DICK CONLON

OVERSEAS tq\¥5

IINGSIDI GOSSIP

AMATEUR WRESTLING

The Royal Show

FINAL MADE AND CONFIRMED The programme to be presented at The Royal Albert Hall on Thursday, 11th July, by Dale Martin Promotions

Ltd. in aid of the St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade, and in the presence of H.R.H. The Duke of

Edinburgh, will be as follows .

A clash of two Cities Two Teams consisting of four men each will represent L ond on and Paris. These will meet each other in individual

matches to strive for victory for their respective cities. And what a clash this promises to be, just look at the

contestants. Representing London will be Mick McManus, Jackie (T.V.) Pallo, Steve Logan and "Judo" AI

Hayes. Ambassadors for Paris will be Gilbert Cesca, Jean Corne, Bruno Asquini and Jacques Lageat. Two more

representative teams than this would be very hard if not impossible to ,find, and these names alone must ensure

t:he success of this the most ambitious wrestling enterprise ever undertaken, but in spite of this there is yet

more to come.

Tag Team Match

Lightweight Title

A tag team match featuring the fabulous Royal

Brothers matched against The Dynamic Denni­

sons. This explosive combination leaves little to

the imagination. Two top tag teams battling it

out in such illustrious company will give it every

thing they've got.

British Lightweight Champion and Gold

Belt H older A/an Miquet puts the British

title at stake against the ·winner of a

Lightweight Competition being televised

on Saturday, June 22nd . Remember it

was at The Royal Albert Hall that

Miquet surprised everyone by picking up

the title in the first place.

Popular Clayton Thomson, British Middleweight Champion

and Gold Belt Holder, and Scottish Light-Heavyweight

Champion will be meeting the Welsh wizard Tony Charles.

Thomson has never been fitter, and Charles, just back from

a two-month tour of Japan, will be sure to have some new

tricks to show us . This will be a contest that we will long

remember.

Tickets are still on sale now, and are obtainable from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office 01-589 8212. Make sure

you do not miss this GREAT ROYAL OCCASION by booking your ticket NOW! ! !

OFFICIAL MONTHLY

Regular Contributors

Russell Plummer Bob Leonard John Rackham Ken Osborn Tony Flood Eddie Caldwell Dave Pirie John Gledhill B. R. Bale David Burwash

DESIGNED, PRINTED and PUBLISHED By

"THE WRESTLER" LTD., CAXTON HOUSE,

SHOREHAM-BY-SEA, SUSSEX.

Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this publication the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any errors or inaccuracies

that may occur.

©

Trade Agents­SURRIDGE DAWSON & CO.

(Productions) Ltd. 26 Aberdour Street

London, S .E . t

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS will be received with consideration providing such items (articles or photographs) are accompanied b y a stamped and addressed enve­lope . No responsibility will be accepted for the return of con­tributors' manuscripts or photo .. graphs If this condition Is not observed. The editor cannot accept responsibility for loss or

InJury during transit.

OF THE EUROPEAN WRESTLING ALLIANCE

The Royal Show It's a Different Dick Cc.nlon Wolfgang Starck Robinson, the King of Japan Northern Ring Gossip Wild Angus Dynamic Judo, Book Review The Assassin .. . The New Archer O'Brien Danny Hegan Zoltan Boscik Action on the Mat Ringside Canada The Belgian Scene The Evergreens Terry Jowett .. Round the Amateur World Yuri Borienko Report from Nottingham Fan Club Favourites Around the Fan Clubs Royal Albert Hall Report Wrestling in the South T.V. Wrestling Wrestling in the North

JUNE, 1968

fan Campbell with a head twist on Mike Marino

[Photo: Geo. Reid]

VOLUME Vlll

Pa~e

2 4 and 5

6 7

8 and 9 10 11

12 to 14 15 16 17

18 and 19 20 to 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 33 34 35

No. 1

lt's a different Whatever has happened to the old Dick Conlon?

Most fans will remember the Lewisham welterweight as a gay, clowning cavalier of the ring who seemed to be one of the mat sport's most popular stars. He seemed to be following in the footsteps of Yorkshire's Les Kellett- a man renowned for his

Dick Conlon using a wrist and arm­lock with a leg trip to bring Tommy Grant to the canvas

[Photo: H . G . Stevens]

Dick Conlon! ability to make the crowd laugh as he ran circles round his baffled opponents.

The happy image is fast changing, for the Dick Conlon of ~today displays a new, tough front that allows little opportunity for laughs. The clowning is becoming a fading memory, and the fans who laughed at his ring antics and cheered him on in his struggles against wilder opponents are turning against him. Many of his past supporters are now jeering him instead of cheering him. Audiences now howl for his defeat, and his return to the dressing rooms after a rugged bout is quite frequently an unwelcome hazard as he runs the gauntlet of a hostile cluster of wrestling fans.

For Conlon, the disqualification verdict .is now no longer a rarity but a fairly regular occurrence. His recent career is dotted with disqualifications. Two examples of r,ing disgrace can be cited- the bouts only being separated by days.

The first bout took place at Worthing, and found Dick Conlon in opposition to Tony Costas. The bout was marred by the persistent illegal kicking of Conlon, and eventually, with Costas writhing on the canvas as a result of this deliberate illegality, the referee sent rt:he protesting Lewisham man back to the dressing rooms on a disqualification.

The second bout was between Conlon and Ray McGuire, and took place at Wimbledon. Here, Conlon earned the enmity of the audience by punching his opponent with his clenched fists, and applying headlocks in which, out of sight of the referee, he used his knuckles to inflict pain upon McGuire's eyes. Of course, the referee caught up wirh him eventually, and the disqualification verdict was brought in.

What makes the new, rugged Dick Conlon tick? Why does he indulge in such reprehensible tactics as running an opponent's head along the ropes and using his boot on an opponent when he's down? I decided that there was only one way to find out, and that was to ask Dick Conlon himself. Dick was very forthcoming!

"Well, it's more profitable to be tough in the ring," he exclaimed. "I want to progress to the top, and it pays to be rugged. Anyway, ~today there are a lot of cocky youngsters coming into wrestling. They need to be taken down a peg."

So there you have it. It seems that Dick Conlon has decided that his old, gay, honest-to-goodness style just wasn't carrying him towards the top. And in donning the mantle of rule-bending ruggedness, he realises that he must throw the popularity of the £ans to the 'Winds.

Conlon hasn't a regular tag partner. His partners have included suoh widely assorted types as Stefan Milia, Chris Bailey, Bobby Barnes, and Zoltan Boscik. In almost every instance where Conlon is teamed with 'a wrestler known for reasonably fair tactics, it seems that the "good" partner becomes so involved in the rule-bending tactics of Conlon that he indulges in some pretty rugged taC'tics of his own.

It remains +to be seen whether the new look Dick Conlon will ,win extra honours. In the mean­time, Spanish rrings are due to be invaded by this lively firebmnd of a wrestler. Both the Spaniards and Conlon should benefit from the latter's forth­coming tour.

JOHN RACKHAM

Page 5

W olfgang Starck New stars always arrouse a great deal of interest

and recently .the talk of the wrestling world has centred on Michael Taylor; Canada's "Man of Steel" Reg Parks; and those colourful tag-teamers The Hellenes.

But one name keeps cropping up time and time ag·ain. It is the name of Berlin's Wolfgang Starck. Although the likeable Wolfgang made a quiet start to his wrrestling career in Britain in 1967, he is now the heavyweight they all fear.

Already the experts feel he will be a better wrestler than his grandfather and fatJher, both of whom made their mark in the ring. The 23-year-old German is barnstorming hi~S way through a most successful British tour and has become a firm favourite at the Royal Alber.t Hall, where spectators have compared .him with the mighty Horst Hofjman.

Wolfgang Starck holds Johnny Czeslaw in a leg lock [Photo: H. G. Stevens]

Two of his bouts at the Albert Hall- those against Hungary's Tibor Szakacs and the rugged masked Outlaw- have been hailed as among the most exciting seen at this famous venue in recent yea·rs.

1t was in the bout with Szakacs in October, 1967, that Starck made his British debut. Although he had only three years profess ional experienoe behind him at the time, Starck extended the experienced Smkacs for almost half a n hour before losing by the odd fall. Starck snatched the lead in

Page 6

the fi·rst round with a flying double leg shoulder press before Szakacs gained two falls himself.

Starck learned a great deal in the next year and when he returned to .the Albert Hall in Febru·ary of this year (1968) he gave the Outlaw one of his hardest contests.

The Outlaw collected two public wamings before the match had reaohed the end of round two. Starck could not be subdued and in round tJhree he sent the Outl<aw through the ropes with a drop kick and grabbed his opponent's legs as soon ·as he returned to the ring to obtain the fi·r~St fall with a top body press.

Unfortunately Starck missed with another drop kick in round fo ur and the Outlaw followed up to equalise with an overthrow and shoulder press. Three times in the final ten minutes Starck almost gained the winning pin fall but after 40 minutes of aggres­sion ·the contest ended in a draw. So the Outlaw narrowly avoided being unmasked.

Wolfgang is also proving a big attraction in televised bouts and it was in a .televised contest from Watford this year that he put head butt specialist Johnny Kwango firmly in his place, beating Kwango by two falls to one.

Starck's favourite holds are the bear hug, the body scissors, the knee drop and the Boston crab­a ll designed to help him weaken his opponents . He brings in the drop kick rwhenever possible and his "trump card" is a !farther unucsual back breaker applied over his shoulder.

Although he comes from Germany, Wolfgang is now an American citizen by virtue of the fact that he joined the American Army and did three years service including 18 months active service in Vietnam.

He was a fairly good amateur wrestler while still at school, but as he did well at all sports, Wolfgang says that it did not enter his mind that he would become a wrestler until his school days were long gone. During his spell in Vietnam he had the chance to see some of the local wrestlers in action and it was not until then that he seriously began to t~hink about making wrestling his profession.

Soon after he was demobbed, Wolfgang, having returned to his home town, threw himself whole­heartedly into leaming all the wrestling know how. In a very short time indeed he was wrestling in the famous German Heavyweight Tournaments against some of the best grapplers in Europe.

In the past two years this young German has become one of the top wrestling names in Europe and I am confident that Wolfgang Starck will achieve even more success in the years to come.

TONY FLOOD

ROBIN SON THE KING OF JAPAN

An excited and breathless Jack A therton rang me up to pass on the news of British wrestlers in Japan. Jack, who promotes in partner­ship with Billy Riley, had just received a letter from the Far East, the contents of which are of much interest to all Briti·sh wrestling fans .

The big news is of Billy Robinson, the heavyweight champion of Britain and Europe. Billy has convincingly beCl'ten all the top Japanese and American wrestlers currently in Japan. Not only has he beaten them in the ring before the fanatical Japanese audiences, but he has taken them into the gymnasium and wrestled them in Sumo, and amateur styles, again beating them all ends up. The Japanese wrestlers say that Billy is the best foreign wrestler ever to visit the islands. The Japanese fans can't speak highly enough of him, and have nick­named him "The King". Even more telling is the verdict passed by the American wrestlers; they rate Billy more highly than Lou Thesz, who won the world title six times in a ring career spanning twenty-five years. They claim that Billy is better than Thesz ever was, and Thesz is already assured of a place in wrestling's Hall of Fame as one of the world's best ever professional wrestlers.

[Photo : Geo . Reid]

In this country, Billy's ability has never been doubted, and gradually it has spread; to Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, India, and now to the Far East. Surely the time cannot be far off when the Americans are going to be forced to give him a shot at the world title they so jealously guard and monopolise.

Out in the Far East, are or have been, quite a number of British wrestlers. John Foley, the ex-Black Diamond, Colin Joynson, Tony Charles, Barry Douglas, Johnny Eagle, and John Lees. Out in mid-May are Geoff Portz, Albert Wall and Billy Joyce . Douglas de Relwyskow tells me that Barry Douglas has been well received, and that the Japanese are completely enthralled with the dash and vigour of Tony Charles, the stylish Welsh star.

Generally, however, it appears that most of the Japanese wrestlers are heavyweights, and there is not too much scope for lighter wrestlers at the moment. After seeing some of our welters and middles perhaps the situation will improve. Lastly, I wonder if that wily old fox from Wigan, Billy Joyce, will continue his private war with Robinson out in Japan. Though he is almost a veteran, there are few more accomplished wrestlers in Europe than Joyce. He has had a long career, and few wrestlers have ever beaten him. He still maintains that he can get the better of Robinson, and fancies his chances against the younger Mancunian. Watching Joyce in action recently I was very impressed with his great fitness and speed of movement, and, of course, his fantastic skill and craft. If Joyce and Robinson tangle in Japanese rings, as I'm sure they must, the Japanese will witness wrestling such as they have never seen before. Mind you, if they react to Joyce in the same way as British fans do, I doubt whether they will be oalling him "The King".

