CHAMPIONSHIPS DECIDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22353, 29 August 1934, Page 7

CHAMPIONSHIPS DECIDED

OTAGO WRESTLING ASSOCIATION EXCELLENT FORM SHOWN. The semi-finals and finals of the Otago Amateur Wrestling 'Association's championships, decided last night in the Pioneer Hall, produced some excellent and strenuous bouts. There was a very good attendance, including many feminine partisans of the contestants, whose excited encouragement of their favourites whs both vocal and active. A large majority of the bouts lasted_ into the third round, proving the finalists to be well matched. L. Coughlan won both the Middle-weign t and Light-Heavy-weight titles, and showed himself to possess not merely great strength and balance, but a good knowledge of wrestling, allied with speed. C, Turner, runner-up in the middle-weights, is another wrestler of skill, and the final provided the hardest bout of‘the meeting. F. Corry won the Welter-weights, A. Beveridge the Feather-weight, and G. Terry, a very fast and cjever wrestler, the Light-weight. T. Anderson was an easy winner of the heavies, and at tne opposite end of the scale D. Alexander obtained the Fly-weight Championship, and J. Dick, a most promising novice, the Bantam title. . , ... - The bouts were put through without delay, but even so, did not finish till after 11 p.m. Messrs W. and M. Goughian and Mr 0. L. Finer acted « referees, Messrs S. Brown and T.M'Crackenwere timekeepers, and Mr F. J. Campbell was M.C. . , „ . Results were as follows.— WELTER-WEIGHTS. Semi-finals. H. Wilson 10.7 beat W. Walker 10.5 J by a fall in the third round. After , two rounds and a-hall of really solid wrestling, in which Wilson was mainly the aggressor, he succeeded'in pinning Walker with a body Tress. . ; It Corry tf.o. C. Hughes (scratched).

middle-weight, Semi-finals. ,

L. Coughlan 11.5 beat G. Hyde H.OJ in two straight falls.

Half & minute in each of the first two'rounds was enough for Coughlaa to secure falls with body- presses, C. Turner 11.0 beat P. Hancock 11.3. In a strenuous first round Hancock did well to escape from a headlock, but Turner clapped on a reverse headlock and obtained a fall, repeating the performance cleverly in the second round. Turner is a very clever wrestler. FEATHER-WEIGHT. Final. s A. Beveridge 8.13$ beat L. Small'B.l3s

by one fall. Two well-matched boys put up a firstrate showing of fast, clever wrestling. Small was perhaps a trifle more aggressive, but there was very Wtle in i until Beveridge, in the last half of, the third round, secured, a headlock ana eventually managed to pin his opponent. An excellent bout. FLY-WEIGHT. Final.

D. Alexander 8,0 beat R. Fitzgerald 7.7. Fitzgerald, a nuggety little wrestler, found lack of inches rather a handicap, but still managed to bring his °pnpnent to the mat more than once. In the second round Alexander s extra weight secured a body press fall, but Fitzgerald never gave up trying and was a popular loßer ‘ LIGHT-WEIGHT. Final. 8. Terry 9.7 beat J. White 9.9 by two falls. Terry was too clover for White who, however, proved very rugged and difficult in niu In the second round; leiry got ‘i« with a body press obtained a fall. Again to assert his superiority and with a body press-to gain the verdict. LIGHT-HEAVY-WEIGHT. Final.

L. Coughlan U. 5 beat A. M'Millan 11424 by cue fall. This was mainly a case of Goughian worrying his larger opponent, wjio seemed unabfe to take the lighter but more active man to the mat, wW he would h^ e stood a better chance. Goughian is im mensely strong on his |eet an^a press and won a fall. . , heavy-weight. 'Final. : _ ' T. Anderson 13.2 beat S, Blair 14.8 y by two falls. Anderson, who 'ia vweU-tooim to ling patrons, was , too good for his less presses, FLY-WEIGHT. . Special bout for second pme. Harry Venn 6.9 beat R. Fitzgerald 7.7. on points. This was a most popular bout .between the midgets. Venn cleverly secured a fall with a body press in round one and evaded all Fitzgerald’s efforts to get to close quarters until the final minute, tn heavier lad then getting a similar fall. The verdict went to Venn for- being slightly the cleverer boy. , BANTAMWEIGHT. Final. J, Dick 8.6 beat B. Marks 8.2 on points. While Marks was the stronger, boy, Dick was the cleverer wrestler, though unable to pin his man. All the construetive wrestling was done by Dick, who quite deserved his verdict. He was very badly rope-burned. «• >. j, LIGHT-HEAVY-WEIGHT. Special bout for second place. L. Hunt 12.6 beat A. M'Millan 11.12$ on points. WELTER-WEIGHT. Final. F. Corry 10.6 beat A. Wilson 10.7 on points. A very even go, with Corry showing rather more constructive, initiative, though Wilson was particularly clever at turning the tables, Corry was the fresher, not having fought, and this told in his favour, giving hint a points victory, though Wilson put up a game struggle,. MIDDLE-WEIGHT. .... Final. L. Goughian 113 beat C. Turner 11.0 - on points. The first round was Goughian’s, who brought Turner to the mat on the occasion the men were there. The standing wrestling, though, was of a high standard. Goughian, whose third bout it was—if being Turner’s second —is tremendously strong, and even Turner, powerful himself, was forced to give ground. In the third round Turner was rather unlucky in having to break a good body press on the ropea. Turner was more to the fore, and a fourth round was ordered of three minutes. In this Goughian just about did sufficient to secure a hard-won verdict after easily the best-contested bout of the meeting.