Unconquerable Pesek Hammers Santel to Defeat

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 821, 15 November 1929, Page 14

Unconquerable Pesek Hammers Santel to Defeat

“Finest Contest Yet Seen in Melbourne” BRILLIANT WRESTLING "Under conditions wliicli combined American and Australian rules, John Pesek (13st I'Mb) decisively out-

wrestled Ad Santel (lost 11Mb) at the West Melbourne Stadium, finally forcing Santel to surrender to the terrible leverage of a curious bar toe-hold, writes Norman McCance . in the “Australasian.” The feature of the contest which was the finest wc have ever seen in Melbourne.

I was the manner in which Pesek freed himself live times from Santel’s short * arm-scissors, the hold with which he ! lias defeated every other wrestler in ;i | Australia, and which hitherto has been ,: regarded as the greatest grip in | i modern w restling. j One half of the match was a straight hour of wrestling, unbroken by rounds; ■ the remainder was to be six 10-minute j rounds, in accordance with the usual Australian conditions. Santel won j the toss of the coin to decide which j conditions should first obtain, and he j selected the roundless hour, because it would give him the best opportunity to trap Pesek in the short arm-scissors without any gong to save his victim. He won it three times in that hour, and twice afterward—in the second and third rounds of the second half of the bout. At no stage was Pesek seriously inconvenienced. His abnormal suppleness gave him the ability to ! reverse and pivot at apparently impossible) angles, and on the last occasion, at any rate, he gave the impression that he had deliberately invited the application of JSantel’s master-grip, as an exhibition of how to get out of it. ROAR OF ANTICIPATION Santel gave of his best in a brilliant effort to “conquer the unconquerable.” It was, indeed, a spectacular and dazzling display on both sides. Pesek let him “make the running” for half an hour, but Santel’s most persistent attacks were countered with a subtle evasion. There was a great roar of i anticipation from the crowded Sta- I dium when Santel first applied his | arm-scissors. Hardly had he locked I it, however, when Pesek upended him j and began bumping him up and down i on his shoulders on the mat. Santel I flung him sprawling with a thrust of ! liis legs, but the lock was broken. ' Next, in Santel’s own corner, he had Pesek well scissored when Pesek came j up from beneath, and, beautifully bal- ; a need, seemed about to swing and 1 dump Santel when the scissors opened | and released him. The hour ended with Pesek ahead on points and as fresh as when he began. Santel, however, was weary and heavyfooted. He took advantage of the five minutes’ interval to leave the ring for a shower, but Pesek remained in his corner. Santel was a defeated man when the second half of the bout, in 10-minute rounds, began. lie had tried his master-grip and it had proved a slip. He had given his best, but Pesek had always gone one better. In the second round Pesek, brilliant in attack and toying cat-like with a victim he could defeat now at almost any stage, trussed him up in a novel double cross-bar toe-hold, with which he had broken the leg of Penilton. the American heavy-weight. He did not press the advantage, because the hold is too deadly. Then in the third round he fought the fifth short arm-scissors for 4min -2sec. deliberately rolling back into the ring when the crowd roared, thinking that he was seeking a clearance byfouling the ropes. He rose at last and literally wiped Santel off his imprisoned arm. A minute later he pounced on him from behind, brought him face downward on the mat. and slammed on that terrible bar toe-hold in the referee’s corner. He twice 1 ; warned Santel that he could break the | leg. and the referee almost implored i Santel to give in. After desperately | ■ enduring the agony for perhaps three- ' | quarters of a minute, Santel surrendered and lay incapacitated. As he | 'was still helpless when the gong rang; for tin fourth round, Pesek was do- !