THE MAT GAME

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 168, 19 July 1939, Page 4

THE MAT GAME

BOESCH AND CLARKE TO-NIGHT ; ‘ ACTION AND SPEED WILL BE THE KEYNOTE ROUND NEW ZEALAND RINGS To-night at the Opera House the Wanganui Wrestling Association will stage its third professional bout of the season, featuring Paul Boesch and Jim Clarke. It is certain that followers of the sport will see one of the fastest contests ever staged locally. ( By l HEADL()CK.”)

I Although all of the wrestlers comj noting in New Zealand this season can move with considerable speed in the ring, there are two who arc faster than any of the rest. These arc Paul Boesch and Jim Clarke, and the fact that they are to meet in a professional , bout at the Opera House this evening ■ assures local followers of the sport of one of the speediest and most spectacular displays they have ever seen. Clarke and Boesch have all the size: necessary to deal with the bigger' 1 men but it is their dazzling speed I which has brought them most of their success and which has certainly made them the popular favourites which . they are to-day. • Boesch has developed the drop-kick to a stage of perfection which no i other wrestler has been able to ap- . proach and his rolling short-arm seis-; sors is another hold which others use I but fail to execute in the exhilarat- • ing way that seems to come natural >to him. Boesch has plenty of other - holds and manoeuvres to call upon, including a highly effective fall-win-ner in his “Japanese slee. er,” but he will probably find that the whole of ! his bag of tricks will be needed against Clarke. Clarke, who was a prominent ama- ■ teur before he turned professional, > has met almost all the leading wrestlers in the States during the past ten years and has beaten most of them. His reputation has been built up by hard and untiring wrestling in which he is constantly on the offensive. By 1 giving his opponent no rest from start to finish, and proving impervious to any amount of punishment, he becomes a highly formidable? opponent. He has a particularly punishing headlock and ho also does considerable rlnmncrn ivith in!t< dlimns .'llld tacklPS.

damage with jolts, dumps and tackles, using the short tackle to perfection. The writer has seen both men in action this season -Boesch against Martinez and Clarke against Blomfield —and they gave "slashing" displays. Boesch's meeting with Martinez was the fastest and most spectacular exhibition of wrestling it has been “Headlock's” privilege to witness. Taking a lino through these contests, one comes to the conclusion that the meeting between Boesch and Clarke will provide one of the evenest, fastest and most spectacular bouts ever likely to be seen in the local ring.

Highlight of the season to date is the return of the British Empire champion Earl McCready. While New Zealanders have followed with interest the career of McCready since he left the Dominion, they have eagerlyawaited the Canadian's return to get first-hand knowledge of the champion's form, as it compares with that of 1937. McCready showed himself to be quicker in the ring than previously, when he met Dick Lever here, while his power is colossal and |.». rhari; even greater than when he wrestled in Wanganui last. He has developed a handy jolt which carries dynamite sting, and the dump with which he settled Lever will Jong be remembered. McCready is a much more finished matman than when he was last in the country. Ignacio Martinez, who was to have wrestled Lofty Blomfield at Christchurch this evening, was unable to fulfil the engagement, owing to an injury received in his match against McCready some three weeks ago. It was anticipated that he would have recovered by this time but his medical adviser will not permit him to engage in any contest for at least another ten days.

.Popular Matman. Wanganui wrestling enthusiasts will be just as keen as those in other parts of the Dominion to extend a welcome to Paul Boesch, the most popular wrestler ever to visit these .shores, when he stops into the ring this evening. Paul has never failed to give the public of his best. $ * * ♦ Stella Season. Every now and again sport is marked by'its outstanding years. As far as wrestling in New Zealand is concerned, 1939 is destined to be a Stella season. Already every wrestler in the country is a man with a highclass reputation and, although the season is now well under way, many more arrivals will come to try conclusions with the best the country is [ host to. I The Class Herr is High. “I can honestly .say that the class of wrestler and the wrestling seen here is not equalled in the world.” That was th? eulogistic comment on the mat sport in New Zealand as made by Earl McCready. The Canadian considers that since he last visited the Dominion in 1937 there has been nothing to outstrip the class that is attracted to New Zealand annually. Other world renowned wrestlers have commented in similar strain to McCready after returning to their home lands (mostly to America), from tours of this country, and McCready's remarks are merely substantiation of those statements. The Empire champion considers that in New Zealand the public sees at. most, of the matches what might be called “real wrestling,” which is the more scientific style as compared with the rough type often seen in America and not infrequently in AiKtrnlia .Mffrnn xJnfnrl fhot

iii Australia. .McCready stated that there was some mediocre class in Canada recently, while Englishmen saw what McCready described as “synthetic wrestling.’’ * * * * "Kopach” Woods’ Return. Joe “Kopach” Woods will make his return to the ring when he meets Blomfield in Christchurch this evening. He will be deputising for Martinez. who is on the injured list. I Woods has been in the Dominion since 'the opening of the season in the capacity of manager of the overseas ' matmen. 1

