WRESTLING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1686, 22 June 1904, Page 51

WRESTLING

(From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, May 14

Time and space precluded any mention last week of the great wrestling match at the Alhambra Theatre jetw* on Ahmed Madrali (“The Terrible Turk”) and the mysterious man from Mozambique, Farquar. Madrali and Farquar were matched to try the best oh three falls in the catch-as-catch-can style for £IOO aside and a purse of £2OO. Of Farquar little was known here, his wrestling having taken place in tr.n lan.Jish quarters of the globe. For a time rumour had it that he was a vtov fa’iioiL American wrestler masquer •■ding under a new name, but this was denied by his backer. Generally speaking the pnl bc paid little attention to th- mat-li urtil the day of its decision. linn llie Alhambra was packed from floor to ceding Farquar turned out to be quite a stranger, but a man designed on gener ous lines and equipped with a magnificent torso, splendid arms, and as grand a pair of legs as one could wish to see. His good-humoured Anglo-Saxon physiognomy approached the handsome, ami altogether he was as fine a specun.m *>! 6ft humanity as one may hope to come across in a day’s march. It anyth’! g be was bigger all over than the loured Turk, and to the eve seemed the more powerful man of the two. That he would beat the Turk no one imagine J. but he certainly gave Madrali a, great deal more trouble than was anticipated some of Farquar’s defensive moves being very clever indeed. On the whole, however, his science was much inferior te that of his opponent, and when the tug-of-war came the Turk proved himself not only quicker and cleverer but strongei than his adversary. Farquar opened with an attack by a leg grip which brought the Turk tG his hands and knees, but ere he could fix on any sort- jof lock Madrali was up again and from that point the colonial was strictly occupied with defensive tactics. These availed him for a quarter of an hour, hut then Madrali got on a bears grin waisthold aim bringing all his weight and strength to bear eventually pmned Farquar’s shoulders down after 16 i- minutes’ wrestling. Ten minutes’ rest sufficed to restore Madrali to his usual cool and smiling self, but Farquar was still palpably weak when the pair faced again. He, however, started aggressively, and for a minute kept Madrali on the defensive. Then the Turk got him down on the mat and from that point the man from Mozambique was never allowed to rise. Though tiring fast Farquar managed to extricate himself from several dangerous locks, but at the end of 94 minutes Madrali got on the half-Nelson and Farquar was again pinned down. The loser made a good fight on the whole and with more practice rhouid

able to really extend the Turk, who, in spite of his sensational defeat by Hackervsdhmidt, is undoubtedly the best catch-as-catch-can wrestler we have yet seen in the Old Country.