Roger Robson

Cumberland wrestling in action

The club's three coaches, Andrew Carlile, Tom Harrington and Alan Jones, deserve a pat on the back for the wealth of talent and skill on show in the competitions.

Progress was evident in all the wrestlers taking part.

This was the fourth and last Points Night of the indoor season when the final tally which decided the destination of trophies was reached.

Two wrestlers managed perfect scores, 16 points, going through the competitions without being beaten.

Katy Brown also impressed when she hurled brother Jack to the mat with such relish and smiled sweetly afterwards Roger Robson

Paul Murray, at 8 1/2st, and Craig Ridley, in the under-15 years, buried the opposition and showed everyone why they hold junior championships from last year.

David Miller came within a whisker of equalling that achievement, only beaten by little brother Kieran, in the previous month's 6st final.

Kieran himself scored highly in the under-12 years, often against bigger opposition to accumulate 14 points out of a possible 16.

At the other end of the scale, the under-18 years group had five wrestlers still in the race after three monthly sessions.

When Ridley hanked Watchai Noimai to win the under-18 years on the night, it meant that both he and Joe Thompson were on the same tally, so the action was not finished.

Wrestling best-of-three, Ridley took the powerful Thompson down with a twist back, then for the second fall finished the evening with a flourish when he took Thompson's legs with a cross-buttock low to the ground.

Even that classic wrestling was not enough to give Ridley the trophy for the best performance of the night, for Murray was on fire, both in attack and defence, often against much bigger men.

None of his defeated opponents were in any danger of being crushed as Murray takes the weight off them with hand-springs and cart-wheels to round off successful chips.

There were other high-points. Megan Gibson lifting and twisting the lads and Craig Naylor cutting through Murray's sophisticated defence with a swinging hipe so fast that Murray's blood must have all been in his feet.

Katy Brown also impressed when she hurled brother Jack to the mat with such relish and smiled sweetly afterwards.

Meanwhile the Cumbrian contingent for the European Espoirs Championships in Tenerife was boosted by two Northumbrians, Ross Wilkinson and Nathan Birdsall this week.