McCready Out of Action. ’ A sensational wrestling announce- ■ ment was made in Auckland when it - was anounced that Earl McCready, I British Empire cham ijon, was unable - to meet Rollend Kirchmeyer. KirchL meyer had severely punished Mc- - Cready with a python clutch in their : previous meeting—on July I—but this > was not the reason for McCready’s , defection. ? In his match against Kirchmeyer, i McCready had also suffered a strained i arm—when the “Longfellow of the ! Ring” gave him a torrid time with a j short-arm scissors. A few clays later, ? McCready had a hectic match against . Paul Jones and it was in this match > that the arm really went on him. 3 1 Desirous of keeping faith with the’ I Auckland enthusiasts, McCready received medical attention, and was | hopeful that the arm would be strong ? i again by Monday. However, the arm -[did not respond to treatment, and it )|was with regret that the popular - j Canadian had to notify the association t! that he could not go on with the II match. The doctor refused to give ?!him the necessary certificate. -j Although keen disappointment was - i expressed in Auckland, it was ad- - mitted that McCready had [fayed the game by the patrons. In facing Kirch-

meyer. he was meeting one of thci toughest of the 1939 team, and could I not afford to go in with one arm out of action. It would have ruined what promised to be a great match. Lofty Blomfield was contacted, and agreed to take McCready's place. Glenn Wade Seriously 111. Ted (“King Kong”) Cox, who ar- ■ rived in New Zealand a few days ago, brings news of the serious illness of Glenn Wade, who is well known to New Zealand wrestling enthusiasts. When Cox left America for New r Zealand, Wade was having a dcsper- t ale struggle against a serious illness, j An ear infection, received during bath- ( ing, travelled down the throat to the j lungs and medical opinion was that\ Wade bad only a bare fighting chance of pulling through. His many New Zealand friends ex- , press the hope that Wade has made the grade, and is now on the way to ] a full recovery, but Cox says that ( when he saw the Nebraskan he looked f "a very sick man.” Paul Jones has been more or less j on holiday since he left the Do- , minion last December. He went Io t South Africa and had a few matches , there, but his permit time, three months, was soon expended, and he made tracks once more to New Zea- , land. When in South Africa he met j Van der Walt, and held him to a | draw, neither man obtaining a fall. With the exception of Van der Wall, •' the wrestlers in that country are rather below the standard Io which New Zealanders arc accustomed, { though the sport is very popular with " the public. Paul will be spending some months 1 in New Zealand, but is not likely to f pay a return visit to Australia. He ' has been away from home for over a ; year and will return to America after ' his New Zealand campaign. In his ; first match on this visit he met Earl 1 McCready at Christchurch and lost ' the match when a penalty fall was I given against him. ( Wanganui Amateurs. J A team of amateur wrestlers from K. Hogg's Aotca School journeyed to New Plymouth last Saturday to take part in the preliminaries prior to the professional contest. The boys had a fair measure of success, despite wrestling under strict Olympic rules (no rounds), which lhey have not been training for. M. Rupena and K. . Hogg brought back to Wanganui a silver cup apiece and they had a ' wonderful reception from the New ; Plymouth public. , i T. Ngatai (Wanganui) found R. ■ Minnis (Wellington) too experienced! ; but the Wanganui boy's struggle to' l ; hold off a second fall was full of inci-': dent. K. Hogg (Wanganui) gained a ( surprise fall when he was in difficul-L ( i ties, switching over rapidly to press js . F. R. Moses (Wellington) while he,: was half under the ropes. A fast and'] pleasing bout was presented by M. j Rupena and W. Williams, both Maori 1 i boys taking risks to obtain falls. The i bout resulted in a draw, both obtain-': > ing falls. • • • • s The New Plymouth Herald stated : ; that the amateur bouts staged on : 1 Saturday evening by teams from Wan- j t ganui and Wellington, demonstrated : how entertaining a sport wrestling can I i be. It was also shown that the con- i ; testants had been skilfully trained and ; were in perfect physical condition.