Fraley Wins

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 183, 5 August 1938, Page 8

Fraley Wins

“ Clicked ” With Flying Toe-hold FALL AGAINST RAINES IN THRILLING BOUT With tho only fall, secured in the sixth round with a brilliantly applied flying toe-liold, Pat Fraley, the ‘singing cowboy,” U.S.A., beat his countryman, Dick Raines, at the Palmerston North Opera House last evening. It was a most spectacular and entertaining bout in which the spectators took tho keenest interest. | They started quietly enough, bui-in-terest quickened when Raines whanged his fore-arm into Fraley's middle and then figured on the wrong end of a succession of left jolts. Raines bored in and secured a side chancery, using the free hand to effect on the blind side. Fraley “knee'ed" his way to freedom and whacked Raines on the back of the neck, later kicking him through the ropes. Raines countered a body scissors with a toe-hold, but let go following Fraley's rough idea of a face massage. He was still sitting in the scissors and being bumped on the canvas at the gong It was a really good first round and a definite promise of better things to come. Raines oozed hostility from every paw as he came from his corner for the second “spasm” and in a few moments he had Fraley pitifully protesting to the referee, Mr. Wally Nicholls, who, however, had nothing but a deaf ear for him. Fraley was ordered to wrestle on and he clouted Raines above and below. Raines then worked in behind Fraley, jabbed fingers into both sides of his mouth and in no time had Fraley giving a demonstration of au advanced stage of the Maori haka. Twice he did this and Pat eventually dropped him, only to be held in a kammerlock at the gong. The third round was willing from the outset and in the middle stages the sjiectators were roused to great excitement when Fraley spread-eagled Raines with a drop-kick, figured on the wrong end of one himself and then exploded two more from the ground. All landed fairly and squarely and a fall seemed imminent. Fraley, however, was content to clap on a short-arm scissors. It was a bit of an anti-climax and an Irishman in the stalls murmured “Oh, Fat, you'll have to change your name.” Raines was top dog opening the fourth round and with Fraley lying on the ground, Raines did some skiing down the side of his head. Fraley let him have about four slides and then he grabbed Dick by the hair and 16-stone took off suddenly and made a threepoint landing near the ropes. Wally Nicholls crawled out from underneath and arrived in time to see Fraley's head tied up in the top ropes. Detaching Raines took time and Fraley suffered as iie waited for release. Fraley sparred for time when he did get out, but he then dived in and sivung Raines back against the ropes, returning evil for evil by wrapping the top strands round Raines’ neck. Leaving his opponent there Fraley ran across the ring and jumped on the ropes on the far side. Bouncing on them ho twanged the ropes round Raines’ neck and Raines “yowled” with joy. Fraley was still “playing the banjo” when Raines got free and took off for a flying tackle. Fraley saw him just in time to turn and explode a drop-kick in Raines' ‘ ‘ whiskers. -' The latter then launched two more tackles, Fraley going under the first and over the second. Early in the fifth round Raines nailed Fraley and twice lifted him with a crutch hold and dropped him lor the uaek-breaker. Fraley wriggled under tho ropes and he d-vvelt not upon tho order of going. They had a toe to toe rally in mid-ring and then Raines dived in and picked Fraley up. The latter, however, came down on top only to fall for a death lock applied with the hands. Ropes, and an order to break, and Raines again made Fraley look like the star penormer in a haka. lie tried it once too often, however, for Fraley snapped his teeth on one of Raines' lingers and the “Irish washerwoman” would have been only a poor imitation or Raines’ dance. The sixth round had been in progress only a few momenta when Fraley dropped and brilliantly trapped Raines with the spectacular flying toe-hold. The piessure went in and Raines quickly submitted. The “singing cowboy’ was a fall to the good. Early in the next round Fraley again tried for the flying toe-hold, but was too far through it and Raines came out with a haimnerlock. He was able to get tons of pressure into it. Fraley had to grin and take his medicine and after a long time he grabbed one of Raines’ legs, up-ended him and undid the hammerlock. Raines, however, had regained the hold when tho gong sounded. Raines picked Fraley up at the be- ! ginning of the eighth round, but after him he could ntfc dump him. They went to the ground, rose, and Raines jolted Fraley a number of times before picking up his legs to spin him. Nothing came of that, so Fraley picked Raines up and spun him, Raines making to “de-pant” him. Fraley dropped him like a* * hot spud.'' Raines, trying to equalise the score, was working hard and again be punished Fraley with another back-breaker. It was not good enough, however, and Fraley was still one fall up when the bout ended. The officials were Messrs. W. Nicholls (referee), Jim Purves (stage manager), J. M. Pearson (announcer), W. Crystall and R. Hopwood (timekeepers), and Alan Scott (call steward). Amateur Preliminaries. The first bout of the evening was provided by J. Eckersley (9.8 of P.N.) and C. Price (10.3) a strong, nuggety boy from Wellington, and it resulted in a win for tho Wellington boy with a fall secured in the second round. Price was aggressive from the outset and he was going close with a body press at the gong. Half way through the second round Price tripped Eckersley and rolled him over for a fall with a body

press. Price tried hard to secure a second fall but failed against Eckersley 's defence. Next were J. A. Melnnes (Wellington) and G. Herrington (Dannevirke), who met at even weights. The former appeared the stronger and after a lot of strenuous work he secured a fall close to the time for the opening round to finish. The other sessions were hard but there were no more falls, Melnnes winning with the fall he secured in the opening round. The special amateur bout was that between V. Thomas (11.4), of Wellington, amateur welter-weight champion of New Zealand, and W. Cudby (11.12), of Palmerston North. Thomas attacked from the outset but Cudby stalled and finally turned defence into attack and they went through the ropes. The first round was in favour of Cudby. More hard work followed in the second round, which was won by Thomas, who clinched the match early in the third round with a fall secured after he had grabbed Cudby's left arm and smartly rolled him over.

The amateur programme was concluded with a spirited bout in which M.

Darby (10.10) of Wanganui, met J. McCarthy (11.12), of Wellington. Trials of strength and some showmanship by Darby marked the first two rounds during which neither looked like getting a fall. They wrestled the third round on their feet and tho decision was a draw.