TOM CANNON v. J. CONNOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1855, 10 June 1887, Page 25

TOM CANNON v. J. CONNOR.

The subjoined account of this terrific struggle is taken en yloho from the Argus, and albeit it is rather lengthy, I think you will find it interesting in the extreme:— "On Saturday night, at the Exhibition Building, Cannon and Connor wrestled , a match of three falls, Grseco-Roman style, for £500. The contest created a large amount of interest, and fully 5000 spectators witnessed it. The rush for seats on the stage and on the balcony overlooking it was very great, and a large portion of the floor space was also occupied by a closely-packed mass »f, partisans of one competitor or the *ther ; but, with the exception of a rather noisy prelude" to the appearance of the adversaries, and wild outbursts of enthusiasm as the match proceeded, there was no disorder. A large body of police ,were present, but they would have been powerless to control so large a gathering if the contest had not passed off without the slightest occasion for disputing the fact that the better man won what may be fairly said to haye been the most fiercely contested wrestling match that has ever been witnessed in Melbourne. The wrestlers were old opponents, having met previously, when the lighter and younger man— Connor— was awarded the stakes on account of Cannon receiving, an injury to his neck, which prevented him finishing the struggle, and on the present occasion neither refused the other a resort to all the disabling tactics which ■ the rules of GrsecoRoman wrestling allow. Never, probably, did ; a contest fluctuate more in its chances, for after the first fall Connor was hailed as a certain victor, and after the second his defeat was regarded even by his best friends as all but certain, as indeed it proved. The wrestlers, each warmly cheered, ' came on the stage as usual more than a quarter of an hour after the advertised time, and after a brief colloquy mutually agreed that Captain Cowan should be the referee. Then the announcement having been made that if the struggle for 8, fall should last more than 20min the men should be allowed a respite, they faced each other. It was at once seen that the encounter wpuld be short, sharp, and decisive. Af fcer very little sparring Cannon got a neck hold and tried to throw Connor, who, suddenly assuming the offensive, brought his opponent down on all-foure, but all his efforts to turn him over on his back were vain. Presently \ Connor slipped, and Cannon gripped him by the j neck, but by turning a somersault the Irishman broke from the hold, and the feat was greeted with thrilling cheers. Cannon was soon on the floor again, Connor uppermost in a masterful way, and seemingly confident of success. The bout was quite to the taste of the onlookers, who found great delight in Connor's attempts to get play of Cannon's arms so as to twist it until he turned over on his back — in other words, it was his endeavour to 'put on the hammerlock,' which Clarence Whistler, the 'peer among wrestlers,' as his epitaph states, first exhibited to Melbourne admirers of wrestling. Cannon kept his arm protected to the extent of keeping the elbow bent, so that the .wrist should not be wrung round , like the neck of a fowl, but when Connor forced him on his side, and brought all his strength and weight to ' bear on his opponent's shoulder, the advantage was too great, but he obstinately refused to yield until inch by inch he was finally overpowered, and his shoulders were forced on the floor, as the Graeco-Roman rules require. The struggle after Cannon got into his inextricable position lasted fully a minute, and the immense sea of faces below the platform were white with excitement as they incited the' wrestlers at this critical time. Then, when the referee held up his hand in Connor's favour, Connor, to judge by the cries in his praise, was regarded as a phenomenon, and those who bad supported him in their wagers looked upon the money as being as good as in their pockets. 'It won't last 10 minutes, and he'll turn him over like a cork,' received general assent, for Cannon's friends made no counter demonstration. So far, indeed, the larger man bad not only been out* generalied in his tactics, but Connor was both more determined to be aggressive and more active than his opponent, whose time, however, was to come. As soon as the interval was over, Cannon went down on all-fours very easily, and when Connor tackled him for the final throw Cannon suddenly changed the aspect of affairs by grasping Connor with a bear-like hug round the neck, and clung to him until, to all appearance, Connor was liked to be choked outright. He foamed at the nose and mouth, and could not get his breath, but at last he jerked \ himself free. It was evident that Cannon now '

had his man at his meroy, for Connor was greatly distressed 'bj/ the terrible garroting he had undergone.'- , Cannon soon caught him by the neck again, and might have 'finished the bout, but he preferred to make the semblance of a struggle of it for a short time' longer. 1 When he chose he, still holding Connor by the neck, and using his body as a lever, pressed him over on his back, the Irishman gamely resisting, to the last. -He had to be assisted, to rise, and he staggered, leaning on his second'to his dressing room praoticallyabeatenman, although on paper the match was even, both men having gained a fall. The finale did not take long. Cannon, as usual, went down .on all-fours. Cbnnorjbeinguppermost, tried hard for the hammerlock, as his only chance, but could not relax Cannon's elbowi which he saved by clasping his hands'. - Watching his opportunity when Connor had pretty well spent him self, Gannon slipped his hands underneath Connor's armpits, and interlocking them' across the nape of his neck, secured what is technically known as the N,elson hold. The object of the hold is to make, a man powerless by pressing violently on the spine of his neck,' and forcing his chin on his chest, in which position he is more or less easily pressed backwards on the floor, i Cannon did so in 'this 'instance in the 'most approved style; and thus won the match by two falls to one in just an hour, including the intervals, so that the 'actual wrestling did not occupy half-an-hour. The contest being over, the spectators — eager to compliment the combatants — rushed the stage, the planking of which broke, .through with their weight, but' no other harm 'was done. , - „