round and when the gong sounded the combatants glared at each other like a pair of wild Relations were no more amicable in the fifth round, but it was Mehringer who proved the top do£. Thrown, against the ropes by a vicious jab he swung back and flattened his man taking a simple fall at lmin 16sec. Mehringer tried new tactics in the sixfth round, threatening to let fly with charges. Kruse watched him intently, however, and dropped on all fours 'whenever there was a chance of his being hit. His attitude amused the audience, but Kruse meant business as he showed when he clamped a vice-like grip on to Mehringer's wrist. Mehringer managed to break loose but had only one arm to use when he did and suffered further damage in being thrown through the ropes on to the edge of the Press table. Just before the referee reached 20 he was back in the ring. He might as well have spared the effort, for Kruse quickly tied him up and clinched the match at 2min 35sec. Mr. Alf. Jenkins was the referee.

AMATEUR PRELIMINARIES. Results of the amateur preliminaries were: — L. Ruby (Bst 61b) beat W. Ward (Bst 31b) by falls in the second and third rounds. Ruby was too good for his opponent. D Wrigglesford (sst 71b) drew with T Maddock <sst 61b). Maddock gained a fall in the first round and Wrigglesford equalised in the next round; B. Liddle (lOst 31b) drew with W. Cutting (lOst 21b). Liddle took a fall in the second round and the bout was squared in the last round. C. Croskery (9st 31b) drew with J. Greeks (9st 71b). Greeks took the first fall with a dump in • the first round and appeared to have his opponent in a bad way but Croskery came back and equalised in the last round with two back loop slams. It was an entertaining contest. Mr. J. H. Thompson was the referee.