WRESTLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22719, 4 November 1935, Page 14

WRESTLING

M’CREADY v. BLOMFIELD A DRAWN CONTEST It is doubtful if two stronger men have ever been seen in the ring in Dunedin together than M'Cready and Blomfield, who on Saturday night wrestled a full-distance bout for a draw. They gave one of the hardest exhibitions of wrestling that has yet been staged here. Blomfield’s weight was given as 16.10, and M'Cready’s as 10.12. There was not a great deal of difference between the two in strength, but what there was lay in M'Croady’s favour. He was also the faster mover of the two and the more scientific and finished in the finer points of the game. But he needed it all against Blomfield. After 80 minutes of wrestling, in which never a halt was called, Blomfield was still as cool and nonchalant as ever. The referee’s decision, a draw, met with popular approval. Both men stood well over six feet in height. They were in wonderful training and presented an impressive picture as they came together for the first time in the centre of the ring. The promise which they gave of providing some real wrestling was more than fulfilled. As the bout progressed the pair revealed distinctly different attitudes to the wrestling. M'Cready was grim, alert and cautious. He was watching for every opening, and whey he found one he pushed a hold home to the last ounce. But he was taking no chances. Blomlicld took the whole thing much more casually. It never seemed to worry him whatever happened. Once, after a strenuous piece of wrestling, he flung out his arm to the crowd as though to indicate that it was all iu the day’s work with him. He showed marvellous powers of endurance and a great capacity for taking punishment. M'Cready is a wrestler whoso holds arc applied with tremendous power and effectiveness and held till the last possible moment, but Blomfield took it all and never seemed much the worse. From the opening gong they went at it in earnest. Blomfield brought off one or two of his arm jnbs and once tried to put M'Cready over the ropes, but apart from that it was solid, hard wrestling. Over the first four rounds Blomfield hold his own, and the points must have been very even. Once, in the second round, he had M'Cready in real trouble with a most complicated leg hold. How he got it on probably even he could not have explained, and how to get out of it was more than M'Cready knew. AVlien the latter did manage to break free Blomfield rushed him as he clung to his corner. Blomfield was fiercely following up his advantage when the gong brought the round to a close. Up till the end of the sixth round there was little between them. On several occasions M'Cready trapped his opponent with hcadlocks, but Blomfield had an effective counter in a shoulder butt which usually sent M'Cready sprawling to the mat. On several occasions he tried to follow this with flying tackles as M'Cready was coming to his feet, but the Canadian was too Cleveland watchful to be caught that way and always ducked iu time. M'Cready used some desperately punishing body scissors and toe holds, but Blomfield hung on, and when ho came to his feet he was as full of fight as ever. The seventh round went slightly in M'Cready’s favour, but there was very little between them when the final round opened. The punishment which had been given and taken in the preceding 70 minutes would have slowed most men up, hut these two came out apparently as fit as ever. It was M'Cieady's found, and he was on the attack throughout, but Blomfield was not by any means a beaten man. One fierce hold of M'Cready’s—a full Nelson—ho broke by diving head first into the tangle of the ropes. There were finer points of wrestling in which M'Cready shaded him, but the Canadian, although he tried hard, could not catch his opponent in real trouble. Blomfield took it all and came back with a few very effective holds of his own. A draw was the inevitable and popular verdict. PRELIMINARY BOUTS. /

There has rarely been a more popular amateur bout than that which was staged by H. Vent (7.7) and H. Taylor (7.0) The diminutive pair exploited most of the holds known to amateurs, and even when they failed to bring something off there was an engaging zest about everything they did which gaihed them rounds of applause. They got very tired in the last round, but neither would concede an inch to the other, and a draw was a good decision. C. Keach (9.12) and F. Keach (10.7) wrestled three rounds for a draw. Terry, who was to have wrestled F. Keach, was not available, and the two brothers staged a solid exhibition match. A. M'Millan (12. G) beat J. Burt (11.12) on points. The bout was n dull one, with little in the way of cleanly applied holds. The decision was not popular with a section of the crowd, H. Wilson (11.2) heat H. Stevens (11.0) by one fall, gained in the last round. Wilson, who was the more experienced of the two, found Stevens to bo a very tough opponent, who was always ready to come in and make a contest of it. Stevens kept Wilson off during the first two rounds, but in the finish Wilson livened up and took a fall with a Greek cross. During an interval the trophies won at the provincial and South Island championships were presented to the winner by the Deputy Mayor, Mr F. Jones. The referee for the main bout was Mr M. Goughian, and Messrs F. Anderson and H. Baldock were in charge of the preliminaries.

WALKER DEFEATS WONG BUK CHEUNG

(Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 3. One of the best wrestling bouts seen in Wellington this season was provided by George Walker and Wong Buk Cheung on Saturday night. Walker, moving faster than in his previous matches, won in the seventh round when, with a fall each, the Chinese was thrown through the ropes and incapacitated. The bout was fast, hard and spectacular from start to finish. CROWD SHOWS DISAPPROVAL (Per United Press Association) NEW PLYMOUTH, November 3. In an uninspiring wrestling match on Saturday night, Woods and Ccstoldi drew —one fall each. The crowd appeared to be anything but satisfied with the exhibition, and after the second fall pennies poured into the ring. Woods gained the first fall, in the fifth round, with a body press, following a (lying tackle. Ccstoldi evened in the seventh with a body press, following a dump. BOUT AT LEICHHARDT (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) SYDNEY, November 3. (Received Nov. 3, at 8 p.m.) At Leichhardt Stadium the American Hardy Krnskanip was defeated by George Pcnchcff by two falls to one.