WRESTLING.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 4, 27 January 1909, Page 12

WRESTLING.

A Challenge to New Zealand Wrestling appears to be at a low ebb in New Zealand at the present time, and the challenge from Louis S. Robertson to wrestle any of the middle-weights, comes at an opportune junc-ture. L. .S. Robertson is a rather -sliglitly built man of twenty-three years, who has a very line record. He -is a Scot, and was born near Ayr in 1885. He first entered the wrestling ring when he was nineteen years of age. Weighing only Ost. albs., lie competed for the 12st. championship lat WuvorJey Market', Edinburgh, and got third. On April 15th, 1905, lie woe tiie lOst. .cliampionsbip of Scotland by defeating P. W. Mclntosh, of Glasgow, who 4iad hold tho tile for three years. On May Oth of the same year lie was second in the ,12st.

eatch-as-cateh-can ch-ampianship. Three weeks later iie carried off the lOst. event against thirteen others, including Jack ’Cameron, who had claimed the championship. He challenged all Scotland for the lOst. Championship, and this resulted in a match with Cameron, which was held on August 5, and resulted in a win for Robertson, who secured the first fall in sixteen minutes, and the second in five minutes. Robertson issued fresh challenges in September, and had three replies—from J. McKinnon, Geo. Kay, and Robert Auld. Auld was disposed of in two short falls. Kay sent a lOst. 61bs. substitute named Dempster, whom it took the Dot. lllbs. man twenty-eight and a-half minutes ‘to beat iu the first encounter, and five minutes in the second. The match with McKay did not come off. as McKay was almost a stone overweight. On December Bth,' 1905, he maintained his .title ; to the lOst. cluimpionship. in the final beating Alex Stewart, The feather-wejght champion of Scotland. On January 13th, 1906, the championship was hard put to retain the title by Gallagher, a man a couple of pounds heavier. iln March, 1906, he again challenged Scotland at lOst. Harry Ireland (Glasgow), and Bob Russell (Motherwell) replied, accepting the challenge. Ireland did not toe the mark, and Russell was beaten in twelve minutes and seven and a-half seconds, lu July he beat Jack McDermott for the 1907 championship, and won the title and the belt iu nina minutes. In February. 1907, he beat Harry Mabin for the amateur championship. A challenge was issued “by Hart and .accepted by Robertson. The meeting resulted in a vin for Robertson. In July. 1907. he met and defeated the lOst. champion of Ireland after a strenuous battle. He was never beaten for the lOst. -championship, and retired over the weight still undefeated. Robertson .did exceptionally well in London in a -big competition for the professional middleweight cateh-as-cadc'h-can championsbip of the world. Among the mon he beat were I‘hal (of Germany). Lawrie (of Bolton). Tani Matsuda (of Japan), and Batchelor )(cif London). Robertson’s victory caused the Jap. a great deal of surprise, the yellow man expecting an easy victory. In the semi-final -the Scot was beaten by Jonas (of Russia), to whom Robertson was conceding two stone. Returning to Scotland, the Ajirshireman gained several more victories, and then left for New Zealand, where he arrived last month. Robertson's wrestling partner (IV. S. Woods) is also a very fine exponent of the sport, and has pinned tiie shoulders of some good men to the ground. The two young Scots are keenly interested iu the coming Lout between Gotch and Hackenschmidt. They predict a .good fight, and a win for the Russian. The meeting, •they say, is exciting’ intense interest at Home.