WIN ON POINTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26199, 9 July 1946, Page 6

WIN ON POINTS

McCREADY BEATS KAEMPFER EXCITING WRESTLING MATCH Ranked among the five best wrestlers in the world in 1938, Hank Kaempfer (16.8) made a sensational first appearance in New Zealand by taking a fall from Earl McCready (17.1) with a giant swing and body press after five minutes of the first round of the professional match before a large attendance at the Town Hall last night. McCready secured the equalising fall in the seventh round with his favourite rocking-chair splits, and, taking the initiative throughout the last round, the Canadian gained the decision of the referee (Mr D. Samson) on points. The match provided some of the cleverest wrestling seen in Dunedin in recent years, and the scientific display by both men was interspersed with the type of action the crowd loves, Kaempfer constituting himself the “ bad boy ” of the piece by indulging in full-blooded punches, hair-pulling, an occasional strangle hold, and the like. The crowd showed its disapproval by roundly hooting him. but it was early apparent to the more discerning members of the audience that any illegalities introduced by the newcomer usually paved the way for the application of the scientific holds at whicn he is so adept. The foundations for Kaempfer’s wrestling were, laid in the Graeco-Roman school, and the skilful way in which he manoeuvred for many of his holds from behind and the sureness with which they were applied provided an object lesson for amateur The contestants were well matched physically, and, while McCready was slightly heavier and taller, they were doughty opponents in trials of strength. In the very first round Kaempfer was rebuked by the referee and booed by the crowd for driving a punch to McCready s ribs. McCready retaliated with a double wristlock. but, moving out of it, Kaempfer brought the Canadian down with a reverse headlock, and thsn amazed the audience by seizing McCready by the legs, whizzed him bodily round the ring with a giant swing, dumped him on the mat and pounced on him to take the fall with a body-press. Lively Wrestling There was plenty of action in the second round, with McCready displaying a variety of holds and favouring double wrisilocks and headlocks. Kaempfer jolted his way out of anything that looked too difficult otherwise, and he used his feet to break a stepover toehold. When McCready applied a head-strangle, Kaempfer ran to the ropes, got behind the Canadian, and lifting him as if he were a bag of feathers, proceded to a mix-up on the ropes from which the wrestlers and the referee took some disentangling. Kaempfer applied a bear-hug. and it was McCready’s turn to bring an elbow jolt into play. McCready wrestled cleverly in the third round, employing barred toeholds, standing splits, and a headlock and cross-but-tock with which he brought the evasive Kaempfer to the mat. Kaempfer threw his opponent three times with a halfnelson after the referee had broken a strangle hold. McCready put in a flying tackle, but Kaempfer was out of range when he tried to repeat the performance. The fourth and fifth rounds were characterised by solid wrestling, and McCready applied his spectacular flying head-scissors, cavordng through the air with the greatest of ease, so‘to speak. Kaempfer tried to come round, but McCready thwarted his efforts each time, and held his opponent when the fourth round ended. Kaempfer halched the Canadian three times in the fifth round, by which time the tempers of both men were becoming a little frayed. McCready dropped Kaempfer with powerful elbow jolts, and sent his opponent spinning across the ring with a flying tackle. Kaempfer secured a reverse full-nelson, but McCready countered a twisted toehold with a doublebarred toehold

McCready began to take the offensive in the sitxh round, throwing his man with a series of halch holds, and then on the ropes both men indulged in some legpulling, literally speaking. Kaempfer cleverly applied a Japanese arm-bar and was holding a full-nelson at the bell. The Equalising Fall

There were some hectic rallies in the seventh round, and after bringing McCready down with a headlock with an arm in, Kaempfer made sure of keeping him there by seizing a handful of hair, but the referee broke up the party. Hooking Kaempfer’s leg from a standing position. McCready brought him to the mat in a rocking chair splits and rolled him round the ring to secure the equalising, fall after the round had been hi progress for two minutes and a-half. McCready was on top throughout the eighth round, but each time he tried for his rocking-chair splits Kaempfer grabbed the ropes and hung on grimly. McCready resorted to elbow jolts, and there was a willing mix-up on the ropes, the referee using his head to get between the men and break them up. When he raised McCreadv’s arm aloft for a points’ decir sion there was a loud outburst of cheering which turned to hooting as Kaempfer left the ring. „ V Before the main bout, Clark McConachy the New Zealand billiards champion, was Introduced to the audience. THE PRELIMINARIES

H. Gibson (8.13) beat J. Anngow (8.7) by the only fall of the match, obtained in the second round with a quarter-nelson and body-press D. Atkinson (6.7) beat W. C. Mehalsk! (7.3) by the only fall of the match, secured In the second round with a leg-setssors and body-press. S. G. Shaw (9.8) beat J. McCabe (9.12)) on points Each man secured a fall with a body-press, McCabe in the first round and Shaw in the second. J. Donaldson (9.4) beat R. Fraser (9.0) on points, neither man securing a fall. F. Keach (11.7) I beat F. Reggett (10.13) by one fall, obtained in the third round with a body-press, after Keach had thrown his opponent with a king-foo stopper.

Mr G. Mowat was the referee for the preliminaries, which were of three flveminute rounds.