Icelanders and Bretons provide challenges to local wrestlers at 8 events

This was a strange and amazing week for Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling with eight busy events, two championships, and a saturating, hypothermic day at Grasmere. The Icelanders, briefly, and the Bretons, in a prolonged stay, provided numbers and standards to challenge our own wrestlers.

Jack Brown had an exhausting two days when he won the 12 stonestitleat the Holm Show, followed by a double at Bellingham the same day; and then a day of hard work at Grasmere when he wrestled up in no fewer than four finals without ultimate success. One of those finals was against Ben Brocklebank for the 13 stones Championship. In the semi-final Brocklebank had the closest of bouts against former champion, Richard Fox. For the first fall he buttocked Brown by the ears. For the second fall, Fox managed to leg-up buttock the long legs of Brocklebank, only to lose the decider to an inside-hipe. Brocklebank then won the final in straight falls with a low buttock and finally a back-heel.

One of the themes of the week was a sort of rear-guard action by some top local wrestlers to keep the "furriners" at bay. The Bretons were all highly skilled and numerous in both female and male categories.
Most of the work was done by Andrew Carlile and John Harrington, both of whom added to their Grasmere titles.

On the Bank Holiday Monday at Silloth and Keswick, I lost count of how many last minute hipes and twists gave success to local wrestlers. But at Silloth no-one could completely control Hugo Chonavel who was awarded the trophy for the best performance. At Keswick it was John Harrington who was awarded the Guinness Trophy for the best wrestler.

In the female wrestling it was Connie Hodgson who held the line against five clever Bretons. In the week she accumulated six victories, and the only time she was bested was in the Grasmere All Weights by her own sister, Hannah. Little sister, Rosie, also did well with regular wins at Under 12 Years.

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