EDDIE CALDWELL

Page 7

Northem Ring Gossip ********************************* By KEN OSBORN *********************************

The wrestling Reverend, M ichael Brooks, is back in the North. The Methodist minister from the Church of South-West Africa is visiting his parents at Overton, near Morecambe and is booked for several bouts until he flies out again in July.

Flown out already is that popular Irish heavy. Ivor Barratt. A Dubliner, he came back to Britain a couple of years ago from America and left recently for Canada to continue his rampagings on the American Continent.

Another traveller is Leeds heavyweight Paul Luty. He is in India as I write these words. The happy-go-lucky ex-ballroom "chucker out" puts it this way: "I'm ready to go anywhere. I'm just packing my bags and taking my chances".

A virtual contingent of Northern wrestlers are currently in Japan. Recently, when a Royal Naval ship put in, the promoter sent 50 tickets aboard. The result was that nearly 100 sailors turned up caHying the biggest Union Jack anybody had seen. By the time tJte bouts were over the audience and many thousands watohing Tokyo T .V. knew what "supporting the visitors" really means.

"Don't worry, they never really get hurt" you hear the cynics says. Try this then. At Carlisle recently Ezzard Hart collapsed mid-way through his bout. The ambulance came and carted him off to hospital where ulcers were diagnosed. Then, on the same bill, "Rocky" Wall received a depressed cheek-bone fracture from a forearm smash and the ambulance had to make a return trip to the hall to take Albert to hospital for an operation on his face.

Bert Royal has found that work for the local council can be as tough as ducking between the ropes for a bout. Leaving the council chamber recently he, too, was taken ill and the doctor was called to investigate a swollen arm and other pains.

Back to the fit men it is nice to see Bradford's Michael Bennett, a past winner of the Television Trophy, back in action and approaching his trophy­winning form again. Mike had a lay-off but is now making a successful comeback in Joint Promotions rings.

Also enjoying mounting success is the tag team calling themselves-with justifiable pride-The Yorkshire Terriers. After starting out as "The Intellectuals", Mick McMichael (Doncaster) and Steve Clements (Huddersfield) ditched the latter title 'and are really making the Terriers known. In Redruth, Cornwall, recently ·their pe11formance was so impressive that fans' reactions caused the pro­moter to ring Joint Promotions, Leeds Office, to congratulate the organisation on sending such a top-flight team so far south.

I was asked recently when that dynamic French­man Rene Ben Chemoul will be seen over here again.

Page 8

Mike Bennett with a face bar on Steve Clements [Photo: Geo . Reid]

Alas, the answer is that another appearance is unlikely. Rene is currently looking after the promoting side of his uncle's wrestling interests. Uncle Alex Goldstein has branched out into the night-club business and Rene now ·has his hands full and wrestles only occasionally.

While on the European scene, the giant Dutchman who beat the J aps at •their own game, world and Olympic judo champion Wim Ruska, has turned professional wrestler. A former Dutch Greco-Roman amateur champion, Wim is to have the rule run over him by Joint Promotions Secretary Arthur Green .for possible bouts in the North. One can imagine what a draw it would be if he were to be matched with Bfll Robinson.

Talking of big men, "Big Jim" Moran, the 6ft. 9ins. Leeds heavyweight is making a name for himself in most places except his native town. The former professional boxer is particularly popular in Edinburgh, I am told, but is working hard to establish himself as a favourite in all Northern rings .

Keep a sharp eye open-otherwise you may miss them-for the American Midgets. If negotia­tions can be finalised in Europe, where they are currently appearing, the little ones, including Ski Low Lee, Little Beaver and Fuzzy Wuzzy, may be back for the start of the 1968 I 69 season in Britain.

An interesting situation will arise very soon affecting the Logan-McManus tag team. Steve Logan, a regular visitor to the North these days, is to move house to Lancashire.

Mick McManus with "Big" Jim Moran [Photo: Geo. Reid]

Roger Green, the popular young wrestler who came from London to study at the Leeds College of Art and made quite a ring name for himself while he was at the college, is also on the move. He is soon to go to Reading University.

T,wo more men with a liking for the North were in touch with the Joint Promotions office recently. West Indian Lindy Caulder would like to wrestle more in the North and a letter from Hawaii seemed to be asking for a Waikiki-Wigan swop.

lt came from the 30-stone collossus Prince Curtis laukea. This lucky chap has booked a world cruise on the liner Arcadia and wants to drop off in the North of England for a short tour before continuing his trip on one of the Arcadia's sister ships.

With the new alignment of television in the Nort:rh there is a great chance of widening the whole scope of wrestling in this part of the country. Take, for instance, Yor~shire Television. Within a 20-mile radius they can ·take ·their choice of venues from the Town Hall at Leeds (about a mile from their new studios); St. George's Hall, Bradford; Town Hall, Huddersfield; Victoria Hall, Halifax; Royal Opera House, Harrogate; S.S. Empire, York and the Civic Hall, Barnsley.

And why not give Northern wrestlers their earned screen time? ~after all, they do hold all the British titles with the exception of one. Mid­heavyweight Mike Marino is the exception. The rest are: Al Miquet (Huddersfield), lightweight; Jim Breaks (Bradford), welter; Clayton Thomson (Dun­dee), middle; Bert Royal (Bolton), heavy /middle; Ernie Riley (Wigan), the light heavy who nobody seems to want to challenge, and heavyweight Bill Robinson, of .Manchester.

A note or two about dates, venues and your summer holiday wrestling now.

The Leeds season has now finished with the June 1st show and will re-open on September 17th to run next season on TUESDAYS not Mondays. Madeley Street Baths, Hull, has also finished its season and will change to MONDAY shows next season. Carlisle has also finished and will re-start at the Market Hall about the third week in August.

Some of the highly popular Spectaculars will be staged during the summer. T ed Beresford will pick his dates for the Ice Rink, Kirkcudbright, Ayr and Paisley in Scotland and at Nottingham and Relwyskow and Green have one scheduled for July 23rd at the Music Hall, Aberdeen.

Holiday venues and dates include: BRIDLING­TON : Spa Royal Hall on June 3rd and 24th then weekly on Mondays. MORECAMBE: Winter Gardens from June onwards on Thursdays. BLACK­POOL: at the Tower every Sunday starting at the end of June. SOUTHPORT: Floral Hall for a six week season every Wednesday from July 3rd. RHYL: Gaiety Theatre, Whit Saturday then weekly on Saturdays until September. SKEGNESS: at the Festival Hall Tuesday from May 28th until mid­September.

Mike Marino with a leg scissors to the head of Pat Roach

[Photo : H . G . Stevens]

With the turning over of St. J ames's Hall, NEWCASTLE, to bingo, Norman Morrell will promote shows at the Town Hall next season and is hoping to establish Saturday night as wrestling night.

Finally, T.V. dates and venues for your information: June 1st, Watford; 8th, Barnet; 15th, Prestatyn Holiday Camp; 22nd, Cheltenham; 29th and July 6th no wrestling- it's Wimbledon fortnight. July 13th, St. Alban's; 20th, Scottish holiday week at Morecambe with a special Scottish show from the Winter Gardens including Andy Robin; July 27th, Hemel Hempstead.

Page 9

The mighty, black-haired, black-bearded Wild Angus is fast getting himself known on the Joint Promotions circuit. But he isn't becoming popular at the same time, for this shaggy, rugged Scotsman is not known for his gentlemanly ·ways in the ring. On the contrary, he is ruthless and rule-bending, and is not averse to indulging in a varied repertoire of shady tricks to gain his ends.

One of his specialities is the Caber Toss, in which he lifts his opponent above his head, using a straight arm lift. He ·then tosses the luckless opponent backwards to land resoundingly on rhe canvas- or sometimes out of the ring altogether! Wild Angus has the physical equipment to facilitate the success of this move- he weighs 20-!-st., is 6ft. 4ins. tall, and has a 54 in. chest!

Wild Angus-sometimes, too, billed as Black Angus- is really a Campbell, but he has dropped rthe use of his surname because of the fact that Ian Campbell and Jock Campbell are already &tomping ilie wrestling rings of Britain. He feels that a third Campbell on the scene would lead to confusion.

Page 10

[Photo: Geo . Reid]

Of course, Wild Angus is no newcomer to the professional ring. His first bouts for cash took place in the tough arenas of fai·rgrounds. He was employed as a steel erector, but earned extra money wrestling in the booths on such occasions as the Nottingham Goose Fair. Later, he wrestled for independent promoters, wrestling in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Lebanon, as well as around Britain. He won the International Tournament at Bremen in 1966, and a similar tournament in Vienna in 1967. He hopes to wrestle in this year's International Tournament at Vienna. He preceded all these professional activities with a good amateur groun­ding, joining an Inverness club where he regularly wrestled as an amateur for five years. He was also a keen amateur boxer.

"Mad" Jock Campbell is the usual tag partner of Wild Angus, and the pairing is certainly for­midable. Both are huge men, for both are over 6ft. tall, and together they tip the scales at a fraction under 40 stones ! It takes a good team to beat them - though they collect fairly regular disqualification verdicts.

Wild Angus posts Dave Bryson [Photo: Geo. Reid]

Wild Angus, since his fairground wrestling days at the age of 18, has had to fight, fight, fight all the way. It is not smprising, therefore, that he brings into the ring a "no holds barred" philosophy. His wild appearance is backed by wild acts. The boos of -the crowd don't worry him- he is only interested in victory, and if victory won't come easily, then he is prepared to be ruthless . Regardless of the referee's admonishments. Regardless of the audience's anger. That black mane of hair is tossed back, and in Wild Angus goes to savage his opponent.

Outside of wrestling, Wild Angus engages in two very popular Scotti-sh sports- golfing . . . and shooting. He -likes to get out in the wide, open country with a s·hotgun. He's a great believer in the benefits of the open air.

Scotland today can certainly present a very fmmidable 'array of wrestlers. Wild Angus cannot claim to be Scotland's wrestling hero, but he definitely adds another big cannon to the already mighty forces of wrestling emanating from North of the Border.

JOHN RACKHAM

DYNAMIC JUDO (Book Review) by Eddie Caldu:ell

I know several Judo black belt holders; one of them the former captain of the England Judo team. Every time I meet one of them I feel a sense of awe, that I am in the presence of controlled violence and destruction. I doubt if any other sport imparts to its devotees such deadly power over the uninitiated. There is a mystique that shimmers around Judo. It is a spo~t, a way of life, which has penetrated to all corners of the earth in modern times. Most people know something a·bout it, many have tried it for themselves, and everyone will know that to reach the almost impossible heights of Ninth Dan a man has to be nearly a superman .

One who has attained such a degree of Judo perfection is Kazuzo Kudo, and this month, Ward Lock and Company release "Dynamic Judo", the first of two volumes of Judo instruction by wha-t must be the world's leading expert. Kudo was taught by the founder of modern Judo, Jigoro Kano, and, as a practicing Judoka won every honour the sport had to offer. Because of his age, he could not compete in the Olympics when Judo was first included, but one of his pupils, Anton Geesinck, of Holland, won the gold medal at heavyweight. Kudo ·has been an instructor for fifty years, including a long spell with the Tokio police, and the e~perience of a lifet-ime is packed into h[s book .

This first volume, priced at 72/-, deals with the techniques of throwing one's opponent. It is a rich, but very readable, blend of dialogue and photographs. The instruction is concise and unea_uivocable, and the amazingly well-produced action photographs richly illustrate the author's points. An interesting characteristic is the number of variations that are given on any one particular throw, and a fair selection of counters. Sometimes I wonder if these instructional manuals a re only easy to follow if one is an expert. Well, my own Judo standing is not high enough to make a competent blue belt shake with fright, nor am I particularly well versed in the lore of Judo. I selected a couple of throws I had no previous knowledge of, took myself off to a gymnasium, found a suitable partner and tried them. I recommend Okuri-Ashi-Barai the next time someone disputes right-of-way with you in a narrow passage, or how about Ashi-Guruma on the mother-in-law next time she visits. In other words, the instruction and illustration is so s-imple and easry to follow that one quickly masters the techniques of the throws. For each throw, Kudo gives every si ngle move involved, plus hints , "key points", and alternatives in case you muff your opening.

'I!here are two snags about this book; a glutted market and the price. It seems that innumerable books are published each year about Judo. Is there mom for another? Well, this book is excellent, and the English version is long awai ted , and should sell. Seventy-two shillings is a lot except for the real enthusiast, but again there are thousands of real enthusiasts in Britain. Kudo's book will be one that will sell steadily over a number of years, but in particular to the mulllicipal libraries, and to school libraries where it would be invaluable to judo instructors.

