WRESTLING PROMOTION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20012, 10 August 1939, Page 8

WRESTLING PROMOTION

EARL McCREADY'S VISIT FIRST IN THREE FEARS BIG ROUT ON SATURDAY Since Earl McCready. the Canadian heavyweight wrestler and holder of Ihe British Empire championship, was last in Gisborne a good deal of water has passed under the bridge. McCready has campaigned in several countries, and gathered many new honours since he wrestled Matros Kirilenko here three years ago. Wrestling patrons will give him 8 rousing welcome when he enters the ring on Saturday evening, to grapple with the American heavyweight, Rollend Kirchmeyer. A man whose personality . would have made him popular and successful in almost any walk of life, McCready made friends in this district every time he appeared here. It is recognised that he is one of the first five wrestlers in the world, and that the general run of opponents are not of much use to him.

However, the Gisborne association has matched him with a worthy opponent in Rollend Kirchmeyer, and the pair should be able to restore the sport to full favour with the public. After the two bouts already seen in Gisborne this season, the, popularity of wrestling calls for some restorative of the kind. Gymnasium for Amateurs The Gisborne Wrestling Association anticipates not only an immediate rehabilitation of the sport in the eyes of patrons, as a result of the Mc-Cready-Kirchmeyer bout, but also a long-continued career ahead. A development in the management of the sport is the opening of a gymnasium for amateurs, including novices. This is being run 'by a club of young men interested in wrestling, and the associafon shares the rental cost, and also subsidises the membership fee of any youth who may wish to take up wrestling but cannot afford the modest subscription. Mr. C. Baigcnt is the secretary of the club. Amateur Contests Amateur bouts arranged as preliminaries to the McCready-Kirchmeycr contest are particularly promising, the star of the early Dill being a special five-round bout between H. Duckworth and A. Read. The others will too:—R. Third v. I. Bell; K. Kiwha, Te Karaka, v. A: Campbell: L. Cribb v. G. Geddes; and I. Buscke v T. Ratcliffe, Huntly. An emergency bout also has 'been arranged for. in case any of the above-mentioned contestants inre unavailable.