Town and Country..........

...........converged on the Gym at Currock House for the first competitive wrestling of the year: Carlisle Wrestling Club's second Points Night. The night began with a big entry of 6 stone wrestlers who mainly lived within walking distance of the academy, and ended over two hours later with the men's heavyweights where the majority of the wrestlers were farmers' sons from all round North Cumbria.

In an action packed night Jack Brown put in one of his best performances to win three categories and the trophy for the best performance. He hiped and twisted his way to win the 6 stones, 7 stones and the Under 12 Years. In all probability he would also have won the 8½ stones, but big sister Katy flattened him in a show of girl power.

The other multiple winner, Joe Harrington, straddled the two parts of the night. His winning battle with the strapping Phil Housby concluded the first part when the gym was filled to overflowing with children and parents. A mass exodus of those with school-the-next-day, leaves the men to battle it out round-robin style in a quieter, more intense atmosphere. Just as he had to wait around in the first half before he wrestled, so Joe Harrington had to watch the lightweights and middleweights before he was in the thick of it once more; with his inside-hipe at its deadly best he fought his way unbeaten through to the end of the night.

Andrew Carlile, Richard Dixon, Richard Fox, and John Harrington were all on the best of form. In a feast of wrestling skill I remember two falls in particular: the decider for the lightweights came when Andrew Carlile struck with a venomous back-heel, only to be turned by Richard Dixon who arched himself round with millimetres to spare. The other startling fall ended the night for Richard Fox. He had been in imperious form in the middleweights, sailing through without losing a fall, and looked like carrying that on in the All Weights when Andrew Carlile brought him down. Most mortals would have been flat on their back from the overwhelming attack made by Fox, but Carlile while falling backwards, but still upright, countered with what my father used to call a “twist off the breest”. The resulting crash to the mat bloodied Fox's nose and left him a spectator for the rest of the night.

With such a high standard of wrestling all round it must be daunting for newcomers, so I applaud Oliver Burbury, a tiny lad from Raughtonhead who gave his all in the boys wrestling, and Matthew Fisher who had no chance against today's best men wrestlers, but wrestled manfully throughout.

Results:

• Carlisle Wrestling Club Points Night
• 6st: 1, J Brown; 2, D Miller; 3, K Miller; 4, D Lawson.
• 7st: 1, J Brown; 2, D Lawson; 3, O Burbury; 4, D Miller.
• 8½st: 1, K Brown; 2, K Miller; 3, J Brown; 4, A Douglas,
• 10st: 1, W Noimai; 2, J Brown; 3, A Ridley; 4, C Ridley.
• Girls: 1, D Thompson; 2, H Douglas; 3, K Brown; 4, C Gawthrop.
• Under 12 Years: 1, J Brown; 2, B Wilde; 3, K Miller; 4, A Douglas.
• Under 15 Years: 1, C Ridley; 2, M Atkinson; 3, P Murray; 4, K Brown.
• Under 18 Years 1, Joe Harrington; 2, P Housby; 3, A Ridley; 4, D Thompson.
• 11½st: 1, R Dixon; 2, A Carlile; 3, M Fisher.
• 13st: 1, R Fox; 2, John Harrington; 3, Andrew Carlile; 4, Richard Dixon.
• All Weights: 1, Joe Harrington; 2, A Carlile; 3, John Harrington; 4, R Dixon.

(Roger Robson is Author of the book 'Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling' published by Bookcase 1999 )

updated January 13th 2007