The 11 Stone Championship starts off the 2018 Wrestling Season
NEWS UPDATES
Sunday May 6th 1.30 Hethersgill Vintage Rally, Carlisle Airport U12/U15/U18/Ladies/11st Championship/13/AW
The 2018 season of Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling begins with a flourish when the 11st Championship title is up for grabs at the Hethersgill Vintage Rally at Carlisle Airport over the May holiday week-end..... then the season has a rest until the YFC Field Day on 26th May.
Andrew Carlile, the present champion won the old trophy at Silloth last year when the Bretons were there in force but all the prizewinners were from Carlisle and Kendal. Andrew Carlile holds the 11st title for the ninth time so is growing used to having the magnificent cup on his mantelpiece.
When the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association was formed in 1906 men were quite simply smaller than now, and the championship weights reflected that. The lightest men's weight was 8½ Stones, and the heaviest weight category was at 11stones, with only the All Weights going beyond. The championship weights have all modified over the years to reflect the normal weights for adults so we now have categories at 12, 13, 14, and 15 stones with the various trophies reallocated or added because of the changes. The result is that only two of the original trophies continue to be allocated to their original weights: the magnificent All Weights and 11st cups, with over a century of wrestling history engraved on them.
The present champion, Andrew Carlile is a wonderful role model for the sport. He has always kept himself meticulously honed, and even as he competesat the highest levels, is also a first rate coach and a committed organiser for the sport both at home and abroad.
An old champion from the Kendal area, Tony Hayhurst has died aged 81 years. His heyday was in the mid 1950s, when he won the Under 18 Championship at Armathwaite in 1953, and the 14st title at Dalston in 1957. He was a farmer/miller and was too heavy for the weight categories and too light to feature as a leading heavyweight so when his younger brother, Peter, showed promise, he stepped back from regular action. He kept the farm going whilst Peter furthered his wrestling career. At one time Tony Hayhurst was recruited by the All-in wrestling circuit, but Jim Bland wryly commented "He was too honest for that game."
Tony Hayhurst's funeral is at Beetham Hall Crematorium (south of Milnthorpe) at 11am on Wednesday 2nd May.
(Written by Roger Robson ..... ©All Photographs on this site are the copyright of Roger Robson, Jill Robson, Julian Richardson, Linda Scott or Webmaster. Unauthorised usage is forbidden {2018} ©)