Page 11

HIS NAME IS ST AN ST ASIAK, AND LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM - WHICH MOST FANS DO- YOU'VE GOT TO ADMIT HE WON HIS REPUTATION THE HARD WAY, WITH TWO ROCK-HARD FISTS AND THE ABILITY TO USE THEM

BOB LEONARD INTRODUCES -

Any time you head for a wrestling arena to watch towering Stan Stasiak, the massive Canadian contribution to world mat ranks, be sure you take along one thing: an open mind.

When the huge, bearded grappler- he's 6ft. Sins. tall; tips the scales at 21 st --comes throu~h the ropes, his steel blue eyes glinting, jaw set in a hard line, you're apt to decide he won't be the crowd's favourite, ot yours. When the ring announcer intones his name to the audience, and he reacts with a frozen stare at his foe across the oarnvas, your decisi on is confirmed just a ,little more. And when the bell rings, and he cataoults into action with fists , feet and opponent flying all over the ring, you're dead sure that Stan Stasiak won' t have ·the vooal support of one single f,an.

Stasiak i'sn't interested, thou!!h, in a crowd cheering for him every inch of the -way. He makes that evident right at the start, when he's aot to snatch a s ide headlock on an advancing enemy, wheel him quickly away from the referee's view, and slam a hammy fist squarely into his forehead. Or he'll bull his man backward into the ropes, stretch him back over the strands, and shoot a guillotine elbow smash into his throat. Or maybe he'll simply rely on that s ize 13 ring boot, smashed into the pit of his opponent's stomach in mid-ring as the luckless grappler oharges toward him.

That's the way Stan Stasiak starts, and tlhat's .the way he keeps it up r.ight through the bout. He'B spike crushing fists with crashing body slrams ; slamming boots with slashing judo chops; rib­cracking knee drops with tendon-tearing arm-locks. Blood, bruises and suffering aren' t an uncommon si sht when Stasiak tears loose in the ring- wres tling i; a tough sport, and Stasiak is one of the toughest J,f its practitioners. Tough not only in that he can dish it out, thou~h. Big Stan takes his dose of punishment too, falling victim to enraged opponents

Page 12

who try everything from orthodox holds to simply firing him right over the top rope to the cement floor of the arena, then ca:rrying the battle to him the·re.

Sooner or later, thou~h, Stasiak rockets back from the defensive to turn up the heat. He scorches his foe with a double-dose of that two-fisted barmge; sizzles those boots home to exoosed ribs, stomach and back. He stretches his man better than any medieval rack with shoulder-ripping surfboards ,and agonizing leglocks. And then, the roof falls in­Stasiak swoops down on ·his man , circles his massive arms around him from ,the rear, and sweeps him toward the ring light. Up, and fi·nally, down--<lown on to Stasi·ak's outstretched knee in a oerfect atomic drop bac:JQbreake:r that leaves little d~oubt of what will happen next. If Stasiak has been on top of the action for most of the bout, he'll simply pin his victim for the count. But if he's taken more punishment than usual, Stan doesn't fail to repeat the ,agonizing ritual, a warning to his victim and everyone watching that he forgets hard- and makes violent atonement for his suffering!

That's it . .. you've decided that nothing could convert you into a Stasiak fan. The man is too savage, too merciless, to deserve 'a single cheer; too lacking in the basics of sportsmanship to warrant any support. He'·s all the worst characteris­tics of "Killer" Kowalski, Hard Boiled Haggerty, Fritz von Erich and Bulldog Brower all rolled up into one bombastic package. He's just not going to get YOUR support!

And that's the way you feel when ,another wrestler on the card, a man you've known for some time, offers you an introduction to Stan Stasiak. "Come on in and meet him," he offers, "I think you'll find he's quite a man underneath."

You're dubious, you're hesitant~but you follow the grappler into the dressing room, curious about the cryptic "he's quite a man". The door swings

Canadian Open Champions!ti!) belt and all, Stan Stasiak -6H. Sins., 21st.! says howdy to conesponrlent Bob

Leonard

open, and there's Stasiak now, just pulling on a huge pair of black, custom-made western boots that cover his leg almost to the knee. Beads of sweat still dot his forehead, a forehead that you imme­diately notice is criss-crossed with lines of white soar tissue. You hadn't seen that f.rom your arena seat-but now you know it means that Stan Stasiak has taken his share of those bloodlettings he's so adept at causing now, and you begin to understand just a little bit.

"Ifs good to know you." The deep, penetrating voice rolls out rfrom the jet-black whiskers ·as Stasiak rises, or rather towers over you, and extends a huge hand. The grip is deceptively soft, almost as if this giant was ·afraid of hurting a hand not used to withstanding great power. Impressive because of his immense size alone, Stasiak's image is further heightened by his western garb- those ·hand-made boots, a tailored black suit, and a custom Stetson hat Stan values at over $100.00.

"Not quite what I'd expected," you think to yourself as the big man picks up his suitcase and heads for the door. "How about a good steak, friend?" Stasiak says, dropping that huge arm around your shoulder and sweeping you along wi·th him. And by the time you've finished ·accepting the unexpected offer, you're in his big powder-blue Lincoln Continental and driving off to a steak house where Stasiak knows everyone rfrom ·the head waiter on down. "This is a pretty fine man," you're starting to think, almost forgetting that a scant hour

before, you'd been hoping against .hope that Stasiak would, at least, wind up with a bad loss under his belt. Or more than likely, you were secretly hoping he'd end the bout a battered, bleeding wreck.

"I don't lose too many matches," Stasiak is telling you now. "I did when I first sta11ted wresding, but a ·haJ.f-dozen really tough men taught me the only way to be sure of winning is to be the toughest man in the ring! And they taught me the hard way- by showing me THEY were tougher than I was."

After an amateur stint on Montreal, Quebec mats that stretched over four years, plus a promising start to a professional ice hockey career in the major leagues, Stasiak threw in his lot with wrestling. Mike and Ben Sharpe, the ex-Hamilton, Ontario, wrecking squad who then held world tag team honours , brought a tall but shm Stasiak on to the money mats for the first time- and along the way, taught him everything in their vast repertoire of ring tricks. That was back in 1958, and in the ten intervening years, Stasiak has boosted his weight by 4st. and his style by a hard-as-nails double-fisted attack.

"I had to change," Stan reveals. "Killer Kowalski kicked me all over the ring, a,fter I'd tried the scientific approach to beating him. It didn't matter what I tried- he'd bowl me over with his attack, until I stopped wrestling and started throwing fists! It didn't stop him that night, but it sure slowed

Stan Stasiak challenging Gene Kiniski for the world title has the champion down

him down a lot! Later that night, when I was counting up my bruises, I decided I'd better start hitting first and fast if I was going to make the grade against top men like him!"

Stasiak's revised approach to grappling made a lot of difference in his career. He ranged farther afield in Canada, displaying his beefed-up style from Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the east, to Vancouver, British Columbia, in the west . . . and along the way, racked up a mass of important wins. He blasted

Page 13

Stan Stasiak, mat king, and world ladies' skiing titlist Nancy Greene

Johnny Rougeau, the pride of French Canada, in Montreal; sizzled to a draw with Mexican ace Pepper Gomez in Ottawa, the nation's capital; drew with tricky Ricki Starr in several western arenas; downed a host of other name grapplers. From there, it was a short hop to the sports palaces of America­Stasiak made his U.S. debut in St. Louis, Missouri, appearing in a semi-final event against none other than two-time world ruler Whipper Billy Watson! Stan didn't win the match- he lost, but even then, attracted the attention of several visiting promoters who made mental notes to keep up to date on the tall Canadian's progress.

"I progressed well in St. Louis," Stasiak recalls. "I faced some good men, and learned a lot every time out. Gene Kiniski, Lou Thesz, Pat O'Connor . . . they were all there, and I wrestled them all more than once. I must have done pretty well . it wasn't long before I got a call to wrestle in Atlanta, Georgia."

They're still talking about Stasiak's reign of 'terror that started in the old southern city of Atlanta, and ravaged every state around. "General Sherman didn't do that much damage in the Civil War, when he marched through here ! " lamented one Dixie promoter. "Stasiak didn't suffer one loss for over six month·s, and he destroyed everybody we brou~ht in to face him!" The reign of terror didn't end there, though, Stasiak, by this time termed "The Assassin" by thousands of mat buffs, switched his base of operations to the Pacific North West of the U.S.-and ·teed off there on everyone in sight. A scant three weeks went by and he had the regional

Page 14

title; another three weeks and he was in the ring wi•th then-world titlist Buddy "Nature Boy" Rogers for one of the wildest draw matches ever seen in America.

A·long the way, Stasiak established his perma­nent base in the "Rose City" of Portland, Oregon, on the U.S. west ooast-and put a hammerlock on a pretty Canadian girl named Beverly to make his new house a home.

Since his rise to matdom's top ranks, Stasiak has spent his time jetting around the continent, from Hawaii to Montreal, Vancouver to Miami Beach, in defense of various ring crowns. He's worn the Southern States mantle, ·the prized Canadian Open Championship, the Pacific North West diadem and a version of the U.S. Title- and he's blasted almost every challenger olear out of contention with his rampaging ring manner.

"I make no ·apologies for what I do in the ring," Stan notes. "It's a tough sport, and you have to be a tough man to survive. People •watch me facing a clean, scientific wrestler and using some rough moves against him, and they call me down for it. What they forget is that I wrestle plenty of men just as rough as I am, and absorb the same kind of punishment I give out ... without crying to the ref, or some of the oliher tricks these clean wrestlers try using ! "

What about suspensions, or fines, levied against Stasiak by athletic commissions? "They don'·t bother me at all," says Stan. "I can always move on to another part of the country and keep on winning. As far as I'm concerned, these fines are handed out by commissioners who can't stand to see their fair­haired boys get a liHle blood on them- it's pure protection, but I don't let it stand in my way. If we had more commissioners who have wrestled, and know the sport, then we'd have less fines- they'd know what kind of competition goes on inside the ropes!"

lt's a tempestous life for Stan Stasiak, but one he has no thoughts of deserting right now. He's pencilled in for another edition of the Japanese all­nations tournament, and may also return to Canada's wes·tern provinces to settle some old scores with world monarch Gene Kiniski, U.S. champion "The Stomper" and rampaging Waldo von Erich, this coming summe·r. He'd like nothing better than to make a .full-scale world tour, touching down in the major mat cities of the globe for at least one bout and, hopefully, many more.

"I'll face anyone, anywhere, anytime!" Stasiak points out in that deep, powerful voice. "I'll wrestle my way, and let them wrestle theirs!"

Stan Stasiak: Assassin in the ring, gentleman away from it.

As we said ear·lier, you have to keep an open mind when you watoh "The Assassin" in action. Jus:t don't say we didn't warn you!

FANS ACCLAIM

THE'NEW' ARCHER O'BRIEN

by Russell Plummer

After a wrestling career spanning more rhan 20 years, during which time he earned a reputation for fitness and peliformance that is unlikely to be equalled, ever youthful Bob Archer O'Brien is now being acclaimed as a referee.

The popular Chelmsford welterweight, undis­puted Eastern Area champion for as long as I can remember, gradually cut down the number of wrestling bouts as more and more refereeing engagements came his way and now he appears almost exclusively as a "third man."

But Bob still takes the same infectious per­sonality into the ring and his speed when dealing with big men, especially the awkward ones, has to be seen to be belie,ved.

When Aroher O'Brien is in the ring he is the boss and few heavyweight villains are ,able to get away with the crafty punches on the blind side, for Bob moves so speedily that there never seems to be a blind side.

That he should adapt so quickly and success­fully to the different techniques of refereeing is hardly suliprising, for versatility has always been the keynote of his wrestling career.

An amateur wrestler before the last war, it was while on Army Service in India and Burma that Bob had his first contests as a professional, and once he became accustomed to the climate and different styles, he more than held his own against the native stars.

Back in England he was quiok to establish himself in the front line alongside such newly emerging stms as Ken Joyce, Eddie Capelli, Cliff Belshaw a nd Mick McManus. But it was a time when the memory of Doncaster's Harold Angus, the great champion who died in a shooting accident was still fresh in the memories of all the fans.

Bob took part in several of the tournaments to decide a successor and while never getting his hands on the crown, right up to the time of his retirement from full-time wrestling he was a man no champion could ever overlook.

With his own almost fanatical dedication to physical fitness, Archer O'Brien always had the greatest respect for the real craftsmen of the mat, men like Carlton Smith, Harry Fields, Ron Harrison

and Stan Stone, the late great middleweight who also achieved much fame as a referee.

