Cumberland wrestling round-up

By Roger Robson

Richard Fox in mid-buttock

Two wrestlers stood out from the considerable crowd at Grasmere - William Hayhurst of Natland in the boys and Richard Fox of Hethersgill in the men.

A single win at Grasmere is a fine accomplishment, but these two wrestlers both won twice.

In addition, Hayhurst won the prize for the best performance in all the boys' wrestling, and Fox won the Guinness Trophy for the best performance throughout the six-hour wrestling programme.

William Hayhurst's win in the Under-15s was not unexpected, although his chief rival at that weight, Matthew Atkinson, is on good form and reached the final.

In the Under-18s, Hayhurst had to pull all the stops out to win ahead of Joe Thompson and Scott Brocklebank.

In the course of the Bank Holiday weekend, he won no fewer than seven times, always going for his hipes and twists.

Richard Fox's achievement in winning both the 13 and 14 stone Grasmere Championships, was accomplished with great confidence, skill and persistence, as the Grasmere ring became muddier and more slippery.

Luckily for Grasmere, the sun shone brightly as the crowds arrived. Spectators established themselves in big numbers on the tiered seating round the big ring and stayed there for hours, fascinated by the quality and quantity of the wrestling.

Adam Wetherill, big for his age, lost a fall in the final to his lesser opponent, Thomas Gibson, but he kept his composure to win the other two falls.

In the 11 stones, Richard Dixon kept ahead of this year's Bretons, who were there in force at that weight. Carlisle Wrestling Club wrestlers took all three prizes in the 12 stones, with John Harrington ahead of Andrew Carlile and Richard Dixon.

And in the All Weights, Joe Threlfall from Preston won safely with hipes and twists over the knee. His only scare came in the first bout of the final when Thomas Brocklebank took the first fall.

But Threlfall steadied the ship to become the first winner of the Wilf Brocklebank Memorial Trophy.

Adam Wetherill big for his age, lost a fall in the final to his lesser opponent, Thomas Gibson, but he kept his composure to win the other two falls.

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In what is the biggest and best programme of female wrestling, Connie Hodgson did well to win two sections.

In the best entry yet, Donna Thompson felled the Scottish girl, Gemma McNeil in the Women's Open.

Grasmere may have had its problems with rain. But that was nothing compared to Monday's events when wrestlers competed in driving rain on the Green. Camels race bizarrely through the sluther behind them and, later in the day at Keswick, where the green of the wrestling ring was a soggy island in a rough muddy sea.

At Silloth, Richard Dixon ruled except when felled in the All Weights final by the biggest Breton, Nicholas Grannec.

At Keswick Dixon's reign extended to the 13 stones, but the most notable performance came from young James Hall of King's Meaburn who won in style in the Under-18s. And he then went on to throw everyone around in the All Weights too.