ALLEY WINS AGAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1931, Page 7

ALLEY WINS AGAIN

EIGHT 'ROUNDS FOR A FALL. I -exciting wrestling. MEESKE’S excellent showing. WELLINGTON, October 13. Good generalship, plus an advantage in weight, strength, and probably fitness, turned the tables in favour 01 Tom Alley iin his wrestling match with Billy Meeske at the Town Hall fast evening. Meeske was the more enterprising of the two, and certainly in the first five rounds the more energetic • but from the sixth round onward A'.liy brought up his reserves and won the only fall of the match when lie caught Meeske in the last round in his wellknown crucifix hold.

Meeske, at 13st 31b., was half a stone lighter' than Alley. He was making his first appearance here, and left an extrefriely favourable impression There iwas some doubt in the 'last round when the referee awarded the fall to Alley as to 'whether Meeske had really submitted. V; Meeske denied that he had, although; he made no song about it. Alley "and the referee, Mr Lack, both said the fall was a true bill. To many in the'; 'audience it appeared that Meeske • was on the point of escape.

GOOD OPENING IMPRESSION. V* • 1 Meeske showed early a preference for Jiu-jitsu holds, and took Alley to the mat with a 'wristlock and then with a headlock. The orowd started right in from the first minute and roared their applause as Meeske held Alley in a headlock like a vice/Alley eventually got out, but Meeske was waiting for him, and whaev.ed him*; down from a corner with another headlock.C Alley reached up for a chinlock,' ami.then clapped on a head scissors. He gave his opponent a rough time. Meeske",'eventually broke free and carried tl{e'war straight back. Alley, when he came out of a painful head scissors and wjpst twist, made a wild plunge, but the Australian was equal to it, and soon had him on the mat again.

At-the beginning of round two Meeske caught • » short-arm scissors, to which •Alley.'replied with a toe-hold, but Meeske escaped Vin quick time, and held his man in a body, scissors, which nearly cost Alley .a fail. Alley came back with a wristlock,. but Meeske heaved him off with 'a-- foot. This time Alley replied with a -splendid jiu-jitsu hold. Meeske was equal to it all, and remained on top for ' the rest of the round. The willing, eager, and at times savage, Australian had won the first two rounds in clear-cut fashion.

ALLEY STALLED OFF. Near the oegmning of round three Meeske floored Alley cleanly with a lightning trip, but Alley soon had him sewed up in a urustic short-arm scissors. Meeske got out, and was trying for a step-over toe-hold when Alley delivered a heave with his free foot on which seemed a vulnerable spot, and Meeske sailed through the air in jack-knife position. Alley raced in—this was to end it—but although lie crashed Meeske to the mat with a headlock, he was unable to pin him. A moment or two later Meeske was back again, fresh as paint. -Each time he went to lialch his man, Alley backed to the ropes and became tangled in them. 'He smothered, too, to ward off the same attack. The round ended with AILy caught in a short-arm scissors.

Meeske again raced in with the gong for round four and tried to halch Ins man, but Alley hacked to the ropes, and cunningly caught a reverse headlock. With it he heaved Meeske heavily to the mat as Ivarasiek used to do. The ! remainder of the round was full of hard wrestling. Round five, opened with a brisk exchange of weird jiu jitsu wristlocks. Alley led, but Meeske played a trump and stood in mid-ring with a foot on Alley’s bosom and his arm held tight with a wristlock. Then came one of the most sensational moments of the match. Alley caught Meeske in the opening move of his celebrated crucifix. Meeske freed 'himself after a struggle and a wild cheer shook the house. ALLEY NOW SUPERIOR. In round six, for a long time, the pace began to drop, and both men were much more tired than in the early rounds, j Meeske had been doing the work continuously, and Alley was considerably fresher. Right from round one as he had seemed the fitter of the two, and the result was that he climbed steadily on top.

In round seven it was Alley’s turn to do the attacking. He soon took Meeske to the mat and held him there until he was annoyed in a rather obscure way. Something of a free-for-all ensued, after which Alley again dropped his man. He was now much the fresher of the two and gave Meeske all he had. Body scissors, face bars, chin locks, rabbitkiller blows were all used, but Meeske still had something left—mainly jiu jitsu. Alley one one occasion sent him living through the ropes, and Meeske oscillated on the edge of the ring for one or two hair-raising seconds. He was back again in a Hash, but Alley was ready for him. FALL IN LAST ROUND. The men came out for the last round amid a burst of applause. Alley smashed his man to the mat, and gave him a succession of short but heavy dumps.

Meeske was still unpinnable, however, and Alley was forced to try other means. From a body scissors he manoeuvred Meeske cleverly into position for a crucifix, and suddenly clapped it on. The pair cartwheeled four or five times, until Meeske came to rest face down on the mat. Some thought Alley’s victory was certain, and some thought that Meeske was on the point of escaping. At all events the referee leant over and awarded a submissive fall to Alley. Meeske knelt on the mat with a puzzled took on his face and protested to the referee that he had not submitted. He rose slowly to his feet, however, and ultimately walked across the ring to shake hands with -his opponent.