Some of his greatest tussles were against dour one-time Wigan miner Jack Dempsey, and how ,the fur used to fly when these two got together. I vividly recall one meeting at an East Anglian Hall no more than a couple of years ago when honours ended even after these two veterans had dashed around the ring like two-years-olds for more than half an hour!

One of the happiest moments of Bob's wrestling career was one occasion when he appeared on the same bill as his two sons, Bob and Chris Anthony, who were tagging against the Cortez Brothers.

Bob Anthony was the idol of many young wrestling fans in the early 1960's and developed into a first-rate matman, only to prefer business interests at a very early age and forsake the ring, being followed quickly by his younger brother.

Ironically father Bob was grappling both before and after his youngsters had made a brief excursion into wrestling.

Naturally Bob's ambition now is to return to all of the famous halls where he once wrestled as a referee and already he is a long way to achieving this. I look forward to seeing him in action at the most magnificent of all our wrestling arenas, the Royal Albert Hall.

T he Kensington wrestling "experts" expect a high standard of refereeing and leave no one in doubt as to their feelings if they consider they are not getting it. I don't think there would be many compJaints if Bob Archer O'Brien was in charge!

Page 15

One of the most pleasant wrestlers to arrive on the professional scene in recent times is Danny Began, the deaf and dumb mat star from Ireland. He is rapidly gain~ng a large following of fans who not only admire his fast, clean style, but al•so his warm, friendly personality outside of the wrestling ring.

Danny's real name is the very Irish-sounding one of Diarmuid Hegarty, but as some people in this country might find the name Diarmuid tough on the tongue, and as the surname Hegarty might get confused with that of Steve Haggetty, the wild Irish­Canadian martman, he is now usually billed as Danny Hegan.

Bom in Cork, Danny grew up to become filled with enthusiasm for sporting activities. Boxing became his first major sporting interest, but later he turned to weight lifting and physical culture. In the latter field, he took bouh the Mr. Munster title and ~he Mr. Cork title. He also won several other lesser physical culture competitions.

Soon after coming to London to find work as a joiner, about ten years ago, he took up amateur wrestling, and became a member of the well~known Forresters Club. He made quick headway as an amateur, and six years ago, he took third place at his weight in the British Amateur Wresotling Championships. Later, he received a serious leg injury and three broken ribs while wrestling. His doctor told him to give up the sport for good, but

Page 16

DANNY BEGAN

as soon as Danny felt fit enough to be m the ring again, he was back in action.

Three years ago, he flew over to Dublin to take part in the Irish Amateur Wrestling Championships, and came second in the middleweight division to the amateur champion, foe Feeney.

Sho11tly after uhis, Danny Hegan turned pro­fessional. Initially, he wrestled for independent promoters, but for the last nine months, he has been wrestling for Dale Martin Promotions.

Although he has been deaf and dumb since birth, Danny says he has always led a normal, active life. He is aware when a wrestling audience is with him, for he can feel the vibrations as the orowd cheers him on. He is always pleased to see some members of the audience give him the "thumbs-up" sign.

In recent bouts, he has drawn with Reg Trood and Peter Szakacs, and has beaten Tug Bolton on a disqualification verdict. Although he hasn't taken part in many tag matches, he looks forward to more regular tag engagements in the future. His last tag bout found him partner~ng another deaf and dumb matman, South London's Harry Kendall.

Danny Hegan is married to a Cork girl, Vittoria (her father is Italian- hence the choice of name). They have two sons-Alan and Melvin, aged 6 and 4 years respectively. Vittoria js a very keen fan of her husband's, and attends every bout possible.

Danny has plenty of ambition in the sport, and trains hard to keep at peak form, with weight lifting and swimming figuring prominently in his activities. He naturally has an eye on the middleweight title. He would also like to tour Australia one day, and hopes that he will be able to wrestle a few bouts in I.reland.

JOHN RACKHAM

Zoltan Boscik

One of the most determined and dedicated wrestlers in the lightweight group is Hungarian champion Zoltan Boscik, a human dynamo if ever there was one.

Like those other great Hungarians, Tibor and Peter Szakacs, Boscik can charm the fans with his scientific wrestling, but he tends to be more ruthless than most men in his weight division.

The 29-year-old Zoltan now lives at Colindale, London, with his wife Evelyn, a secretary. She helps him in his hobby of collecting stamps and he now has 3,000 which are worth about £1,000. Says Zoltan "I post envelope's tJ myself with first-day issue stamps on them and their value soon increases. It's a very good way to invest my money."

But Zoltan wasn't always so well off. Like Pohsh grappler Johnny Czeslaw he has had some very ham times. Boscik's father died w.hen he was three and he left home ten years later to find work down the mines as a messenger boy. Then came the 1956 uprising.

He and a Yugoslav friend fled to freedom across the Austrian border and he has not been back to Hungary since. Upon arriving in Britain, Zoltan joined the Coal Board's training camp at Skegness, Lincolnshire for a time.

When offered the chance to make professional wrestling his career he did not hesitate, this wa~S hardly surprising as Zoltan had already considerable ex,perience behind him for he had won the national junior lightweight title while in Hungary.

Now he is one of the top star's in this country and his great variety of holds- the full Nelson, side headlock and self stmnglehold are favourite "weakners" of his- have earned him many out­standing victories. He has gained plenty of experience in televised wrestling and has also fought for the European lightweight championship.

Perhaps his most memorable T.V. appearance was against Lean Fortuna at Barking Assembly Hall on August 20th, 1966. Both boys brought off some clever moves, with Zoltan gaining a fall in the sixth round and Leon in the seventh. Both almost snatched the winner in round eight, but it was fitting that at the final bell the contest should end as a draw.

If this bout was Boscik's most polished display on television, then his Royal Albert Hall appearance

Znltan Bcscik with a wristlock and arm lever en AI Miquet

[Photo: H . G . Stevens]

which stands out the most, must be that in April, 1966, when Dale ·Martin Prom otions introduced, for the first time at this famous venue, the American version of "Tag Team" wrestling.

Boscik teamed up with that French mat wizard Julien Morice and took on the more experienced "taggers" Jon and Peter Cortez, of Dulwich. In a thrilling bout which la,sted over 20 minutes the Cortez brothers just snatched the deciding fall.

One of Z oltan's unluckiest defeats in single combat also occured at the Albert Hall- against Alan Sargeant in October, 1967. The lighter Boscik made much of the running and came off the ropes in a perfect break ~fall to take Sargeant down for the first fall in round three. Zoltan went close with seveml other pin fa ll attempts but Sargeant, who at that time was enjoying a s:hort rei<_!n as British welterweight champion, gained a lucky win willh a fifth round drop-kick.

Boscik, the official lightweight champion of Hungary, has improved a lot in the last 12 months and now dreams of taking the world championship from that master of the ring George Kidd. Maybe Z oltan will have to wait until after Kidd has ret ired before he can really hope to take that title, but in the meantime I am sure he will account for most of the other top wrestlers in the lighter weight das·ses.

TONY FLOOD

Page 17

Sid Cooper with a single leg Boston on his

opponent [Photo: Geo. Reid]

Mike Eagers gains a submission from Alan Dennison using a

reverse hangman's hold

[Photo: Geo. Reid ]

BOTTOM LEFT Spencer Churchill about to turn Dave Morgan for a Boston crab

[Photo: H. G. Stevens]

BOTTOM RIGHT Reverse double ann stretch for Steve Veidor from Johnny Czeslaw

[Photo : H . G. Stevens]

Larry Coulton goes for a pressure hold on John Scott

[Pho to: Geo. Rcid ]

THE BIGGEST RING NEWS OF THE YEAR, PLUS KNOCK-DOWN DRAG-OUT ACTION ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH AS BOB LEONARD REPORTS FROM

s STOP-PRESS NEWS FLASH!!

Regina, Saskatchewan promoters, Bob Cooke and A l Hasenfratz have just announced that after months of negotiation, "The Battle of the Year" has been signed for an early card here- United States Heavyweight Champion A re hie "The Stom;;er" Gouldie vs. North American and Canadian Heavy­weight Champion W aldo von Erich! The match, ordered by the National Wrestlin~ Alliance, will have all three titles at stake, leaving the winner the most honour-bedecked grappler in the world today. And "THE WRESTLER" will be on hand from dressing room to mid-ring in the next issue, with fully illustrated coverage to take i-ts readers ril!ht uo to the final bell. DON'T MISS THIS SPECIAL REPORT!

DATELINE REGINA

"The Blitzkrieg from Berlin" is one of the more polite names fans here call hulking Teutonic grappler Waldo von Erich- and after the jack-booted belter's latest efforts here, his unpopularity has plummetted to a startling new low!

After a whirlwind campaign -that rocketed him into main event contention, von Erich really turned on the heat against his opponents. Fir,st to fall in top match action was Jack Pesek, the ultra-scientific American veteran, who found out the hard way that science is no match for wily Waldo',s flashing boots and crashing fists . The burly German overwhelmed a game Pesek, squashing him into defeat with deadly kneedrops ... then a week later, turned his vicious attention to towering "Ox" Baker, rt:he 6ft. Sins., 21st. Iowa farm boy with the rib-cracking bearhug. Y.on Erich and Baker 'split the first two falls, then turned the heat on high in the final volley. In the midst of the reeling action, von Er.ich downed referee Keith Megson with a misplaced elbow smash, then slammed back into the ropes when "The Ox" snapped a long right battering ram into his chin. It looked like a big night for Baker, but he forgot wrestling's cardinal rule: he turned his back on the groggy German, to help referee Megson back into the action!

Page 20

Titanic "Ox" Baker gets a hard jolt as he meets the boot of Waldo von Erich

Ever the possum, von Erich seized the chance . he scrambled through the ropes, swung on to

the ,top strand, then plummetted down on Baker's unprotected back with a smashing knee! Megson, stunned and unaware of the rope play, saw only "The Ox" stretched full length on the mat with von Erich astride him, 'and lowered the boom with the three-count.

The big man named "Ox", though, was ne'Ver one to be denied. He demanded- and got- a second shot at Waldo, one that s~aw him fling the Teuton terror from pillar to post with wild abandon. Once more, though, von Erioh's savagery came through in the end- he oaught Baker outside the ring, stunned him with a chair crashed over his balding

skull, then rammed him squarely into the solid steel ringpost. Within seconds, it was more than evident that "The Ox" was finished for the night ... but von Erich wasn't! He once more put the boots to Baker, stopping only when Iron Dave R uhl peeled him off ·the bloodied gmppler, then tossed down a special challenge to bake "The Ox's" place for the balance of the w.ild main event. Canny von Erich, though, wanted no part of Ruhl, until the referee laid down an ultimatum : either wrestle Ruhl then and there, sign to meet him the following week, or leave the West!

Waldo took the second way out- and almost regretted he had. Ruhl bounced him all over the ring when they met, finally ramming through to a first-fall win with an Indian De<11thloc~c that crippled von Erich. The second fall raged out of all control, ending only when Waldo slammed the official t-o the canvas, scooped Ruhl aloft in a bearhug, then drove him down hard on the top rope. This time, though, von Erich's treachery was nipped in the bud - the referee had seen the move to the ropes, and thumbed the arrogant German to the showers.

Sharing the main event limeli~ht with von Erich, though it wasn't to his liking, has been massive Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie. And every time out, the burly Calgarian has proved that his temper gets worse! He's downed every man sent against him in double-quick time, and vows he won't stop his rampage until he's carded against N.W.A . global monarch Gene Kiniski for the big, big ti.t!e. "Why should I settle for less than Kiniski?" queries Gouldie. "I've got the best winning streak ever established here, and I deserve the best opposition. Sure, Kiniski's tough and mean-----<but 'The Stomper' is w ugher and meaner, and that's what counts!" .. . speaking of Gouldie, the American heavies king werut almost down to the wire in a pier-sixer against youthful Norton Jackson here recently, before squas'hing the 18-year-old ring prodigy with three atomic drops. Jackson, who was out of action locally for some eight weeks, showed his mettle well in taking what "The Stomper" had to offer, then roaring back with some ·smashing moves of his own, ,until Gouldie zeroed in with the bac]<Jbreakers. "Not bad for a punk kid!" was acid-tongued Archie's com­ment, which for him is praise of a high order.

