Cumberland wrestling round-up

By Roger Robson

Jack Ewart (facing) and Richard Fox stand tall in the All Weights final at Hethersgill Vintage Rally

It was business as usual for wrestling at Hethersgill Vintage Society at Carlisle Airport.

The people and patterns of last year formed the basis of the action.

John Harrington won the middleweights, Richard Fox took the All Weights, three of the Gibson family were in the prize-money and what seemed like a bus-load of young Kendal wrestlers added both quantity and quality to the sport.

Carlisle Wrestling Club provided the first winner of the day when Taylor Allison felled the Kendal dynamo Sam Wilson in the final of the under-12 years.

In the semi-final Wilson had felled his long-time rival Thomas Gibson with two sophisticated hanks.

In the final though, Allison proved big and strong and coped with Wilson's ploys.

John Harrington of Bewaldeth is now very much a senior wrestler, and in the 12.5 stones, he had to swat away the young pretenders

Roger Robson

All last year, William Atkinson had to take on big brother Matthew and under-15 champion William Hayhurst wherever he travelled, so his wins were limited.

But this year the other two were spectators as he smartly dealt with all problems in the under-15 years.

In the under-18 years he was again put in his place by the other two, with William Hayhurst felling Matthew Atkinson in the final.

The Miller brothers, Kieron and David, added greatly to the enjoyment of the wrestling, but they were too light to beat the Kendal lads.

With the Young Farmers Field Day due to take place soon, one of the stars of that event recently tried out her technique in open competition.

Micha Graham is a natural twister, and she duly twisted Dawn Gibson twice in the girls final.

John Harrington of Bewaldeth is now very much a senior wrestler, and in the 12.5 stones, he had to swat away the young pretenders, culminating in the final when he felled Matthew Atkinson with the most devastating trip of all.

It was a right-leg outside stroke, done in such a way that both his opponent's legs flicked out sideways and Atkinson's body hit the ground before he could blink.

Richard Fox faced a much harder task in the All Weights.

Just as the wrestlers looked like flying out of bounds, a quick twist from one dumped the other on his backside right on the line, and the fall was correctly given

Roger Robson

For a start he had to get past John Harrington in the first round and his final opponent, Jack Ewart, was much taller and heavier.

Ewart had done well to survive in an early round when Stephen Hodgson, a student at Newton Rigg, gave him a hard time. In the end Fox was in his usual confident bustling form, never losing an advantage gained.

The new rule interpretation about what constitutes a fall 'out of the ring' was precisely illustrated when one bout looked like going over the sawdust line which marked out the ring.

Just as the wrestlers looked like flying out of bounds, a quick twist from one dumped the other on his backside right on the line, and the fall was correctly given.

A sad but heartening sight was that of Paul Murray sitting as a spectator with his arm strapped to his side, still in pain from the broken shoulder sustained in the European Espoirs Championships.

Sad - obviously, because he should have been out there in the ring enlivening the action, heartening - because he has that all-consuming keenness for wrestling which will bring him back stronger and better than ever.