HACKENSCHMIDT VERSUS SCOTT

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7055, 17 February 1910, Page 1

HACKENSCHMIDT VERSUS SCOTT

THE BIG WRESTLING MATCH A SHORT AND SHARP ENCOUNTER. • THE RUSSIAN LION AN EASY. .WINNER. An event to which lovers of wros'tl. ing lilive been eagerly looking forward took plane at the 1 , Town Hall last night, when - George Hack-enscbmidt, ''the Russian .Lion,”- - met - Robert Janies Scott, champion of Australasia, under, “eatch-as-oatch-oan” rules. This syle,, which was 1 formerly known as the Lancashire, permits of any kind of hold, -but in the contest under review the "strangle” and the ‘ liammerloek” were -.Specially bai'red. The match originated in a challenge by Scott, who deposited £SO ■ with the ■sporting-editor of the'‘‘New- .Zealand Times” to show, . that ho. meant business. -This amount was promptly covered ... by .. Hackeirsohinidt,. and articles were drawn .up hyi.the stakeholder and signed by tmtlr Wrestlers. From the moment the. match was made interest ran, high concerning at, and among aporteonen. the projected encounter formed all. engrossing topic of conversation.;/-General opiiiion favoured the chances of the, formidable Russian, but there were a. few who considered .that with the deadly hammer lock barred the Near Zealander’s knowledge, of the game, especially in leg .work, might-.possibly ~ compensate for his. opponent’s 'greater , strength. A glance at the previous records of the men makes very’ interesting reading; . . ' -- . ■ \' ’ Hackenschniidt is sft fliu, in - height: 15st'jBlb ..in weiijht. He was horn in Russia, on July 20th,(1877. His first wrestling match was when he. met ■Paul Pons, who was at 1 that, . time champion of the . world. Haokcnschmidti, who was .then only? twentyone, gained the verdict in 46 ; minutes.;. He has -ails astonishing list, of battles'"and ‘victories -behind: him; jhiiiy of the. names'of the. rivals, lie

.lias- -Vlirmvu a-ro not > cottinionly known in New Zealand,'mid Australia., >l>ut a • selection of a, few of Ms/victim's ..will recall' some reputations familiar in tile annals of this sport. Among Frenchmen. Uackcrisohmidt'-has beaten Paul Pons. ; Laurent-Le-Bcaucai-rois.Galnbier,' Fournier, Amiable de la Calmette, Raoul ' !o Boucher; De--mminte. etc. Germans thrown by him include Poll, "JCberle, . Paul Belling, Fengler, ■ Jac Koch; .Mich Hitzler, Heinrich -Winzer Stark, etc. Belgians, Conslantle-Boucherj • (liner :de Bouillon, .Clement le JTerrassier, .Diriefcs;' le Bnisseur. 'Danes, Petersen (and the Espangold; Chbrella:',: ■ Americans, Tom .Jenkins (at the Albert Hall, London; on July, 1904, hi a contest: for:the championship of , the _ world.;. , also asecond time at' Madison Square Gardens, ' Now York:), and John. Pieningi Indians, Buttan Singh and Gunga Bra'Ura ; also Grotz* (champion of South Africa).-Melbourne.. Dutchmen, Dirk Vau den Berg and Van .Toll. Italians, 15. Raicevichi. and G. Raiceviehi. Turks, Halil Adali, Co toll Mehmet, .Kara-Ahmd,. and, .Madrali : (the ■ _*‘Tcri rible Turk”),, who ;,he-..defeated in 44 seconds in . a Graeto-Romau contest for the championship - of the world, held .‘at Olympia. London, on January ,30th,., 1904. Englishmen. Tom Cannon. Tom 'Ma cittern ey, Charley ’ Green , and Pete ’Bennaai.. ’ Russians, Jarikowsky, -Alex' Moor,- Trussow, etc. 1 Scotchmen, Alex Monro. at Ibrox Park, Glasgow, ■1906. / Madrali ~ju ' “catch-as-eatch-can” (M.adrali’s. own. style),at Olympia, .London, for the championship of the iv or Id, April . 2otn, 1900. ' .: ; , ',, , Scott is 6ft v Sin l in height , and. woigte: 14st:. Tlb. v.He , (wins born in Southland 'on October 2Bth, 1860. 1 Ho cdmnleuoed ia siicce-sful, cateer as 1 an athlete in/1886, /when. he competed in. ‘an all rbtmd'coihpetition at'Gore. ing. his twenty-'fbur'. ‘.years' of athletic' 'life, Scott lias met and defeated many noted , athletes, ,;.',J:iv „dpen .oompertltiop, sit Dunedin he won the three-stylo wrestling contest for fifteen years / in succession', defeating/ "such athletes as tho'Sdntiags, Camerons, Robertsons, Pawleys, Tvcody, Dale. Johnson. Hodman lirot Hem, McFadyzon,. Murphys, Fords, and'E.' and J. Tobau,/, tfio -big brothers of 10 and 18 stone respectively. He also decisively defeated Billy Urn. the‘24'stone 'Maori, oh several occasions; and Sam Thornley/and Carlson; both sixteen otonors, .were, alsd placed on (their (shoulders. 1 In the North Island “11. J." mot and vanquished Pow (Maori),) Twoooy, Sutherland, Hall brothers,/MonaPratmo (Maori), Carrol, Pearce, Sandow, Hanson, Robertson (a Scoijch champion). O.’Grady,' McGrath; “Tiger” Smith and Skimner brothers. ,f ' , • In 1905 Scott, visited Australia and threw out a challenge to all comers, in any style. - -Ho whs first matched with the noted iimdbio wrestler, Gunga Brahm, in Sydney,, and R. J.' demon-, etrated ibis superiority, in the catch-as-oatoh-oan style ,b\- downing Brahm twice in five minutes, thereby winning the match. In the same stylo he beat Harry. Groth. at,,/Melbourne, two falls . in-thirty minutes,. ‘and subsequently met and defeated the.prince of Cornish wrestlers, “Delhi” Neilson, whom he put down after a severe encounter.

