By Roger Robson

Richard Fox collected the David Palmer trophy after his All Weights win

Wrestling arrived in Northumberland as the County Show at Corbridge hosted an event swamped with sun and people.

The wrestling ring is no longer at the edge of the main ring where the main throng is, but a good circle of spectators assembled and stayed to watch some first-rate action.

Wrestlers were represented by the Rothbury Academy and those from Carlisle Wrestling Club, with Joe Threlfall from Lancashire and various visitors and novices to add to the fun.

Rothbury Academy provided the winners in all the boys' categories with Cade Whitfield, Joe Hale and Jack Hale giving due warning about what might happen in the next few years.

Carlisle wrestlers took all the men's events when John Harrington won at 11.5 st and Richard Fox excelled by winning both the 13.5 st and the All Weights categories.

Richard Fox had to work hard for his success as he rarely won in straight falls.

In the course of the afternoon he was buttocked by Andrew Carlile, outside-hiped by Andrew Ord and John Harrington, twisted over the knee by Joe Threlfall and he also lost a fall to Jason Davidson.

But he always won twice whenever he lost a fall.

His main and safest option is the back heel, and that was a constant theme of his bouts.

He even used the left-leg hank to control his opponents' right leg and then manoeuvred into a position where he could strike decisively with the right leg back-heel, a new strategy to me.

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY SHOW RESULTS Under-10 - C Whitfield Under-12 - Joe Hale Under-14 - Joe Hale Under 18 - Jack Hale 11.5st - J Harrington 13.5st - R Fox All Weights - R Fox

He usually attacks, but he is also the master of defence, which was just as well when Joe Threlfall set out twist him into the ground.

Fox gained one fall by stepping ahead of the twist to strike with his own, and then took the deciding fall by jumping hard at Threlfall as he began to hipe.

Instead of finding a heavy lift, Threlfall had 13 st launched at his upper chest, which overloaded him and sent him onto his back.

In the final of the All Weights, Fox, the 15st Champion, met Andrew Ord of Morpeth, who won the 14st title at the Cumberland Show last year.

He had to resort to the buttock to rid himself of Ord's long legs for the first fall before Ord struck with his outside-hipe.

A fall then landed outside the marked ring, before Fox knocked Ord off balance with a back-heel and then followed up to chest him down for the decider.

Some of the best wrestling of the day was in the 11.5 st where John Harrington felled young Watchai Noimai in the final in two straight falls.

Before that he had to subdue Andrew Carlile, who is in good form and always liable to launch unexpected attacks.

The Hale brothers from Rothbury almost monopolised the boys wrestling, with young Joe winning at both under-12 and under-14 years.

Although not a big lad, he has the wrestling skills and enough strength to fell much bigger opponents.

In the under-12s final his opponent was a young Turkish lad, Burak Gulmen, now living in Newcastle, whose father used to do the Turkish style with oiled bodies and leather trousers.

Hale's older brother Jack was in good hiping form, but his under-18 final ended in an anti-climax when Bryn Rolley broke hold.

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