Cumberland wrestling round-up

By Roger Robson

Carlile (right) with the 10st trophy

Two Championship events in Northumberland, in successive days, at two very different venues, saw the trophies returning to the same mantelpieces for another year.

Richard Fox - under the roof, on the mats, in front of hundreds of spectators at Rothbury Mart - retained his 15st World title.

Andrew Carlile, eight miles further up the Coquet Valley, on soggy grass, in front of a sprinkling of spectators, did the same with his 10.5st World title. The common factor was that each champion was on top of his game and held onto his title with masterly control.

Rothbury Mart, with its £2,500 prize money, attracted a big attendance of wrestlers, with 30 or so in each class.

Fox's achievement in winning the 13.5st class as a warm-up before winning the 15st Championship and then going on to reach the final of the All Weights too, was awesome in the every sense of the word.

In the final of the championship he felled the Northumbrian wrestler Andrew Ord, who does much of the winning in his own area.

Fox won the first fall with a back-heel which converted into a twist over the knee to finish off.

The second was won with his original and best chip - the buttock.

At Harbottle, once Carlile had mastered young Craig Ridley in the first round, he had to deal with a succession of Bretons, giving them a master-class in technique en route.

Appropriately, his hardest bouts came in the final when Gurvan Salaun attacked from the beginning, but failed to put Carlile off-balance, so that it was only a matter of time before Carlile's hipes carried the day.

He then did the same in the 12 stones.

A young, lightweight Breton team added greatly to the sport wherever they competed.

They made up most of the entry at Grayrigg Show, held in Kendal Auction Mart, but they could do nothing to prevent John Harrington's triple win in the 11.5st, 13st and 15st categories.

William Hayhust added another five wins to his total. Two Rothbury brothers, Joe and Jack Hale, showed their class against top opposition at the Mart, Harbottle and Wolsingham.