FOURTH WIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 228, 26 September 1929, Page 17

FOURTH WIN.

SINGH DEFEATS JOHANSSON. eight strenuous rounds. ' THRILLS IN LAST SESSION. rounds of strenuous wrestling, the last one of them packed with thrills, resulted from the match in which Naranjan Singh defeated Walter Johansson by a single fall at the Town Hall last evening. -It was the Indian's fourth Auckland appearance and his fourth win. Although it was not necessary for the New Zealand Wrestling Association to hoist the "House Full" sign, the crowd was a good one. In the early stages it looked as if Johansson was going, to succeed where Pollard, Gardem and Vance had failed, but the Indian showed himself a master at getting out of seemingly unbreakable holds. The display was not as spectacular as some seen in the Town Hall this year, due chiefly to the fact that both men concentrated on hard wrestling without giving a thought to showmanship. The number of times that the pair went through the ropes and were ordered back into the centre of the ring was unusually heavy, a fact which tended to slow up the match. Singh again showed himself to he a clever wrestler and a very difficult man to pin. When Johansson got Sin<di groggy with a series of headlocks at the start of round eight it looked likely that he would equalise the falls, but the Sikh stood up to his gruelling well and saw the round out. The 1 match was the first to go the full distance this season.

Weighing 13st dead, Johansson was 3Jlb lighter than Singh. Johansson was on the aggressive in the first round. He catapulted his man with a forward chancery, and clapped on a wristlock, but Singh broke it easily. The Finn • tried in turn with a body scissors, a wristlock, an arm bar and a headlock, but Singh got out of trouble on each occasion. Nearly a Crucifix. It was lively in the second, Johansson going after his man. After trying to push°the Finn through the ropes ; Singh was caught in a toe hold, but it gave him no trouble. Johansson next tried with a scissors on the arm and then with a hammerlock, but could not hold the Indian. Singli broke a head scissors and short arm scissors, and next essayed the splits without success. Holding on to a body scissors, Singli sat on the Finn's back. Near the end of the round .Johannson missed by a fraction in an attempt to apply the crucifix. In reply to a figure four scissors Singh grabbed for a toe hold in the third. Singh continued to show cleverness in evading and breaking holds. An amusing incident occurred in this round. The.Finn was unable to hold a headWk, and stooped to rub his hands on tkc mat. For all the world like a pupil following his instructor, Singh did the same thing. There was an exciting spell, with honours even. The Finn earned some hoots for using the rabbit v Killer, and again when he rushed the Sikh when the latter was off his guard after .being ordered back into the ring. '•There was a series of toe holds in the fourth, and in this Singh did most damage. When the. Indian grabbed for the toes he usually succeeded in getting one of his own legs between those of his opponent, and thus was able to get more leverage for his holds. Singh had Johansson in trouble when he applied a scissors with one leg over one shoulder and the other under the Finn's other arm, but Johansson eventually kicked free. Singh brought an anguished look into Johannson's face with a toe hold, but later was in trouble himself as the result of a hammerlock.

The Only Fall. 'Right at the start of term five Johansson got a sitting splits, but the advantage turned with sensational suddenness. Wrenching free, the Indian took the aggressive, and an bar helped him to get his man into position for a body press and take the first fall. The house was in an uproar.

A body scissors was ol no use to Johansson at the start of round six, and Singh got a scissors on a scissors. When Singh got free he tried to securo a standing splits without result. In diving for Singh's legs Johansson missed and went through the ropes. He tried another dive immediately afterwards, and this time Singh was bumped outside the square. The Indian was astonishingly quick with both hands and feet, and the Finn was apparently puzzled as how best to handle him. The seventh round did not show much variation. A wristlock troubled Johannson, but later he threw his man with a reverse headlock, and almost got his shoulders down. Johansson tried hard to equalise in the last round. A short arm scissors had the Indian in pain, and the crowd yelled mightily. When Singh got free Johansson went at him when he was not prepared, and was hooted by a small section of the crowd. Roughing his man with headlocks, the Finn had Singh blinking hard and groggy, biit he was unable to score a fall. When the Finn decided to have another attempt to win a submission fall with a toe hold the Sikh's head cleared, and he defended himself better, although at the final gong Johansson was about to try another headlock and throw. Singh held on after the gong, and Johansson roughly flung him away, but the Finn extended his right hand and patted the Sikh on the back after the brown man had been declared the winner. The Amateurs. W. Paget (9.7) beat H. Brewer (9.2). L. Jellie (8.10) beat L. Hill (8.4). . G. Packenham (9.12) beat R. Pilkington (9.5), This pair again provided a splendid bout, tumbling each other about in fine style. The first round ended when Pilkington scored a fall with a headlock. Pilkington got a short arm scissors in the second, but Packenham broke it and stood his man on his head with a leghold prior to putting his shoulders down. A crucifix in the third round gave Packenham a popular win. N. Rice (6.5) beat J. Brice-Girdle (G. 10); A. Webb (9.0) beat C. Anderson (8.12). Farmer Vance refereed the amateur bouts and Mr. L. Wilson officiated in the professional match. Title Match Postponed. Owing to an injury in training Parmer Vance will not be able to meet Clarence Eklund for the world's light-heavy-weight title on Tuesday. Instead Eklund will meet Geo. Walker, while the title match will take place on October 1, the original date for the first-named bout.