HONOURS TO TEXAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 144, 21 June 1938, Page 16

HONOURS TO TEXAS

COWBOY .WRESTLERS

RANGE WAR ON MAT

RAINES BEATS FRALEY

j The honour of Texas, the "Lone Star State," was vindicated at the Wellington Town' Hall last night when the |Te::an cowboy, Dick Raines, scored a 'points decision at the expense of Pat Fraley, an ex-cowboy from Nebraska. Fraley took the first fajl in the fourth round, Kaines equalised in the sixth, and headed his rival off during the two deciding rounds, largely because of the after-effects of the "back-breaker" hold with which he won his fall. Fraley's only previous defeat was his disqualification at Auckland on Saturday night. After Raines's performance against Blomfield the public knew what to expect from him and, despite the unpleasant weather, large numbers of them turned up to see him provide it. Raines was only too ready to oblige, but the referee kept a firm hold on the exchanges and there was no more than the usual amount of illegalities. Time was found for a fair amount of wrestling and, with both men putting plenty of vigour into their work, the spectators went home well satisfied. Raines's weight was given as 16st 51b, with Fraley an even 16 stone. The loud-speaker system installed for the last boxing contest as an aid to announcing was intended to be used last night, but a 'switch had been left turned off somewhere and, after Mr. Jack Hughes had had a one-sided conversation with the microphone, he had to give his lungs their usual exercise. i WARMING UP. ! While waiting to find their feet on the local range the two cowboys approached each other cautiously in the i first round, manoeuvring in and out of i the referee's hold until Raines grabbed a head lock, jumped into the air, and tossed his rival with a resounding crash. The" staging shook again when Fraley picked Raines up like a bag of chaff and dumped him on the canvas. There they stayed for a while putting plenty of pressure into a succession of holds. Having had a talking-to from the referee before being let loose, they sought guidance from the official every time even the most innocuous of jolts or slaps were used. They were motioned to keep going, but some doubtful ones went in all the same. At the gong they glared at each other so hard that they forgot which corner was which. It was a useful round for warming-up purposes. The second started off with some jolting by Fraley, who also threatened to let fly a dropkick. Raines decided that his appearance was not fearsome enough and pulled' his tousled locks down over his scowl. Raines was called to order for using his knees and, when Fraley had recovered from the effects, he (Fraley) went in one! two! with a jolt and a knee to the chest. Fraley tried to tie the Texan down with head locks, but Raines was just about as tractable as a young steer. He came back at Fraley with a bulllike charge of the ropes, but missed badly. At the bell he was holding a vicious toe hold. He broke it dramatically, but put in a parting shot before leaving. Fraley, like the small boy was detected when he retaliated, and Raines did a sly smile as he strode virtuously to his corner. It was Fraley's turn to smile in the third round when he used stomach throws to put an end to some flying tackles by Raines. Fraley tried to bring Raines down with a wrist lock, but a boot violently applied to the back of his knee made him sit down with an ouch! Raines changed a short arm scissors to a manual death lock, into which Jhe threw his whole weight, and he refused to release it even when Fraley tried to stand him on his head. There must have been something lopsided about the ring from the way both men gravitated to Fraley's corner at the end of each round. Hurled into the ropes, Raines hung like a spider in a web early m the fourth round, and a dropkick bowled him over when he tried to take it out of Fraley with dumps. It was Nebraska's round, for, a moment later, Raines was again using flying tackles when Fraley caught him with his flying toe hold, and he submitted in quick time at'lmin 53sec. , Raines skipped round like a cat on hot bricks as Fraley dived for his legs in the fifth round, and finally slipped under the ropes. Getting down to business he worked on Fraley's right arm slapping it across the ropes until the referee made him desist. He survived a couple of dumps. There was ther, a little game on the mat, Fraley holding his hand over Raines's nose and mouth, and the referee busying himseU in pul ing it away. After some toe-to-toe jolting Raines grabbed a surfboard hold just before the bell. ALL SQUARE AGAIN. Some jolts, some fists, some knees and then a couple of back-breaker holds and Raines had levelled the falls at lmin 18sec in the sixth round. Some of the crowd were surprised that Fralev was able to hobble to his corner. Fraley kept close to the ropes in the seventh round, and "pulled leather every time danger threatened. He managed to live through Rainess "strafes." even when bent backwards over the latter's knee while kneeling on the mat. Being thrown forcefully on his face by headlocks also failed to put him out of action, and he frequently gave Mr. Raines as much as the latter wanted. The final round opened with some jolts and charges, and matters seemed to have reached a climax when Fraley snapped on his toe hold, but Raines managed to find a way out this time He responded with a manual death lock but Fraley came again with a head scissors, giving the referee (Mr Alt Jenkins) a chance to add a note or two. Both men nearly went oul when they collided-in the middle oi the ring, but the fortunes swung tc and fro until the final, bell, and the decision in Raines's favour. AMATEUR PRELIMINARIES. Results of the amateur preliminarj bouts were:— „ i Prestney (Kilbirnie), 7st 61b, beai S. Barber (Fetone), 7st 121b, by twe B' Minnis (Koolman), lOst, beat J Hill (Petone), 9st 101b, on points. Then were no falls. J Park (Kilbirnie), 9st 41b, beat W Cammish (Island Bay), 9st 21b, by tw< falls. V.Thomas (Koolman's), list 31b, bea L. Spalding (Koolman's), list, by tw< falls. R. Hutcheson (Koolman's), 9st 41b beat R. Gifford (Koolman's), 9st 81b, bj two falls. Mr. J. H. Thompson was the referee In the results of the preliminaries ot June 11 it was stated that J. Kennedy beat N. Gunther. Actually Gunthe: won by two straight falls.