WRESTLING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1938, Page 3

WRESTLING

BLOMFIELD BEATS MEEHAN HECTIC EOUT AT MASTERTON Three vigorous elbow jolts and a dump in the first few seconds of the first round gave Lofty Blomfield (New Zealand) a win in his bout with Pat Meehan (Canada) at the Opera House last night. Throughout the remainder of the bout, which went the full eight rounds, the large audience was treated to a display of solid wrestling by both men, interspersed with a generous sprinkling of rough tactics and showmanship. Immediately the gong went for the first round, Blomfield strode into the ring, landed three hefty clouts under Meehan’s jaw, picked him up, dumped him heavily to the mat, and sat on him. “Got a meet on, Lofty?” cried a voice from the somewhat dazed crowd.

Meehan’s jaw was thrust out menacingly when the second round began and he lost no time in returning to Blomfield the jolts he had received in the previous round. He did not bother to stop at three. Tiring of violence, Meehan brought Blomfield to the mat and applied a head scissors which he held with punishing severity throughout a greater part of the round. Before the gong went, however, Blomfield had Meehan a little worried with a wristlock.

Early in the third round Blomfield was cautioned for using the ropes as a lever. Meehan, apparently agreeing with the referee’s viewpoint, brought Blomfield hard to the mat with a headlock. Blomfield cleared, however, and applied a nasty hammerlock. A minute or two later Blomfield was holding the advantage again. With evident enjoyment he butted the helpless Meehan in the chest, and clapped his hands tauntingly in the referee’s face. The referee merely smiled and shook his head. The round closed with a hearty exchange of elbow jolts. The crowd booed lustily in the fourth round when Blomfield trod on Meehan’s face. The latter taking the law in his own hands, evened things by landing his boot solidly in Blomfield’s stomach. Then suddenly the men remembered it was a wrestling match, and Meehan took up the attack with a standing splits. Blomfield was very worried for a minute, but changed the outlook by causing Meehan some pain with a toe-hold. Not to be deterred Meehan snapped on a cradle splits, which he changed to a lying splits. This Blomfield converted, with the aid of a little violence, to an Indian deathlock. “That was all right,” protested Blomfield, when ordered to break the hold. “It wasn’t all right,’’ said the referee. “You keep your fists out of it.” In the next three rounds the wrestling was more or less fast and furious, with much jolting. In the eighth and last round the crowd was looking for action—and they were not disappointed. Early in the round, Meehan applied a body scissors, which kept Blomfield twisting vigorously. Meehan made one last effort to gain a fall, but the bell beat him to it, and Blomfield was declared the winner. amateur preliminaries Some good wrestling was witnessed in the preliminary bouts which resulted as follows:—R. Edwards (Masterton) drew with Te Bay (Masterton), one fall each. E. Norris (Eketahuna), drew with R. Sutherland (Masterton), no falls being registered. T. Neilsen (Masterton) beat J. Price (Featherston), on points. T. Reid (Featherston) drew with H. Hill (Masterton), no falls being registered. During the evening a fine display ot acrobatic balancing was given by Mr Alt Jenkins, of Wellington, and three of his pupils. All four men showed remarkable strength and balance and their efforts met with well-merited applause.