KATAN WINS LIVELY WRESTLING BOLT

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 183, 30 April 1940, Page 12

KATAN WINS LIVELY WRESTLING BOLT

Fall Taken From Blomfield TORPEDO TACTICS DECIDE CONTEST .John Katun bent Uifty Wontlield by one full in n lively professional wrestling bout in the Wellington Town Hall last night. The bout, was very even; Blomfield took the initiative much of the time, ami three limes strove to apply an octopus clamp, but on each occasion Katan wriggled through the ropes. Katan obtained his fall in the fifth round, when he broke out of a full-nelson by climbing the ropes, and projected himself head-first at Blomfleld, torpedoing him in Hie face and sending him to I lift mat, where lie pressed him. There was a packed house.

Sergeant Blomfield was greeted with an enthusiastic reception by a crowd whose temper had been whetted by a lively professional preliminary. He was seconded 'by another army sergeant, in uniform. He appeared in better physical trim than for some seasons, bronzed and lit. Katan at JGst. 101 b. had an advantage of 21b. He stripped magnificently, and set about. Blomfield in workmanlike style. . The bout was distinguished by plenty of straight wrestling with only intermittent outbursts of rough play. There was a brief exchange of jolts in the first round, but for the rest the wrestlers exchanged grips in lively style, Blomfield making an initial attempt at au octopus clamp without success. Katan shaped a manual deathlock, but relaxed when Blomfield pulled his ears smartly. He complained, and the referee, Air. Alf Jenkins, warned Blomfield for lodging some hearty fisticuffs. Blomfield repeatedly massaged Katan’s features with his knuckles, till checked by a rap on the nose. __ ‘’Watch his shoulders,” suggested Katan, holding Blomfield down with an arm-bar. “I m watching his throat,”, retorted the referee. Katan shifted his knee from Blomlield’s Adam’s apple to his ear, only to replace it on his victim’s windpipe as soon as opportunity offered. It was in the third round that the bout became lively, - when Blomfield delivered a fusillade of jolts, and sent Katan bouncing and slithering across the mat with hard headlock throws. Katan picked Blomfield up in a crutchhold, but the referee prevented him pitching the New Zealander into the crowd. While the altercation was proceeding Blomfield took advantage of it to tumble Katan in among the ringsiders. Katan floored Blomfield with a powerful and impressive throat-hold in the fourth session. Blomfield tied Katan's leg in the ropes, and pulled it; Katan sought a ruling from the referee on_ this gambit. Blomfield frog-marched Katan in a full-nelson, driving his knee into the base of Katan’s spine. He belaboured Katan with forearm blows, hunting him around the ring. Katan fastened _ a crucifix, and whenever Blomfield 'tried to rise sent him crashing backward to the mat. Katan opened the fifth round with jolts and smart flying-mares, tossing Blomfield heavily. Blomfield obtained a head-scissors, and Katan bellowed as Blomfield bumped his head on the mat. Blomfield tattered Katan with forearm blows, tossed him with a head-lock, hauled him backward by the ears, and, applying a full-nelsou, forced him violently to the mat. lie lifted him to his feet to repeat the manoeuvre, but when he lifted Katan for a -third bump on the mat, Katan suddenly planted both feet on the top rope and precipitated himself headlong at Blomfield, at point-blank range. His head took Blomfield in the face, and sent ■him to the mat underneath his assailant; there Katan briskly pinned him. Blomfield appeared little the worse for the fall, but he soon fell victim to Katan’s tammerloek. “Ask him, or I’ll break it off,” said Katan to the referee, in a stage whisper. But somehow the arm adhered to its owner, and Blomfield turned^the tables on Katan with a hammerloek ’of his own.

Both matmen were warned for doing forbidden things to one another’s face. Blomfield took Katan into a corner, and climbed the ropes to get at him from a better angle; the referee pulled him' down to earth again. Katan protested to the referee when he stopped a bunnypttneh. , Blomfield now took the initiative strongly. He tripped Katan and shaped the first convolutions of an octopus clamp, but Katan slipped under the •ropes. Blomfield was disentangled by ■the referee; he promptly jumped on Katan, who still lay prone. Then he endeavoured to form another octopus-hold. Again the referee separated them in the ropes. Blomfield applied an excruciating toehold, of the step-over variety, but Katan deelined to submit. The final round was marked by a last, and equally fruitless, effort by Blomfield to entwine Katan, who again wriggled into sanctuary. The bout ended without further fall Professional Preliminary. Middleweight: C. Croskery (list. 61b.) beat S. Scott (list. 21b.), on points. There were no falls. The bout was hard and scientific, and the wrestlers were well matched. Croskery had the initiative throughout the last part of the bout, and made considerable use of a devastating hammerjoek. Amateur Bouts. Catchweight: G. Hislop (Koolman’s 12s t. 41b.) beat E. Tuck (Koolman’s, 13 stone) by two straight falls. Welterweight: B. Hayes (Koolman’s, lOst 91b. heat R. Lawson (Kilbirnie, (10 st. 111 b.) by two falls, in a brisk bout. D. Minnis (Koolman’s, lOst. 101 b.) beat D Sword (Petone, lOst. 91b.) by two falls. Minnis gave a fine display of speed and science. Lightweight: H. Wales (Koolman’s, 9st. 81b) beat M. Louisich (Kilbirnie, 9 st. 9 lb.) by two falls. Mr. Ray Allen refereed the preliminar-