Cave-Man Kilonis

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 540, 18 December 1928, Page 11

Cave-Man Kilonis

TORE REFEREE’S SHIRT Crowd Hoots Winner ANOTHER lieetie evening of intense excitement was provided at the Auckland Town Hall last evening when John Kilonis defeated Pat McCarthy in a fierce wrestling bout bv two falls to one.

fJMIE crowd was put into good humour for the main bout by excellent amateur preliminaries, the contestants showing much better form than in the bouts last Monday. The referee for these bouts was Mr. W. Grant. The weights were announced as McCarthy, 12st Sib, and Kilonis 31b heavier. K-ilonis soon got on the wrong side of the crowd by first wriggling Out of the ring and then grinding McCarthy’s ear with his hand. Amid applause McCarthy secured a head-lock and wrenched Kilonis’s head back. At this stage, the crowd at the back of the hall broke through and rushed to the front seats. More excitiment was provided when Kilonis pretended to bite McCarthy in the face, the Irishman retaliating by tearing off some plaster which Kilonis had over a wound on his back, and flinging it through the ropes. McCarthy secured a head-lock and Kilonis tried to get a hold on his opponent’s hair, but the referee, Mr. Len Wilson, intervened, at which the Greek made a swipe at the interjector, but missed Kilonis wriggled out of the ring #and, while the crowd hooted and booed, calmly tied up his bootlace. He was counted out as the round ended. Hoisting his opponent off his feet, Kilonis dumped McCarthy on the floor in the second round, but the latter got a hold, Kilonis jumping back out of the ring to break it. Kilonis tried a little more rough stuff on the crowd by butting McCarthy in the rear with his knee and punching him in the stomach. He cleverly evaded one hold, but McCarthy secured the splits, Kilonis trying to get hold of the ropes to drag himself out. He was reprimanded by the referee, and said, “I have to do something.” After a time he succeeded in breaking the hold. At the end of the round McCarthy essayed a kick at Kilonis’s head, the Greek replying by butting with his head. He was again hooted.

There was more fierce work in the third round. McCarthy opened the ball by kicking Kilonis on the head and pulling his ear, getting a slap in the face for his pains. McCarthy secured a crutch hold and tried pile-driving with his opponent’s shoulder. When Kilonis secured a scissors hold behind both McCarthy’s arms, the Irishman endeavoured to free himself with a number of spectacular spi : ns, eventually breaking free With a quick turn. He soon turned the tables, and was endeavouring to secure the Boston crab when the gong saved Kilonis from a painful position. STOOD ON MCCARTHY’S FACE

The fourth round was opened by Kilonis getting a crutch hold and standing on McCarthy’s face, being rewarded with a kick in the stomach and a little later another in the face. McCarthy was very nearly securing a fall with a crutch hold, when Kilonis freed himself with a kick in the face.

The fifth round opened sensationally. Kilonis used his head in a tine display of butting, McCarthy connecting by retaliation with a right uppercut to the head. He missed with another uppercut. but scored with his knee to the solar plexus. Kilonis secured another crutch hold, and put across a familiar vaudeville act by swinging McCarthy round and round by the knees, eventually throwing him down in a heap. Following a melee in mid-ring, Kilonis secured his favourite hold, the Boston crab, in a flash, and took the first fall. Going to the canvas in the sixth round the grapplers exchanged kicks. They came to their feet in McCarthy’s corner and the referee stopped what looked like a promising brawl. Uproar reigned when Kilonis caught the referee by the shirt and tore it down the front. He also attempted to hit McCarthy before the referee waved him to his corner. The crowd created a tremendous uproar, and it was thought that Kilonis had been disqualified, but after several attempts to explain, Mr. W. E. Dervan announced that Mr. Wilson had only awarded a penalty fall against Kilonis. Before the announcement was made the Greek, evidently also of the opinion that he had been disqualified, tried to argue the point in the centre of the ring. KILONIS’S HASTY EXIT As the gong clanged for the opening of the seventh round McCarthy leaped from his chair, and made a dive for Kilonis, who jumped out of the ring. After the Greek had returned to the canvas McCarthy flung him out again with a roll-buttock. They then entertained the spectators to an exhibition of diving, Kilonis following it

up with a series of short-arm scissor holds, which, however, did not secure a fall. Following a gingerly hand-shake in the last round, Kilonis got at the back of hut opponent, and butted him in the seat of the pants. Kilonis again applied his short-arm scissors hold, and after a time was given a fall, the match ending in his favour by two falls to one. He was roundly hooted as he left the ring. SUNNI’S CHALLENGE Before the commencement of the big contest, M. A. Sunni, middle-weight light-heavy-weight, and heavy-weight champion of New Zealand, issued a challenge to the winner. A challenge to McCarthy was made by telegram by W. Bayne, of Te Awamutu, to “an allin match, any time, any place.” Kilonis addressed the crowd, saying he would wrestle Sunni if it were made worth his while, and he wanted money to be put up. Sunni informed the Pressmen that he had a backer who would put up the money. had been ready for a match last week. THE AMATEURS C. Hawkins (9st 61b), beat A. Cooper (9st 41b), in two straight falls. L. Patterson (9st 51b), beat R. Pilkington (9st 91b) on points, after each had secured* a fall. L. Naylor (lOst 61b), beat R. Lee (lOst 41b), by one fall in the last round of a fast and even bout.

HEARD FROM IYA ANNOUNCER’S GREAT WORK RADIO LISTENERS THRILLED If the crowd in the Town Hall had as big a thrill over the “Donnybrook” as those did who listened to the relay of it from IYA, they must have been well satisfied. It was certainly the most exciting thing that IYA has broadcast, and even those not interested in “wrestling” found they could not tear themselves away from the radio set. As a matter of fact listeners could not regard it as wrestling. Heard over the air it sounded like a mixture of Petticoat Lane on a Sunday and a Uinatic asylum on any day of the week. The announcer showed himself to the best advantage. Exciting though many of the incidents were, he did not show undue excitement and his description was remarkably vivid. The yelling, hooting, cheering and general pandemonium added to the graphic description and it required very little imagination to picture what was going on in the hall. It was an excellent vocal picture that the announcer painted and the carrying out of the broadcast reflects great credit on IYA’s management.