Cumberland wrestling round-up

Roger Robson in his wrestling days (Credit: Cumberland News)

I was probably responsible for all the rain that fell in the Lake District last weekend.

I should have known better than to recommend Buttermere Show so enthusiastically. But I cannot help myself, I am a serial optimist.

In 1979, in the early days of my wrestling articles for the Cumberland News, I enthused about Alwinton Show: "The sun will shine, the trees will be in Autumn colours, and I will talk all afternoon and seem to know everybody."

The following week revealed the reality.

"At Alwinton Show, the place where I promised the sun always shone, three generations of Robsons huddled under several coats and umbrellas.

"They were virtually the only spectators when Ken Davidson won the high jump while still wearing his wellies.

"The steadily increasing downpour drove spectators to shelter and Jock Hall had little choice but to abandon the sports."

Lake District events, held in the wettest area of England, are hostage to the weather.

Who would have thought that the famous Keswick Sports, the big spending event which could afford to bring world-class American athletes to compete in the running events, would be obliterated by a succession of wet years.

Even the presence of Jimmy Saville in 1966 failed to stave off its threatened demise when the rains fell.

Ironically, a well-funded attempt to restart Keswick Sports in 1992 failed� I wonder why?

Despite all this, rainy days can have pleasant memories.

Governing Board member Cyril Bragg recalls that his brother, Billy, liked wrestling in the rain, especially when he won both the Grasmere and the Heavyweight Championship in downpours in 1950.

The Grasmere waters rose and left me with high tide marks all round my body.

Roger Robson recalls being felled by Donald Dayson in wet conditions

Cyril remembers at Great Orton Sports, when wrestlers came soaked and dirty from a previous event and competed bare skinned "like slippery eels".

Bob McGregor had a notable victory at the Holm Show in the early sixties when he felled Ted Dunglinson in a best-of-three whilst wearing his council worker's huge oilskin trousers.

My favourite wet day was at Grasmere in 1970. As I walked out into the ring the water met over the top of my feet at every step.

Immediately after I felled Edwin Younger in the 12st final, a Cumberland News photographer took a picture of me with rain-flattened hair, mud splatters and the adrenalin still coursing.

That photo with the tag 'The new English master at Trinity School' served to introduce me to my new pupils and colleagues.

My day at Grasmere was not yet finished, for in the All Weights I met the spherical heavyweight, Donald Dayson and decided to use the conditions to my advantage.

I set off backwards, pulling Donald around as fast as possible to induce a slip.

All he did was keep his feet on the ground, water skiing after me. At some point my strategy failed and I remember ending flat on my back, motionless, with 18 stone of Donald on top.

Alas, the Grasmere waters rose and left me with high tide marks all round my body.