A LIVELY MATCH

Evening Star, Issue 23273, 23 May 1939, Page 4

A LIVELY MATCH

WRESTLING SEASON OPENS V BLOMFIELD AND DONOVAN BREAK EVEN The Dunedin wrestling season opened at the Town Hall last night, and no doubt the fact that the highly-rated American, Jack Donovan (16.8), was one up on the New Zealand champion, “ Lofty ” Blomfield (16.10), was responsible for the “ house full ” sign being hoisted for the return match between these big fellows last night, a crowd of 3,000 spectators being treated to a fast and lively mix-up in which excellent wrestling was mingled with some fierce exchanges of forearm jolts, elbow jabs, and were punches at times, while the hy-play invariably enjoyed by the crowd was not lacking either. The result was a draw, Donovan taking a fall in the fifth round, following a couple of dumps which Blomfield, who was on the receiving end far more than his usual wont, evened up in the eighth round, when he launched a fierce battery of jolts which spreadeagled the American on the mat and made him easy prey for a hcadlock and body press.

This was Donovan’s first appearance in Dunedin, and he quickly established himself as a smooth and determined worker who put every ounce of strength behind some of the punishing holds of whicl) he made use, and who in the not infrequent exchanges of jolts that took place proved troublesome to his opponent. Both men, however, had to he cautioned by the referee for using full-blooded punches, and there were times when the match seemed likely to develop into a very rough affair, but the referee (Mr Frank Anderson) exercised excellent control, and made his usual efficient job of the match.

Donovan was fast and aggressive throughout and there was no lack of variety to his work, the American working with equal facility on wristlocks, forward chanceries, and toeholds. Blomfield took longer to warm up than his opponent, probably due to the fact that Donovan worked closely over his man and gave him no opportunity to manoeuvre for his dreaded octopus clamp. Blomfield, too, was effective in the use of headlocks, wristlocks, and scissors holds, and altogether the match was a very bright opening to the 1939 season, with Donovan having a shade the better of things until tue closing stages. ' ' THE MATCH.

Some bright wrestling marked the opening round, Donovan taking his opponent to the mat with an arm bar and scissors, which “Lofty” broke with a reverse wristlock and bar. Donovan was as busy as a bee, and a head scissors and arralock made Blomfield wriggle a little until he came out of it with a head spin. The Aucklander heaved Donovan into the ropes with some reverse headlocks, and after missing a headlock Donovan moved quickly to the other side, slipped on a wristlock, and whipped it into a short-arm scissors, which he held at tho gong. Donovan was on the offensive most of the way. Both men threw jolts from all angles in the second round, and the crowd was vastly entertained when they worked on forward chancery holds, Donovan eventually shifting to an armloek which just about pulled Blomfield’s arm out, the Aucklander lunging oh to his opponent’s 1 ribs ;to get clear. Blomfield secured a painful- fingerlock, which so riled Donovan that he let ily a fullblooded drive to “ Lofty’s ” head, being sternly spoken, to by the referee. Blomfield retaliated vigorously by sidedropping Donovan and securing a stepover toehold which the latter broke by driving a finger under “ Lofty’s ” ears, Blomfield replying in kind by dragging his forearm across Donovan’s eyes.

The referee was kept busy in the third in which some of the rallies were on the hectic side. It all began when Donovan worked “ Lofty ” towards the ropes and applied a couple of strangles before taking him to the mat with a hoadlock. _ The New Zealander connected with a solid punch / and the referee warned him. A forward chancery by Donovan led Blomfield to endeavour to tie the American’s head up in the ropes, and when the latter whipped in for a wristlock Blomfield threw himself forward to scissor his opponent’s leg before applying a headlock. There was a tangle of arms and legs on the mat and there was a yell as Bloomfield stood up with an Indian deathlock. Donovan’s shoulders were near the mat and while the referee kept a wary eye on the American. Blomfield hung on to the ropes to get full pressure and waved to the crowd to keep quiet as they strove to draw the referee’s attention to- the Aucklander’s effective, but illegal methods. The mix-up was unravelled just before the gong. Vigorous action was displayed in the fourth round, a feature of which was “ Lofty’s ” application of the surfboard hold standing up. Using his leg to propel Donovan round the ring, he switched to a hammerlock and put his knee into the rear part of Donovan’s, anatomy for good measure. With his Hawaiian holiday still in mind, perhaps, “ Lofty ” again tried the surfboard hold, but Donovan changed his

