WRESTLING

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5294, 4 June 1904, Page 14

WRESTLING

Writing on April 20th our London correspondent says:—Tho wrestling boom in the Old Country may die out with the advont of summer, but at tin present time public interest in this form of athletics shows no sign of flagging. Night after night halls in which the multitude of ■'‘champions' - ’ give their displays are crowded, and anything, in the • nature of a genuine money match bo- | tween men with any claims to be con- i sidered first-rate wrestlers Is good enough to produce a bumper matinee house. Arising out of an infinity of bombastic challenges and counter challenges, and wordy newspaper warfare wo have had decided during tho past ten days two genuine money matches. Tho first was a one-sided affair between the it us-

t sian Luricii, who, five years a"o. threw i liackeiinuiuiucit, anu on the strength of - that victory and ensuing Continental came to Jhiglu-nu nrejiared to f "uipu the lloor" with Madralli. Loujan f | and the rest, or Antonio J.-'ierri s troupe, i i one niter the other, lor an evening's , I amusement. His tall talk finally roi suited in an offer to forfeit £IOO if ho r ; coiu- not throw Ernest Siogfru-d three . times hi an hour, lair pm lulls, in Iho - Craeco-ilonian stylo. Siegtriecl, a big young German in Piorri s troupe, wars i quite willing to test the merits of Clinch on tiir-sr* terms, and at the Ah ’ ! hamkra last Thursday easily won the * i Hii sians money., Lunch, a man ouilt - and furnished on me linos of Hacken.>clinr.dc t was giving weight away to the extent of perhaps a couple ol stone, r several inches in height and reach, and * sonictiiing in the matter of condition, *■ I whilst, as events proved, he had no ad- “| vantage over liis antagonist ;n the iriiitr] tar ol knowledge of mu game pla\ea. J j for a full hour the nair wrestled anti 1 • sweated, but at no tiiuo did Lunch * ’ seem likely to throw his big rival, and - ; towards the end of tin* oout the question I wa& not so much whether Clinch would " j fell his man as whether ne would bo able 1 i to prevent Siegfried gaining a lan. j 1 Having made sure of the tUisHaus *' money bj* clover dofonsivo work, tin? * i German became the aggressor, and ’ j nearly accomplished Lunch’s downhill : on s.worai occasions. uulcua it tvjis ) , only the greasy state of liis body ) ; tlirougii proluso perspiration that on- , I abied Curich to escape from several :• i locks that looked like proving fatal. ' I Another genuine money match was M that between Jim Alollor, the English * I lightweight champion in the Lancashire w stvie, and Vukio Tani. the clever little ’ | Jap. which was decided at tho Tivoli on J i Monday. Tani. failing to get on a 5 1 mulch in his own stvie agreou to ven- ’; turo his long deposited £IOO in a match r with Mol lor in tho catch-as-cutch-can > method, and won. He was lucky no j ' j doubt in getting the decision fo£ Mellon i was tho cleverer man at the game, and scorned to have the Tap fairly down on two occasions before the referee gave. > him the first fall at the end ot half an ; hour’s strenuous work. Having been : the aggressor throughout this ncriod, : .Meilor. who is petting perilously near j . - middle ago, was naturally a little dis- i \ tressed when the pair came together, c But. instead of hiishanding his strength, 1 ho once more crowded on full sail and ; soon had tho cel-like Jap on the floor. ’ | 'lands defence, however, was perfect, ’ ' and taking advantage of a slip by Mellor, “ the Jap fixed on an arm look from which . Hie Lancastrian could not escape, and pressing his man down, Tani secured the , second fall in a little over fifteen I minutes. The third bout was even ’ | shorter, for Mellor was rapidly weak- ; oning, and the Jap after cscajvng a ' j dangerous body hold brought his man ’I to t.lv floor, M-dlor made a bridge, -! ' hut bad not strength enough to witb-; ' • stand tho pressure exerted by Tani. who j pinned his man fairly down in km J minutes, ami so won tho match.