Coming on strong as an all-action brawler here is powerhouse "Rock" Rogowski, the bellicose bouncer from Reno, Nevada. The blond cranium­cracker has already .involved himself in mging battles against both f erry and Bobby Christy, and is all set to take off against coloured colossus Art "Sailor" Thomas, the man with the most-----<muscles, th<11t is. The tale goes like this: Thomas presented a special display of muscle control in the Regina r.ing, to a cheering assemblage. The Rook, though, failed to appreciate the tremendous Thomas musculature, and headed ringward to voice his di st<~JSte. Thomas, who must qualify as one of the ring's most even-tempered types, took all the abuse he could, then snapped back at Rogowski with a driving toss across :the ring! That did it- Rogowski threw down the gaunt­let, and .as this is written, is vowing o ut loud he'll

Art "Sailor" Thomas with a smooth body slam to Firpo Zbyszko

crush Thomas in a test of strength. You're a big man, Rock, but "The Sail:or" packs a big wallop in those 21-inch arms. Yes, that's right, 21 inches!

With his massive power, Thomas almost makes this sport of grappling look e<~JSy. He toyed with veteran Firpo Zbyszko in his latest showing here, finally dumping the shaven-headed Pole with a bear­hug that easily rivals the crushing effort of "Ox" Baker. Latest quotable quote from Thomas : "let me referee when Waldo von Erich or The Stomper' is wrestling- they'll pay .attention to the rules, or else !" Consideting <the way offici'als .are being manhandled by the pair, promoters are starting to think twice about taking likeable Art ·Up on the offer.

It was "welcome back" this month to an old friend from the prairie ring wars who hasn' t aged a bit in the five years since we've seen him. That's St. Louis, Missouri's f oe Millich, Jr. , one of this sport's most likeable and knowledgeable men. And by knowledgeable, we mean on the rmat-jol:tin' Joe, though he's only 5ft. 9ins. and a touch over 16-st., can tangle with the best of them, and come out on

Page 21

top most times. His recent tie-up with Bobby Christy, another of the malt's fast movers, gave Millich more than an adequate chance to show just what kind of knots he oan tie the opposition in ... physically, Millioh bears quite a resemblance to Britis-h veteran Bernard Murray, whom we've never seen but have heard much.

Bad-tempered Gil Hayes, alias "Master Scarlet" these days as he campaigns under a blazing red hood, headed from bad to worse in the ring. Never one to hold back on an opponent, Hayes now zeroes in with a more devasting attack <than ever. His all-out attack, plus the fact that he has donned a mask, has brought the wmth of the crowd down on his blond head ... Jerry and Bobby Christy, the North American Tag Team Champions, Jacking foes these days for title defenses, are heading more and more into single competition. "We'd like to defend t he title," they say, "but everyone's shooting for single wins. So, we'll split up for a while." The sleeper hold experts are just as good in single bouts as in tags, and their initial one-man matohings have more than borne this out.

Trouble's on the way! Big trouble, in the hulking form of Stan "The Assassin" Stasiak, the 6ft. Sins ., 21st. brawler who made such an impression here twelve months ago. The bearded belter's savage attentions, according to letters received from him lately, are focussed on just two men: "The Stomper" and Waldo von Erich! "As you know", Stasiak writes, "I piled up one of the biggest winning records ever seen in that :par.t of the country. I don't intend to let anyone, least of all 'The Stomper' or von Erioh, upset that record. So I'm heading back, soon, and I want both of them in the ring~preferably all in one night, so I can clean <up the mess all at one time!" The fans, who heartily detested big Stan here last year, may just regard him this time as an avenging angel: they've had all they can take of von Erioh and Gouldie, and it seems any man who could down <them both would have to be welcomed with open a11ms.

SIDELIGHTS

Calgary mat boss Stu Hart has just announced the signing of one of the mat world's all-star cards for this year's exciting edi<tion of the world-renowned CALGARY STAMPEDE! "It's going .to be perhaps the biggest night of championship matches ever arranged in any North American city," Hart exulted. "We've got Gene Kiniski , the world titli·st, signed, sealed and delivered for the main event- and that's just the start. The Christys will defend their tag team rtiltle, irf they've still got it then; the North American, U.S. and Canadian titles will go on the block; and we might just come up with some more surprise·s too!" The card, set for Monday, July 8th, is expected to dmw a record crowd through the turnstiles of cavernous Stampede Corral-and as always, "THE WRESTLER " will be on hand with a full report on the big show's "Tournament of Champions" . . . . Archie Gouldie, the feared "Stomper", works hard at maintaining that Tock-hard

Page 22

Rock •Rogowski zeroes in for a 19st. landing right on target Jerry Christy

body that wrecks opponents so methodically. Starting off the day for Gouldie are 300 sit-ups and 300 push-ups, plus 100 deep knee-bends. If his travelling schedule leaves any free time, "The Stomper" is liable to run five or six miles to boot! Small wonder, then, that he'·s reg·arded as one of the best­conditioned aJthletes this nation ever produced ... phenomenal Art "Sailor" Thomas, on the other hand, depends mainly on weightlifting to keep his 19st. in trim. "A lot of wrestlers shy away from the weights as training devices," he says, "but I feel they keep me in the best condition." And one look at the muscular Thomas superstructure should convince even the skeptics that Art's got a good point!

British mat buff·s are lucky indeed to have a look recently at Wes,tem Canadian product Reg Parks, one of the best-built of the mat brigade. Powerful Reg is no stranger to this corner- we've watched him come along from an opening event grappler some 12 years back, to the pinnacle of success he occupies today in arenas literally the world over. "Parks is one of the smoothest wrestlers around," "Rock" Rogowski tells us, "and I know: I've had enough trouble agaimt him! Pinning Parks is like trying to hold on to a boa constriotor!" Stu Hart, the veteran grappler-promoter, started Edmonton, Alberta-born Reg on the road to success and regards him as one of the best of scores of men he's intro­duced to the ring ranks.

That's "30" for this time from "RINGSIDE CANADA"- and Regina, the home of all-action grappling in the West!

THE BELGIAN SCENE By WALTER VAN UYTFANGH

In Antwerp, Brussels and Ostend, promoter Piet

Brackeniers brings to the fans top-quality bouts

with stars of the high calibre of Le Petit Prince,

the 23-year-old French featherweight, and Bobby

Genele, another young French wrestler, both of

whom are familiar figures to television viewers on

the continent. Also to be seen are: -

ERIC BRAZIL

This 23-year-old middleweight from Antwerp is the

son of the former Belgian mat star Sus Labrosse.

Having made his debut in the professional ring in 1967

he has triumphed in a series of tough bouts, losing only

to the Chinese star China Dragon.

JEAN-PIERRE HANSEN

This up-and-coming lightweight wrestler from Brussels,

though new to the professional ring, has shown great

improvement, and much is expected of him in the

future. Appearing at Brussels and Luik he has gained

his ring knowledge the hard way by wrestling heavier

and more experienced men than himself.

TONY JORDAN

Having been in wrestling for ten years, Tony Jordan

is more well-known on the Belgian circuits, usually

wrestling at welterweight. His home town is Jumetz,

a small industrial town in Belgium.

• • •

*

*

* Page 23

The Evergreens JUsTF~~~'lwAv

Frank Hurley with a straight arm twist on El Greco [Photo: H. G. Stevens]

Have you ever stopped to wonder about the special magic that makes wrestling such an important part of the lives of so many people in this country and other parts of the world. Not only does this peculiar "bug" affect the paying customers, most wrestlers •are just as badly bitten!

After many years of top-line grappling, more than a few of our leading stars have been able to go into business on their own account, yet they are prepared to move heaven and earth just to get back into the ring for the occasional bout.

Remember Jack Pye, the lovable villain with the sea front club and string of enterprises at Blackpool? He wasn' t finally forced to say farewell to wrestling until 1963 and then at tlhe age of 59!

Jack was certainly somet,hing of a phenomenon, but he was by no means alone in his feeling for the business that had loved to hate him for so many years. Demere Mushavias, M.l.Mech.E., a Man­chester business tycoon was also only forced in quite r·ecent times to quit the ring altogether after campaigning with great success over the years as Hassan A li Bey.

And while having a mther less exotic sounding name the hold of wrestling over Australian globe

Page 24

trotter Frank Hurley is just the same, although Frank is fortunate in being able to still get into action from time to time.

Here is one heavyweil9ht who can justly claim to have wrestled them all, and as his infrequent appearances today prove, one who can still teach the youngsters a few tricks.

Frank Hurley's wrestling reminiscences would fill volumes. For j.nstance how many other stars can claim to have had their first real contest in a German prisoner of war camp?

After being captured in the fall of Crete, the story goes that the boyish Hurley and a few other amateur wrestling enthusiasts in the camp entertained their fellow Austmlian and New ZeaJ.and pnisoners with wrestling contests.

It was nearly 20 years ago that Frank came sweeping into Britain and through the heavyweight ranks like a breath of fresh wind from the outback and headlong into clashes with stars of the era like massive Ray St. Bernard, Harry Brooks, Ernie Kingston, and, of course, the one and only Bert Assirati.

Hurley and the indestructible Bert figured in some of the bloodiest battles of the decade and with such performances behind hrim it was with a glowing reputation that Hurley went off to Canada and the United States in the early 1950's.

One of his first adversaries was a huge French Canadian strongman Paul Baillarf?eon and a good display earned Frank a series of matches against the Canadian kingpin of the day, the British s•tar who took the Amer-ican continent by storm, Manchester's "Lord'' J an Blears.

Eventually after a couple of years in the Uncited States Hurley was off to Australia, but the travelling urge soon re-turned and it was back to the U.S.A. where the familiar reckless, rule-bending approach to his wrestling often got Hurley into scrapes with the fans.

I,t also brought him cons·idemble success and matches wrirth top liners like the then World Cham­pion claimant Buddy Rogers, Roy Shire, now a successful promoter, and even the "Golden Greek" J immy Londos.

Eventually after travels through Europe and as far East as India, Hurley returned to Britain a few years back and campaigned regularly in the South, an evergreen who could always be relied upon for something out of the ordinary in aobion and thrills.

Wrestling has been pushed into the background to a certain extent these days but ~thankfully, not completely, and Frank still finds time to follow his other great love, ballroom dancing, a topic on which he is happy ·to converse writh wrestling fans with the knowledge of 'an expert!

RUSSELL PLUMMER

TERRY JDWETT Of all sports, according to White Eagle Terry

Jowett, wrestling is undoubtedly the best! And this Wakefield welterweight ought to know because he's tried a whole host of others including judo, badmin­ton, football, swimming, bJxing, cricket and rugby before choosing bhe professional mat as his C<!>n:er.

Terry is probably known better as the tag partner of Johnny Eagles, but he is alsJ an accom­plished solo fighter.

He was first introduced to professional wrestlin g through his elder brother who never missed a tournament at the Iocal venue. By accompanying him from time to time the glamour of the ring captured the young Jowett's imagination and he decided at an early age bhis was the career he would like to follow.

During his National Service in 1956 Terry played football for the A~rmy and he also had his first acquainbance with boxing while in the forces.

Having [earnt some judo at school the ke was already broken when Terry took the plunge into ·the pool of amateur wrestlers at Bradford's HiUtop Club.

T1he enthusiastic J owett was quick to leam and a£ter winning the Northern Counties Amateur Wrestling League Championship Ernie Baldwin asked him to ·turn professional which he duly did in 1962.

Then fate struck Terry Jowett a cruel blow. In his very first months as a professional mat man he badly dislocated his shoulder. If he was ever to wrestle again, doctors told 1him, an operation to insert a pin would be necessary. After the operation his arm being very ·weak he could not even use it to lift a 2lb. weight above his head. In less than ten weeks he was pressing up over 80lbs. with the same arm. So rapid was his recovery that even the surgeons came to watch him when he had recovered sufficiently to return to the ring.

Virtually back to square one, the undaunted J o~ett began making a name for himself all over agam.

The following year he met J ohnny Eagles and they decided to team urp as a tag twosome, now five years later they are known in rings throughout the country as "The White Eagles."

It was almost as if these two were destined to become tag partners for by strange coincidence, while in the A~rmy Terry became the proud possessor of a large eagle ~a.ttooed on his chest. Therefore when the two eagle-chested young wrestlers decided

to campaign together as a tag pair it seemed only natural they should call themselves "The White Eagles."

When interviewing J owett he struck me as looking very like Sean Connery, who played the part of Special Agent 007 in the J ames Bond films. I mentioned the likeness to him. "You',re not the only one who's told me that," grinned Terry, "I run a grocer's shop in Wakefield and on the wall is a large photograph of myself. It's amazing the number of people who, on seeing the picture, think I'm a Sean Connery fan ! "

Terry Jowett with a back hammer on Ray Clarke [Photo: G eo. Reid ]

The Bond-like wrestler also owns a chimney­sweeping business. Started by his grandfather almost a century ago, when climbing boys were still in vogue, Terry is now the third generation in the family to own it and ·he cleaned his first chimney at the age of .twelve during his school holidays.