From 'tliis.it 'will,be .seen that New Zealand ‘.'■wasi represented by-its-best wrestler. 1 About-a v thousand people visited the Town Hall to see ‘bow bo would faro.. 1 ' . i . .■ As a ourtain-ra.irter two boxing bonis, were,"billed. , The first of .those ;was between Kuhier "and Constable,,,both Bst 31b. All four rounds , were well contested, there being very little to choose between the lads: Constable appeared to do most, of the work, dealing out some punishment, but Ids opponent forced matfere .in . .the .., last round,and gainea what,must have boon a very narrow verdict.

The next bout was between Murnbv, lOst 81b, and Tailored, lOst lib. This

proved a, fairly a illing go, hub Murphy used his right -with telling effect, his hitting being cleaner and this -timing bettor than.Tailored,/whose .style did riot please the .critids.* In the. last round (he , clinched several times;,to avoid pun'ishmeinlt, and; Murphy was an easy winner when’time was calk:!. ' I’Hll MATCH.

After; an interval! of ten minutes •Scott' made his ’ appearance, being greeted, with- a hearty round of applause, which wa**renewed when HackeuBohinidt stopped l into the ring, _ The difference in the men was .immediately apparent' the' champion looking im- ■ mensely powerful, 'whilp finis imuch ta 1ier opponent seemed -of quite,, slight build by comparison, albeit ho bad a .wiry.. appearance. /

, ;Tho'first "bout was 'qf.the “short and 1 sweet” order. The instant the men closed' Scott: Went : clojyii and . wg« qlmost pinned, hut 1 wriggled" clear. Hackenschmidt then .got aoo nr ter Jiol d, one arm .round the- Jog : and 'the other across the back. Despite Scott’s utpnost• efforts ?W was turned pv«r and, using, hie , eitormous strength,’ the ’Russian forced him down',’ scoring first’ fall in oSsoo. I

After a breath of ten the pair imet again. This time Haokeneehmidb immediately had his man on the mat but Soott cleverly got Away. Not to'he denie<l the visitor got aJ waist-hold; pulling Scott backwards. The latter adopted a^ltbiyig^position,:a good move .agamat ordinary wrostlens, but it was useless with Hackenschmidt, wiliio. really v adopting .Graeco-Romam methods, pulled-■ Scott-; ever and by sheer Strengtili -pinned him fairly in' Imin 18sec. " Good man 1 fts he ; is Scott was outclassed.-aiid failed „ to stay with iris redoubtable,antagonist as long as was exported/ while lie had no opportunity of showing his i. really clevoil fouytwork. ./ : , . ■ t ; •

Intcrviowod after the match Hackcn*selimidt- said that in his; opinion Scott was an'Excellent wrestler who woHild! be sure'to botut men in bis class,- but that hd. was hardly powerful,enough for the speaker. Many people, seemed- to think the match was a- fake, but'thief was/ absolutely.false- .Ho might have dragged out the wrestling and made some port of “an exhibition of it, but that was asgamst his’ principles. , He ’diways' believed in * doing his utmost /till lhe time, an d he had done so in this' case. He thought a,’ match between l Bcotfc and Bain would provide an-ex-citing encounter. Seoft-t, .seen, after. the expressed himself perfectly > satisfied. Hackenschmidlfc was absolutely, the strongest mail’ he had .ever met, ami was very quick with it. If he* could have gob hold of the Russian he might have done something with him., hut h<* was-foo strong. ■ tf That sums tip the fight/’: ho said. 1 “hp was too strong for mo/’ and so the big - contest was over almost before it had begun. ' Hack'ensch/midt and-party leave;for /MeJbourne by the Union liner Marama-to-day. ... :