method of attack by going for his specialty toehold, crossing his opponent’s other leg and using it as ,a bar as well as his own leg. It was quite a puzzle to know who was who, but Blomfield gamely withstood : the strain for three minutes. , ''FIRST FALL TO DONOVAN. “ Lofty " tried to keep Donovan out in the fifth by use of a forward headlock. but the American was. after the “ kill,” and following a series of forward chanceries and forearm smacks to the face he picked his opponent up for a couple of devastating dumps, from which ho was able to pin him, the round being in progress three minutes. The New r Zealander resorted to fierce jolting in the sixth round, and was warned by the referee for the use of the “ rabbitkiller,” Donovan secured a riding scissors on the mat, but Blomfield countered with a forward toehold and shifted to a leglock. He pulled Donovan in for some solid Jolts, and when he clamped on a reverse headlock he pulled the American back over his leg, and then shifted to a full-nelson and body-scissors, working on a finger lock for good measure. “ LOFTY ” EVENS UP. Blomfield was striving desperately for the equalising fall in the seventh, but Donovan worked close to his man and halched him three times., ‘‘Lofty” came out of the w'ristlock by running Donovan into the canvas guard to the ring-posts in each of the three corners, but it was not until the eighth and final round that he was able to break even, _ when following a fierce rally in mid-ring Blomfield started in with a series of jolts from all angles which dropped Donovan, who offered little resistance as Blomfield secured a headlock and top body-press to even the falls and draw the match. AMATEUR PRELIMINARIES. C. Flowers (9.9) beat B. .Vincent (9.10) on points. This pair provided a _ hard, tough go, with Flowers in the ascendancy, throughout, though he w r as unable to pin his opponent, who elected to wrestle on the defensive. Flowers was close to a pinning position in the first round, wdien he managed to obtain a waisthold and back-heeled Vincent. He also had his opponent in trouble similarly in the second round, but Vincent managed to keep his opponent off for the remainder of the bout, Flowers winning on points. L. Hastie (10.0) beat R. Meinung (10.0) by one fall. There was some action m this bout, with Hastie doing more of the attack and having Meinung in trouble most'of the way. Hastie took the only fall of a lively match with a forward body press in the fourth round. C. Reach (10.10) beat D. Gillanders (11.0) by one fall. This was a colourless match, Reach taking a fall in the second round with a forward body press, and being content to take things easily for the remainder of the bout. C. Glossop (11.0) beat A. Hodge (12.0) by one fall. This w’as a willing bout, with Hodge, a promising newcomer, going close to a fall in the first round with a . cradle hold. Glossop fought his wav out of it ,and took the only fall of the match in the third round with a cross-buttock and headlock. The amateur bouts were listed for four rounds, and were refereed bv Mr Colin Turner, the judges being Messrs M. Goughian and S. Paris. Glossop and Hodge were awarded the special award for the best display of wrestling in the preliminaries.

KIROHM€YER BEATS MARTINEZ

[Per Ukited Press Association.}

Wellington;:May 22. Two fine big wrestlers met at th« ToWn Hhll to-night—Rouend Kirchmeyer, 6ft 7in tall and 17st 81b .in, weight, and Ignacio Juan Jose Nicolas Alberto de Jesus Navinete.de Martinez, 6ft 4in and 18et in Weight. To set them off the referee was Mr Al{ Jenkins, standing 6ft .4in in .his shoes,. Rirchmeyer won on points after Martinez had taken a fall with a Corrigan body-slam in the fourth round and had yielded to one of Kirchmeyer’s python clutches in the sixth. , The bout wan Willing and for the most part- scientific.