Terry's ambition is to wrestle all over the world. South America is where he'd like to visit most.

Unfortunately being among the li ghter wrestlers his opportunities for travelling are not so great as those offered to the heavy brigade. However TeHy has plans to wrestle in France and Spain this summer. We wish him every success in this his first foreign tour.

GEORGE W. MITCHELL

Page 25

Tthe death of Mr. Whatham, chairman of the British Amateur Wrestling Association, took place during April. Mr. Wha:tham's death is a sad loss to wrestling, a sport to which he dedicated his w.hole life as wrestler and administrator. We extend our sympathy to his farrnily at this sad time.

The British championships took place in London last month, and provided more controversy than for many years (results at the end of column rtwo). The wrangling that has gone on since is not far short of disgraceful; it appears that some wrestlers cannot accept defeat gracefully. With Olympic places depending on the results a certain amount of tension was inevitable, and in one case poor officiating was to blame for the discontent. However, the arguments are still going on up and down the country, and an incorrrect and premature press release in the North did nothing to help the situation. The wily Dennis Gilligan regained the bantamweight title with some very steady and craftsmanlike wrestl.ing, but brother Stan could not get near in the light­wei~ts. Ron Grinstead and Dennis McNamara retained previously held titles also. New names on the trophies were McConnell, Till and McCourtney, the latter wrestled better than he has ever done in the past, and was outstanding in a very good weight class. Tony McConnell, of Manchester, zoomed through at light-heavyweight, and only did about nine minutes wrestling all afternoon, such was the speed with which this .former England Judo team captain disposed of his opponents.

I met ~hat amazing man of the mat, Frank Nottingham, in London recently. Frank, in his mid­fifties, is still wrestling in competitions, and is still a puzzle to his adversaries and a delight to the spectator•s with his unorthodox •style. Frank has got over a severe leg injury to hit the come-back trail; acts as club secretary; and is contemplating a one­man invasion of the ·Highland Games this SummeL He competed several years back, and ha·s a standing invitation to return. I'll be up at Braemar in August, and I look forward to seeing this crafty, and highly entertaining wrestler in action.

I also enjoyed a long chat with those two driving forces of Sourhern wrestling, Ken Hooper and Roy

Page 26

Williams. I always feel that while there are men of their calibre on the wrestling scene the sport will go from strength to strength. Both men forecast that over the next few years the South will take over the lead in wrestling, so long dominated by Northern wrestlers, and if the hordes of talented juniors and inte11mediates are anything to go by they w.ill be proved correct in their prophecy.

Three former champions announce that this is their last season in top-class competitive wrestling. Ken Stephenson, of Bury, and Stan Gilligan, of Barton, both ex-lightweight champions ,have decided to call a halt, and concentrate on coaching young­sters. I feel disappointment in the recent champion­ships is partly the cause. Dennis Gill.igan, the current bantamweight champion has also declared a simila·r intention. Allied to Albert Aspen's departure some months ago, and I see why the Southerners are hoping to dominate Br.itish wrestling in the futur·e. At this stage it is worth noting that one Northern wrestler who made a big imprression in the championships was Keith Morris, of Fails­worth. In London, they regard the energetic Morris as a potential champion of the near future.

Another stalwart wo11ker in wrestling circles, and largely unheralded, is Morrie H untley, of the Viking Club. Morrie founded this famous club, and it has developed into one of the largest and most successful in Britain. The organisation is such that other clubs could well learn from .it. I would like to thank Morrie for rthe great welcome he gave me in London, and for making me an honorary member of the Vikings; the badge arrrived safely, Morrie. Thank you.

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Flyweight-Rhodes, Bradford A.W.C. Bantamweight- Gilligan, Barton A.W.C. Fearherweight- McCourtney, Scotland. Lightweight-Till, London. Welterweight- Shacklady, Barton A.W.C. Middleweight- Grinstead, London. Light-Heavyweight- McConnell, Barton A.W.C. Heavyweight- MoNamara, Metropolitan Police.

EDDIE CALDWELL

Juri Borienko

One thing that the wrestling fan demands from a bout is plenty of action. The sort of fast, furious frenzied action that has him jumping up and down in his seat with exoitement.

This sort of wrestling is usually provided by British heavyweights, but a few of the overseas stars are sometimes a little slow and ponderous. However, this is crtainly not the case with the Russian giant Yuri Borienko, one of the most exciting- and rugged- grappling stars to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain.

Forearm smashes, head butts and shoulder charges are his main weapons, but his well-built frame is also used to talcing punishment as he has had to do quite often- especially in recent bouts with Roy St. Clair and the bespectacled French judoka Professor Adiwasser.

It was against Adiwasser, the wrestling under­taker from Paris, that Borienko suffered his mos1 disappointing defeat of the year at the Royal Albert Hall in April last (1968). It was in the annual international heavyweight knockout tournament and Borienko had high hopes of winning it. Instead he lost his concen1ration for one fatal moment in his first round bout with Adiwasser and the Professor gained a submission hold to reach the semi-final. The eventual winner of the tournament, incidently, was the young German star W olfgang Starck.

Borienko, alas, has suffered several times from bad luok and has not had as much success rin .this country as he perhaps deserves with his tough ring t1ctics. He has made quite a big name for himself, however- both inside and outside of the ring.

Some time ago he appeared on television in the Adam Adamant series. Yuri played •the part of a Russian servant in one of the episodes.

Yuri, who has earned the title "The Mighty Russian", comes from Moscow and actually the correct spelling of his name is "Yure Borenko" he told me. Yure, in fact, means "George" in English.

He is certainly a colourful wrestler and often draws gasps from the crowd as he proudly climbs into the ring wearing full Russian dress.

Yuri says that one of his hardest contests has been that against England's Billy Joyce, in Bradford. Considering the mighty Russian has fought in most countries of the world during his comparatively short career, that really is a big compliment.

Yuri recalls •bhat he had to flee from his country and claim poloitical asylum. He "escaped" from the Red Army and sailed to Persia by himself under cover of the night.

Telling me how his mother had died when he was eight years old, Yuri said that before he escaped he and his sister had to go to an Army school­which is like our cadets- whilst his elder brother went to a Naval school. "I did not have much choice as my father was in the Army at the time and unable to look after us", he commented.

It was this situation which led to him fleeing to Persia, which he did by "Pinching a sailing boat and crossing the Caspian Sea." Added Yuri : "My family are now scattered about Rus·sia and much as I would like to go back there I'm afraid I can't."

Yuri Borienko posts Pat Barratt [Photo: H . G . Stevens]

From Persia, Borienko went to America for two years getting a Californian businessman to sponsor him. "I had a lot of trouble with the language and went to night-school to study," he informed me.

Having had two years experience of amateur wrestling, which he turned to from Boxing, Yuri decided to go into the professional sport the hard way. His early bouts took place in Chicago where he met some of the toughest grapplers in the game. "Wrestling is harder out there, but I did not find it too tough" he told me.

Continued on Page 29

Page 27

!(epfJrt ftfJ/11 NfJttingiJam It is not so very long ago that wrestling fans

in the North looked with envious eyes at 'the big international programmes billed for some of the larger-type Southern halls and the Royal Albert Hall , London, in particular.

Not so nowadays! Last year George de Relwyskow had shows at ,the Queen's Hall, Leeds, and later at the Town Hall in the same city, that were of the hi~hest possible standard with almost every leading sta!f of British and European wrestling appearing on the same night to packed audiences.

Spectators in the Midlands flock to see promoter Ted Beresford's extra special presentations at the Ice Rink, Nottingham, which are held at intervals during the year in addition to the usual fortnightly programmes at the local Victor.ia Baths Halls.

It was my privilege, along with my wife and Mr·s. Phyllis Tracey, wife of a well-known Hospitals' broadcaster and producer in Huddersfield, to attend M1·. Beresford's most recent "wrestling spectacular" at the Ice Rink.

And what a programme it turned out to be! Very often, you know, it ,is possrble for big wrestling tournament·s to turn out to be sometihing of a disap­pointment. Reasons for this are many and varied. Perhaps an ambitious piece of match-making by the promotoc may not just come off or possibly one or two of the wrestlers could be feeling off colour.

But on this occasion an exceptionally high standard of professionalism was reached in the opening bout and maintained throughout the ~ourna­ment- an occasion of which the promoter and wrestlers could feel justly proud-they :had all, to put it bluntly, "earned their brass."

George Kidd, Alan Colbeck, The Royal Brothers, Les Kellett, Mick McManus and Jackie Mr. T.V. Pallo, Julien Morice, were all there, with others, to make it a t•ruly memorable night for the 6,500 fans who packed this magnificent arena.

The fireworks began with an opening bout between Wake•field's Alan Colbeck and the brilliant young deaf and dumb star from Sheffield, Mike Eagers who were wrestling for the former's European welterweigiht crown.

Colbeok retained :his title with a typically aggressive and thoroughly professional display, but Eagers fully justified his claim as a serious challenger for the title and put up a fine performance.

There was no fall until the seventh round when Eagers, who had pmviously resisted Colbeck's attempts to force a submission from his opponent with a Boston crab, had the crowd :howling with delight as he pulled off a spectacular double inside hank assisted by a bridge for the first fall.

Co1beck, although obviously the more experien­ced of the two men, failed to hide his annoyance at conceding this fall and, in grimly determined mood, he ultimatdy forced a submission from Eagers in

Page 28

round nine with a front head chancery which had been applied almost continually throughout the eighth round. Eagers then signalled his retirement before the start of the tenth round.

Fans will probably be interested to hear of my notes for the remainder of the programme and the difficulty is which bout to mention first and so-on. In an attempt to remain impartial, the following bouts are recorded in programme order!

Second on <the bill was an eagerly awaited clash between J ackie Pallo and Mick McManus, who have recently been producing some hair-raising contests when matched together after that long period when each complained that he was being avoided by the other.

'Jlhe fans had no reason to grumble as the pair went for one another and continued, hammer and tongs, for the whole bout.

Pallo, it must be admitted, had the better of the early exchanges, call them skirmishes if you like, and "Mr. T.V." took a well-earned lead in the second round w,ith his most popular hold-a pile-driver and follow-through shoulder press.

The rounds ·were of ten minutes' duration­unusual this .for middleweights- and it was not until the fourth, and final round that McManus drew level with a body slam and press.

Both wrestlers pleaded with referee Ernest Baldwin for ano'ther round and the ex-British heavyweight champion, who had handled t!he contest in exemplary fashion, agreed and so a further furious ten minutes were witnessed with both wrestlers being slung out of the ring in .turn. Came the end of the additional round and neither man had obtained a winning fall .

·MoManus indicated a desire to carry on until either man was declared the winner but after a few heated •words, Pallo hurried out of the ring w,ith the shouts of McManus-"Jackie 'I'm a coward' Pallo" ringing in his ea11S.

The following bout could have been expected, perhaps, to be something of an anti-climax, but into the ring stepped the ,incomparable George Kidd to defend yet again his World lightweight championship title and belt against .the brilliant Frenchman Julien Morice.

Despite the fact that Kidd brougiht the bout to an early end, gaining the winning fall in the sixth round, it was a classic contest which had many in the huge crowd spellbound, no doubt fascinated by Kidd's extraordinary manoeuvres and the lightning reflexes of the Frenchman.

George went ahead in the third round with a splendid double reverse arm lever and shoulder press and continued to press home his advantage in the following round after enticing his opponent into one of his famous body scissors.

Morice fought baok pluckily and with more than a little skill and Kidd was forced to submit follow.ing a spinning double leg lever.

Eager to finish the bout at the earliest oppor­tunity, the Scot·sman did just that when he pulled off a spectacular sum board submis·sion at the beginning of round six.

A<fter the interval, the vastly under-rated Leon Arras (Barnsley) tackled Les "The Fox" Kellett (Bradford). Les is, of course, a great favourite with the crowds and the •spectator reaction in this bout was about as noisy as in any other bout.

Kellett's own inimitable style was met by Arras, who was determined not to be the underdog and who himself drew shouts of approval from the crowd for his all-action display, coupled with his asides to the ringside spectators.

For the record, Kellett had the first fall when he trapped Arras with a double leg snatch and folding press; Ar-ras replied in the fourth round with a reverse waist hold and press off the ropes and Kellett took the winner in the next round with another leg snatch and press after Arras had claimed he had won with a Boston orab submission. Arras had a legitimate claim for he thought that the referee had tapped him on the back to signal Kellett's retirement.

He had, unfortunately, fallen for one of the oldest tricks, fm Kellett had squirmed round on the canvas and tapped his opponent himself!

