SPIRITED WRESTLING

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1935, Page 12

SPIRITED WRESTLING

1, X ’ WHAT AMATEURS CAN DO

WRESTLING AND BOXING

(By

“Second.”)

Just how good amateur wrestling can be when two men set out to give a good exhibition was amply demonstrated at New' Plymouth on Saturday night by Clarke and Pilcher. They have met on previous occasions and have always won the appreciation of the onlookers. It will be recalled that it was Pilcher and Clarke, who gave one of the best exhibitions at the Taranaki championship tournament at ' New Plymouth last month.

Working quickly .and cleverly they do not let up for a moment, and the .three rounds of their bouts were full of incidents. Some may claim that the match on Saturday was too much in the nature of an exhibition and that certain holds, headlocks for instance, might "have been made to have had more punishing effects. While this might have been the case, such a procedure would certainly have slowed up the match. By releasing hol<js after., they had skilfully applied them, Clarke and Pilcher gave themselves greater opportunity to.apply further holds.

All holds, however, were not deliberately released, both men being equally adept at countering and, breaking holds as at applying them. Too often amateurs are inclined to devote the whole of their attention *to securing apd maintaining head locks. Such wrestlers w’ould do well to follow the example of Pilcher and Clarke. When two men go into the ring, determined to mix matters, even at the risk of conceding an unexpected fall nothing but bright wrestling must follow; wrestling in which greater opportunities for the scientific development of holds are afforded and added experience and knowledge, is a logical result. The Dominion Sporting Clubt is staging a wrestling contest to-morrow evening between George Walker and “Tiger” Duala. Duala’s record shows that he won over 100 matches, in the United States in a short space of time, and -was in search of 1 contests with some of the world’s best wrestlers when he decided to come to New Zealand.

' The union will reply on Monday with Blomfield and .McCready. It would not be surpising to see Blomfield gain the first fall against McCready this season. Other week-end ■ fixtures are Blomfield v. Catalino, at Stratford, on Saturday, and Walker v. Fezul Mohomet, at Christchurch, on Monday. More interest will be taken in Hawera’s attempt to match Taranaki’s best amateur boxer, Clarrie Gordon, with that clever Christchurch boy, Fisher, than in the professional contest between Hutchins and Stirling. That' is not to say that the latter contest will not be a good one. It will. And if Hutchins strikes his best form it should be a really good contest.

top-spinned and carries a vicious twist. His usual mode is to drive down' the sides, and when he sees the opportunity he moves to the net to volley for a kill. He has developed an attack which for ferocity perhaps unequalled by any player in the world to-day. There is nothing unorthodox about his ,style. Every stroke is preceded by his swinging his racquet in an arc, enabling him to get a lot of power into his shot. And the result is that’ his placements, accomplished with great speed, are exceptionally accurate. \ There is, I think, only oi\e other man who can hit a ball faster- in Davis Cup tennis to-day; that is Perry, who can impart a tremendous amount of power behind his short back swings, i -> Von Cramm has not come to the forefront with a rush! He has been planning for years with one object in view—to win the world's championship. Here is an example of German thoroughness. Everything is subjugated to his tennis. And now he looms large as the one “big threat” to Perry’s world’s championship. He takes defeat as he takes victory. His serene countenance never betrays his anxiety when he is in a tight corner. And wherever he plays his demeanour is such that he instantly appeals to the spectators.