This magnificent tournament was completed by a special challenge tag team contest between the fi11mly established combination of Bert Royal and brother Vie Faulkner and what must be the brightest young team in the country- Steve Clements (Hud­dersfield) and Mick McMichael (Doncaster).

The result was a draw, but only after ·the Royal brothers had suffered one or two narrow escapes. These four middleweights really threw all they had into the contest and fully deserved the terrific cheers they received at the end of the bout.

Clements obtained the first fall with a clever flying double leg Nelson off the ropes on Vie, and Faulkner himself replied later on with a reverse double leg Nelson on Clements.

Finally, a word a:bout the much maligned "third man" of the wrestling ring.

The referee in the two championship bouts was foe Hill, of Bradford, who, despite the faot that he is np longer a "youngster", and with all due respect to our other premier referees (Lou Marco, "Tiny" Carr, Max Wall, George Wade, Lew Roseby, Jackie Cunningham, and, of course, Doug R elwyskow), Joe has surely earned the title of Britain's No. 1 referee.

His appearance in the ring is always nothing short of immaculate, while his control, whether in a championship contest, a run-of-the-mill bout, or a "rough house" is always to be admired.

JOHN GLEDHILL

ELDON YOUTH CLUB

Dear Sir,

for the physically handicapped

C. C. McLean, 36 Allen Road,

CROYDON, CRO 3NT.

28th April, 1968.

I would like to say how very proud our Club the Eldon Youth Club for the physically handi­capped are to have "Wild" Ian Campbell as Vice-President of our Club's Building Fund.

Our Club are hoping to raise £25,000 for a New Club House, our p-resent headqua11ters is under the threat of demolition.

Ian became interested in our Club when we wrote to him in the early part of April this year, to ask him if he would be a Guest Celebrity at our Building Fund's Dance on the 19th April, at the Wallington Public Hall, Croydon. Back came the answer from Ian explaining that although he was wrestling at HERNE BAY the same evening (which is about 70 miles from Croydon) he would be at the Dance by 10.30 p.m. and he was. Ian brought along pictures of himself, autographed them, and sold them for our Club's Building Fund, he also brou&ht along a FOOTBALL which had been signed by ALL THE LEEDS UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB, so that we can auction the ball at the end of the football season.

Ian talked and danced with our Club Members, and was the last person to leave the hall at 12 .. 15 a.m. Yes Ian is truly a &reat guy, and by far the nicest personaHty our Club have ever had the pleasure to meet.

Yours faithfully, C. C. MoLean

(Chairman for Eldon Youth Club for the physically handicapped).

YURI BORIENKO Continued from Page 27

While on the American continent he visited Mexico ·and Canada and was in Cuba at the begin­ning of ·the revolution. Since then he has also wrestled in France and Spain. "I do quite a lot of travelling and although I find boat trips very pleasant I prefer to fly. It is much easier," he says.

The Rus·sian, who is in his early thirties, does a lot of weight lifting. He a lso enjoys swimming and fishing and quite ofiten spends his leisure moment<s at the cinema.

TONY FLOOD

Page 29

FAN CLUB FAVOURITES

MikeEagers tops the poll

AGAIN!!

The drawing power of heavyweights seems to be on the increase al·though some of the lighter men are still the top favourites with the fans . This is the conclusion I draw from the recent annual popularity poll conducted by the A-Z W_restlers' Fan Club, the Iargest and most comprehensive poll of i1ts kind in this country.

This month, instead of looking at a single wrestler in the Fan Club Favourites feature, we look at more rthan 30, the wrestlers supported by this still growing club and just how they fared in the voting.

Obviously the poll was restricted to the wrestlers on the club's list and it cannot be taken as a com­plete guide to national taste, al,though as most types and styles of wrestling in the different weight classes are represented the poll must be regarded as a pretty broad cross section.

Even more significant is the appearance at the top of the list for the second year running _of the Sheffield welterweight Mike Eagers, and with an increased poll the deaf and dumb star finished ahead of the Royals tag combination and Billy Robinson.

Eager's rise ·to the top of the wrestling tree was little short of spectacular and now there seems every chance of him adding championship honours in the near future, with his ability developing all the time.

Wi'th the lighter men well to the fore, Bert Royal .and Vie Faulkner running Eag~rs for the top spot, it was interesting to see how highly the ~-Z Club members rate some of the top heavyweight stars and I believe thi·s is a reflection of a big increase in the popularity of the top weight classes.

Modern heavyweight wrestling is vastly different from what it was only 10 or 15 years ago and the space-age personalities like Steve V eidor, A lbert Wall and Robinson move with speed undreamed of a short span of t~me ago.

Wi,th champion Robinson well to the fore and sharing .bhe runners-up honours with the Bolton _tag team favourites it was Southern-based Hungar·Ian, Tibor Szakacs who came next in the listings.

Page 30

Ted Heath in mid flight from a throw by Mike Eagers [Photo : Geo . R eid]

Tibor has been travelling extensively in the winter months, pushing his daims for championship openings in both the heavyweight and mid-heavy­weight div·isions, and obviously his willingness to travel the country has brought an increased vote.

Yet while I attribute high speed heavyweight aotion as the main !'eason for the popularity boost, a campaigner of the old school is right up wi·~h

Szakacs and Robinson in the ratings, and Count Bar{elli, unfortunately, is still seen only in a comparatively small area of the country apart from odd occasions.

It is a great tribute to Bartelli's uncanny ability and hold over a crowd that after all these years he is still to the fore in 1the fans' minds and ahead of other A-Z supported heavyweight stars such as Veidor, Wall and John Lees.

How muoh weight and importance do fans attach to titles? Not a grea~ deal if the position of Bradford's Jimmy Breaks outside the first ten is any true indication. I aJ.ways feel that it is rthe ohampion, mther than the belt he wears, that makes the difference.

And while talking of individual personalities I was not too much taken aback to find Peter Maivia well up in the lists. Although his inclusion in the A -Z Club is a little ambiguous since Maivia has a club of his own, none of the people who voted for him can have •seen Maivia for over a year- unless they have travelled in France, Australia and New Zealand!

Pres~dent of the A-Z Club is Brian Dixon, of 81 Fountain Street, Higher Tranmere, Birkenhead, and regu~ar news of this club appears in our monthly Fan Club review.

RUSSELL PLUMMER

AROUND THE FAN CLUBS

(Kangeroo) AI Costello with Don Wilson

With :the Four Stars' Fan Club finding its feet again under the enthusiastic guidance of Ray Message and other clubs reporting increasing memberships, the summer months should see no lessening of activity.

It is pleasing to see the Wrestling Fans' International Association slowly but surely estab­lishing it•self in this count.ry, thanks to the efforts of Ron. M. Farrar, of Pudsey in Yorkshire.

Ron has taken great care to point out to fans who have expressed an interest in this unique international organisation that it supports fan clubs and fan club activities, rather than wrestling or individual wrestlers.

The Federation was formed thanks to the efforts of American fan club enthusiast Don Wilson and plans its fir·st convention in Mankato, Minnesota, for three days in August this year.

There is aJ.so a possibility of the first Bri<tish get together of fan club enthusiasts in Liverpool in November this year, Brian Dixon of the A-Z Club being responsible of the planning of the event.

Brian hopes to have representatives from other clubs as well as his own in attendance on Saturday, November 23rd, which will be a social occasion as much as a wrestling one!

By the time this issue of "The Wrestler" is in circulation the membership of the Peter Maivia Fan Club could well have topped the 100 mark, for when club president Mrs. Dorothy Paget wrote just as we were going to press the figure was well into the 90's.

The club •still eagerly await news of a ·return to British rings by Maivia who should now be back in Europe after his trip to New Zealand. The popular Samoan was certainly given a great reception in New Zealand, where he started his wrestling career.

A dinner given by the Mayor of Wellington was probably the biggest occasion apart from the night in Auckland when Maiv.ia defeated Steve Rickards to win the Australian heavyweight title, but after­wards the Samoan said he did not intend to keep the title as he would not be in the area long enough to defend it.

Jack Mawdsley's hard work for the International Wrestling Supporters' Club is still being rewarded with applications for membei'Ship and the last official figure is more than 230. The seventh issue of the club's publication "Wrestling Scene", edited and produced by Jack is now av·ailable.

Ray Message, new figurehead of the Four Stars' Club has just about finished •wading through the piles of correspondence that had built up in the time before he took the club over and all material had been transfer·red to him from the previous president, Don Ford.

Through this column Ray has asked to be allowed to express his thanks to members who were so patient while .he was finding his feet. An interim newsletter has already gone out and now it is a case of normal service being resumed.

**************

FAN CLUB DIRECTORY

Four Stars' Fan Club Mr. R . Message, 4 Wygate Road,

Spalding, Lincs.

A-Z Wrestlers' Fan Club Mr. B. Dixon, 81 Fountain Street,

Higher Tranmere, Birkenhead, Cheshire.

International Supporters' Club Mr. J. Mawdsley, 72 Belmont Street,

Heaton Norris, Stockport.

Peter Maivia Fan Club Mrs. Dorothy Paget, West LiWeton,

Chippenham, W.ilts.

All Star Fan Club Mi"Ss E. Gower, 42 Church Lane,

Heacham, near King's Lynn, Norfolk.

Wrestling Fans' International Association Mr. R. Farrar, 5 Turner Street,

Parsley, Pudsey, Yorks.

RUSSELL PLUMMER

Page 31

ROYAL ALBERT HALL REPORT RUSSELL PLUMMER AT THE RINGSIDE

TIBOR TAMES MIRACLE MAN FROM CENTRAL EUROPE

Central European heavyweight Le Grand Vladimir, billed •as "rthe Miracle Man" stamped into the Royal Albert Hall ring and threatened to throw Tibor Szakacs into the "gods" if the Hungarian dared to lay so much as a finger on his neatly trimmed beard.

Before il:he main event bout was very old Tibor, angered at Vladimir's persisrtent rule bending, yanked his opponent across the ring by that very beard and despite Vladimir's threats Szakacs kept his feet firmly on the ground to emerge a clear winner.

Cevtainly Vladimir has made a remarkable come-back 1o wrestling after his injury in a British contest against Billy Two Rivers some five years ago, when doctors said he would never walk again.

V~adimir in red •tights and leotard was a ·striking figure with his shaven head and trim black beard and Szakacs found him an awkward customer in the first round and it looked as if Vladimir was set to take the first fall in round ltwo.

Slamming his knee in Szakaos' stomach as he came off the ropes he floored the Hungarian again with an overthrow. However, Szakacs countered brilliantly, springing off the canvas and across Vladimir's shoulders to force him down for the first fall.

Vladimir came back in dete11mined fashion in the ·third round and equalised with a Teve11se double knee shoulder press. Szakacs tried to finish the matoh with a series of chops and drop kicks some five minUJtes later butt still Vladimir tottered in the centre of the ring.

Three more chops failed to put the big man down, then Tibor snatched his legs from beneath him and took the contest with a shoulder press.

Immediately before the main event came what I considered the best bout of the evening, R ay St. Clair taking the place of Doomster's Albert Wall ·against Belgium's Caries V erhulst.

Wall was out of action because 'of a jaw injury and although St. Clair ended up on the receiving end of a knock-out result, for three rounds the young

Page 32

KNOCK-OUT VICTORY FOR BELGIUM'S CHARLES VERHULST

Cornish heavyweight swapped lholds in great style wilth a vastly experienced opponent.

VerhuJ.st, one of the most respected Continental ring generals has travelled extensively but in few places can his skills have been better appreciated than by the Albert Hall fans . The contest ended in the third round, a tremendous high throw off the ropes sending St. Clair crashing down on his back­to stay there while referee Tony Mancelli reeled off the full count.

The mysterious Kendo Nagasaki was another knock-out winner, but not before Ireland's wrestling schoolmaster Sean R egan (Donegal) had given him some anxious moments and had extracted the first submission of ~he bout in the thifd round.

Nagasaki made a ·&pectacular exit from the ·ring via the top rope, iihen as ·the masked man limped back Regan grabbed his legs and 'took the lead with a submtssion to an Indian death lock.

Regan allowed his enthusiasm to run away with itself in •the final round and after charging Nagasaki down he made the mistake of repeating ·the move and rushed headlong inil:o a vicious head chop which brought about the sudden ending.

Steve V eidor seemed to lack his usual sparkle and only just managed to snatch a draw against the huge Oscar V erdu from the United States. The "Crusher" clamped on some powerful body hugs before taking a second round lead with a submission after an overhead back~breaker, Veidor levelling the matoh in round four, slowing Verdu with a head butt before paving the way to his equalising shoulder press wilth a series of drop kicks.

The experience of Julien Morice (Touloose) pitted against the youth and skill of Mike Eagers ~Sheffield) provided some entertaining wrestling before the deaf and dumb Yorkshire st·ar won with a neat fall in the fourth. He trapped Morice in a body scissors from the back and rolled the little French­man over rto hold him in a neat variartion of the dou:ble leg Nelson.

T·he other one-fall contest produced plenty of action and laughs, Masambula, Gambia'.s WTestling "W:itoh Doctor" just having the edge over Man­chester's Abe Ginsburg.

WRESTLING IN THE SOUTH

BEDFORDSHIRE BEDFORD Corn Exchange

BERKSHIRE BRACKNELL NEWBURY READING

Sports Centre Corn Exchange

Town Hall

BUCKINGHAMSHffiE HIGH WYCOMBE Town Hall

CAMBRIDGESIDRE CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange

DEVON

2nd & 4th Monday

1st Saturday 3rd Tuesday 2nd & 4th Tuesday

3rd Monday

3rd Thursday

BARNSTAPLE Queen's Hall 4th Friday TORQUAY 4th Thursday

DORSET WEYMOUTH Pier Every Tuesday

ESSEX CLACTON Princes Theatre 2nd, 3rd, 4th Thursday GRA YS Civic Centre 1st Thursday

GLOUCESTERSHffiE BRISTOL Colston Hall CHELTENHAM Town Hall

HAMPSHffiE BOURNEMOUTH

Winter Gardens SOUTHAMPTON

The Guildhall SOUTHAMPTON

Pier Pavilion SOUTHSEA Pier

HERTFORDSHIRE HEMEL HEMPSTEAD

HERTFORD ST. ALBANS WATFORD

Pavilion Corn Exchan~ote

City Hall The Town Hall

ISLE OF WIGHT RYDE Town Hall

KENT CLIFTONVlLLE Oval DOVER Rio Cinema FOLKESTONE Leas Cliff Hall BERNE BAY Pier Pavilion MAIDSTONE

Agricultural Hall

1st & 3rd Thursday 1st & 3rd Monday

1st Tuesday

3rd Thursday

2nd & 4th Thursday Every Tuesday

1st & 3rd Tuesday 1st & 3rd Tuesday 2nd Friday 2nd & 4th Wednesday

3rd & 4th Wednesday

Every Wednesday 4th Tuesday 2nd, 3rd, 4th Monday 4th Friday

1st, 3rd, 5th Saturday

ROCHESTER The Casino TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Assembly Hall

LONDON AREA CATFORD The Town Hall SHOREDITCH The Town Hall WALTHAMSTOW

Assembly Hall WEMBLEY The Town Hall

NORFOLK GT.YARMOUTH Ma~a NORWICH

1st & 3rd Friday

1st Monday

3rd Monday 4th Wednesday

1st & 3rd Thursday 2nd & 4th Monday

Every Wednesday

Corn Exchange, Harford 2nd & 4th Saturday

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE NORTHAMPTON Drill Hall 1st & 3rd Friday

OXFORDSHIRE BANBURY Winter Gardens 2nd Wednesday OXFORD The Town Hall lst & 3rd Wednesday

SOMERSET WESTON-SUPER-MARE

Winter Gardens Every Monday

SUFFOLK BURY ST. EDMUNDS

Corn Exchange FELIXSTOWE Pier Pavilion

SURREY CROYDON Fairfield Halls GUILDFORD Civic Hall

SUSSEX BOGNOR Esplanade Theatre BRIGHTON Metropole EASTBOURNE

Winter Gardens WORTHING Assembly Hall

WALES CARDIFF

Sophia Gardens Pavilion

WILTSIDRE SWINDON Locarno Ballroom WESTBURY Vista Cinema

T.V. SHOWS CHELTENHAM WATFORD WEMBLEY

Town Hall Town Hall Town Hall

2nd Thursday 2nd & 4th Wednesday

Every Tuesday 1st Tuesday

1st Tuesday 1st Sunday

2nd & 4th Saturday 2nd Monday

2nd Friday

2nd & 4th Monday 1st Thursday

4th Saturday 1st Saturday 2nd Saturday

Page 33

Best Bouts of the Month T.V. WRESTLING

STEVE VEIDOR v COUNT BARTELLI

This heavyweight contest, held at Wolverhampton on April 20th , resulted in Steve Veidor, of Ellesmere Port, suvprisingly losing to ·forme r masked wrestler Count Bartelli. Bartelli was a little disappointing, but his great strength enabled him to hold his own for much of the time. An arm and wris•t lever from Veidor had Bartelli the Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, in trouble towards the end of the first round, however.

In round two it was Bartelli who came on the attack. He gave Veidor trouble with several wrist levers and hurt Steve's left shoulder when Bartelli threw him across the ring . Count Bartelli gained the first fall with a folding body press, which came as quite a shock. Veidor seemed to be touching the ropes but the fall counted .

Veidor obtained a back hammer on his opponent in the third round which he iheld on for some time until Bartelli, through brute st rength, reversed the procedure. Almost immediately Veidor escaped and equalised with a shoulder press after doing a handstand when Bartelli a ttempted to throw him.

Round four began with Bartelli obtaining a side head lock, but Veidor pulled loose and almos·t gained a pinfall. Bartelli then a;pplied a cross -head scissors to the throM. Near the end of the round Veidor applied a full Nelson which took great s trength on Bartelli's part to escape from.

Steve tried many back hammers on Bar·telli's left arm in round five until Bartelli retaliated with a head scissors. Bartelli then gained the winning fall with a folding body press when Veidor tried a hand&tand as ·he was being thrown, but failed to do it quickly enough.

JOHNNY CZESLAW v PAT BARRATT

Most of the excitement in this heavyweight contest between Johnny Czeslaw, of Cracow, Poland, and Dublin's Pat Barratt came in the latter rounds, as the television viewers saw when the bout was screened from Watford on May 1st.

Round three started viciously with •both men reboun­ding from the ropes and Barratt nearly throwing Czeslaw out of the ring. Czeslaw obtained a short arm scissors which he managed to hold on despite several attempts by Barratt to free himself. Eventually Barratt clambered to his feet, hoisted Czeslaw to his shoulders and deposi ted him on the ropes. Barratt was then trapped in a back <hammer, but g-ot free and had Czeslaw in a cross press when the bell signalled the end of the round.

In round four, Barratt, a former Irish amateur champion, sent Czeslaw flying out of the ring. Czeslaw was back like lightning, however, to gain a folding body press for the first fall, after administering a head butt to Barratt's stomach.

Pat soon had Johnny worried in round five with a body check. Czeslaw's shaven head then enabled him to free himself from a side head lock, when he slid from Barratt's grasp. Barratt kept up the pressure and obtained a ~ingle arm stretch before switching to a st rangle !hold at the end of the round.

At the start of round four Czeslaw had a figure four leg hold on Barratt, but Pat replied with two neck stretches, the second of which forced Czeslaw to submit and thus give Barratt the equaliser. J ohnny was unable to cont·inue and referee Jack Cunningham stopped the bout in favour of Barratt. Barratt had to put Czeslaw's neck back into position before the wrestlers left the ring.

MIKE EAGERS v LEON FORTUNA

Televlision viewers joined this welterweight bout at the start of round three, when there was no score between

Page 34

by DAVID BURWASH

the 23-year-old deaf boy from Sheffield, M~ke Eagers, and Tonga's Leon Fortuna . 11he round began with a wrestler's bridge from Eagers from which he switched to a body scisso rs . He then applied a figure four which Fortuna escaJped from by crawling through his opponent's legs. Fortuna then ob tained a single leg Boston, but could not hold it on .

In round four the ringside audience at Walthamstow Assembly Hall were surprised to see tha t when Fortuna tried a folding body press on Eagers the latter rolled himself into a tight ball. Tihis seemed to be one of Eagers' favouri-te escape routes and he used it several times in this bout. Fortuna then tried to weaken Eagers' left leg by applying several leg levers. Eagers was proving to be a slippery customer .however and countered well.

In round five Fortuna threw Eagers a nd upon landing Eagers hurt his left leg. Suddenly the tables were ·turned and Eagers began his assault upon Fortuna's leg. Eagers almost immediately gained the one and only fall required to win the bout in two and a half minutes. This was thanks to an unusual folding body press, with Eagers holding Fortuna down with his legs.

ALAN SARGEANT v MICK McMANUS

This catchweight contest was screened from the same venue as the last bout and on the same day, 4th May. One could tell right from the start what sort of bout it was going to be when Mick MoManus, South-East Welter· weight Champion from New Cross, refused to shake hands with his opponent, former Great Bri·tain Welterweight Champion Alan Sargeant from Romford , Essex .

.Sargeant soon obtained a back hammer and when McManus escaped he banged Sargeant's head on to the top of the ropes. MoManus, who often outwitted his opponent, then gained a head lock and strangle hold only for Sargeant to reply with a backhammer to McManus' left arm. Sargeant continued to work on McManus' arm, but at the end of the round McManus had Sargeant in a head lock and when the bell sounded he threw Sargeant across the ring.

In mund two McManus was in trouble when Sargeant delivered several forearm smashes but he soon recovered to apply a leg hold only to find that the procedure was immediately reversed.

McManus went on the attack in round three with jabs and body slams which so much weakened Sargeant that Mick gained the first fall, a folding body press, with great ease.

During round four McManus threw Alan and ·then pinned him to the ropes where he applied chops to the throat. This brought a pubLic warning for McManus from the referee Tiny Carr. Sargeant decided that it was his turn and in vicious combat both men fell out of the ring and had to be helrped up. Once inside the Ping again, McManus gained a lever against the joint of Sargeant's shoulder but Sargeant retaliated and applied a grape vine.

In round five McManus went on the attack yet again when he threw Sargeant and then held him in a side head lock. However, Sargeant spun out to gain the equalising fall, a folding body press, in only forty-five seconds.

Sargeant seemed to be improving in round six. He began by applying jabs to the head a nd then threw McManus against the corner post. As McManus wa~ leaning on the post, Sargeant took a dive to !head butt him, but McManus was too quick and Sargeant's head thudded against the post. McManus took advantage of the situation, body slammed Sargeant and followed up with a shoulder press to deservedly gain the winning fall.

WRESTLING IN THE NORTH

LANCASHIRE SCOTLAND BLACKPOOL The Tower 4th & 5th Sun. 7.15 p.m. ABERDEEN Music Hall 1st Tuesday 7.30p.m. BOLTON Wryton Stadium 1st & 3rd Fri. 7.30p.m. AYR Ice Rink Every Monday 7.30 p.m. LIVERPOOL The Stadium Every Friday 7.30 p.m. DUMFRIES Drill Hall 1st Friday 7.40p.m. MANCHESTER Every Saturday EDINBURGH

King's Hall, Belle Vue 1st Monday 7.00 p.m. Eldorado Stadium Every Tuesday 7.30 p.m. MORECAMIIE KIRKCALDY Town Hall 1st Thursday 7.30 p.m.

Winter Gardens Every Thursday 7.30 p.m. MIDDLETON TOWERS

Holiday Camp Every Wednesday STAFFORDSHIRE BRIERLEY HILL Public Hall 4th Thursday 7.40p.m. HANLEY Victoria H all 1st Wednesday

LINCOLNSHIRE Every Saturday 7.30 p.m.

CLEETHORPES Pier Pavilion 2nd & 4th Sun. 7.00 p.m. STAFFORD 2nd & 4th Thursday

SKEGNESS Festival Centre Every Wednesday WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Hall 1st & 3rd Tues. 7.30p.m.

NORTHERN IRELAND WARWICKSHIRE BELFAST Ulster Hall 5th Saturday 7.30p.m.

BIRMINGHAM Embassy Sportsdrome 2nd & 4th Mon. 7.30 p.m.

NORTHUMBERLAND SOLIHULL Civic Hall 2nd & 4th Tues. 7.30 p.m.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE City Hall 3rd Saturday 6.45 p.m. YORKSHIRE

BRIDLINGTON Spa Pavilion 1st & 4th Mon. 7.30 p.m. LEEDS Town Hall 1st Saturday 7.30 p.m.

NOTIINGHAMSHIRE SHEFFIELD City Hall 2nd & 4th Wed. 7.30p.m. TROWELL Festival Hall 2nd & 4th Tues. 7.45 p.m. YORK S.S. Empire 1st, 3rd, 4th Mon. 7.30 p.m.

The above venues and dates are correcJ at the time of going to Press. Unless otherwise stated the tournam ents listed are for June, 1968.

SEE LOCAL PRESS and POSTERS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

TONY ELSOON