The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-26 00:00:00

/

TEE WRESTLING SOCIEVED.}-t-P-E-
-• / - .-:-,7:741,....,
,P--,,
Yesterday, according to ancient cud's* the-nabs : 3,:i.r..,
the Cumberland and Westmoreland `)V:eastAcmgef#94.*ki cilifs
met to contend for suprems.cy in hi*juinPixtg,'*Mttri*.,et 4Z'
g\i;
and other athletic sports. Until this-cycii'tliti imieelliik*Pkeo
always been held at Hornsey-wood, bikt tle-AgrleislltW.`,/,Ce,,,
hall, Islington, being in every way so nini;li liatei-tidalstet.--/
for these games, it was unanimously chosen eiethe plitee o 6
meeting yesterday, and the change in the rendezvous was a
source of satisfaction to all the visitors. The centre of the
hall was enclosed in a kind of long arena thickly laid with
tan and sawdust, while the galleries and ground floor were
set aside for the use of sectators, who went through the
form of paying half-a-crown or five shillings for reserved
seats, but who, when once the little bargain was transacted,
were left to find room in the crowd as they best could. All
the arrangements, in fact, connected with the stalls and re- '
served seats were total failures, as far as regarded giving
the visitors what they had paid for. Much of these blun-
ders of mismanagement may, no doubt, have arisen from
the meeting held for the first time in a strange place, but
most assuredly they will require to be corrected if publie,
support is looked for in these displays.
The games were opened with a hurdle race, which was
won by Mr. Robinson, and this merely pre!iminary bus:-
ness over, the wrestling begau with the Lomlon men of 11
stone—that is to say, with Westmoreland and Cumberland
men who have resided in London for a certain specified
time. The names of those who were to contend were chosen
by lot, which led to some very unequal matching in point of
size, and the games were divided into several rounds, the
many winners of each round afterwards contending among
themselves till the numbers were so reduced that at last the
best men stood face to face. It is needless to go through a '
very long list of competitors, all of whom came on their
heads or backs or shoulders with more or less of violence
as they were thrown one after the other. When the sixth
and last round was called only three remained to contest it
—and these were a man named Tyson, Pearson, a soldier
of the Artillery, and Coulthard,a very powerful young man,
who had thrown all his antagonists with a strength and skill
that made him beyond all dcubt the favourite of the three.
Tyson and Pearson struggled first, and the rather shifty
manoeuvres of the latter to prevent Tyson getting his
hold prolonged the commencement far beyond the
patience of the audience,who were loud in their expressions
of disapprobation. At last they closed, and a keen and
most exciting contest followed. Pearson for a moment
tottered in a most critical position, when it seemed almost
certain that he must be thrown heavily, but by a sudde- j
exertion of equal strength and agility he managed to '
tree
himself, and threw Tyson a clean back fall heavily
to the
ground. He was far less fortunate, however.
with his
bigger and more powerful antagonist, Coaleatard. They
began the struggle almost at once, and in -.a instant Pear-
son was thrown with apparently little 'dart on Coultherd's
part. In the final struggle, howev•
,r, the winner has to get
two cut of three falls, se that 1:
-earson had still two more
chances if he could have availed himself of them. But in
the second effort he was, more completely defeated than in
the first, for Coulttend lifted him at once and flung him
even more heavily than before. Immense applause greeted
the winner, who was carried on the shoulders of his com-
panions in triumph round the hall.
The next contest was at the high jump, with leaping
poles, for which a great many competitors entered, Pear-
son, undaunted by his late defeat and exhausting struggles,
among the number. The bar to be vaulted over with the
leaping pole was first fixed at a height of 7ft, and as all the
competitors, in turn el:dared this with ease, it was raised 3in
at a time. Up to Bft all passed it easily, but as it gradually
rose from Bft '0 9ft the numbers rapidly diminished. At
the height of 9ft 3in only three competitors were left.
Theeo 'were Pearson, the Artilleryman, and two very young
Wen—Musgrove, the winner of this prize last year, and
Baines. Beyond 9ft 3in all Pearson's efforts failed to get
him, and Baines and Musgrove then took up the contest,
and continued it till the bar was raised to the astounding
height of lift. It was almost marvellous to see the skill
and activity winit which these two young men cleared the
bar, Musgrove always being the favourite. The latter
never threw himself an inch higher than the jump required,
and always did it as his first attempt. Baines, on the con-
trary, though evidently capable of jumping as high as his
competitor, was far less practised at the game. He seldom
pitched his pole in the right place at first, and when ho
did so often failed to raise his body sufficiently in passing
the bar, so that he nearly always made two, and some-
times three efforts before he succeeded, and in this way
exhausted his strength. At 11 feet he gave way,
and failed to clear it quite, and Musgrove, for the second
time, was declared the winner, amid loud applause. When
he had won Musgrove asked for the bar to be raised to 11

feet three inches, and this astonishing jump he cleared
with sufficient ease and adroitness to show that it was well
within his limit. In the wrestling for all corners most of
the men who had previously won in the former games en-
tered again, and there was as much difference in their per-
formances on this second occasion as there is in the merits
of horses in different courses. Pearson, the Artilleryman,
was still among the select winners of the rounds, but ho
met his match in a professional wrestler named Davison,
who flung him easily, and then Allison, a short but com-
pactly built man, and a most accomplished wrestler, was
matched against Coulthard, champion of the day. Coul-
thard seemed to think that he had nothing to do, end as it
turned out, he had very little, for the instant Allison's
arms were round him, ho drew his huge antagonist in, and
to the utter astonishment of every one, flung him heavily.
A person named Blair, also, was most successful, till ono
of the most wonderful wrestlers of them all, 'Watson,
throw him with ease. Allison was then matched against
Davison, and the struggle was very keen, and seemed
doubtful for some time, till, at last, Allison got his grip
firm, and; lifting his taller and much more powerful ants-
gonist, threw him easily. Only 'Watson and Allison there-
fore remained to compete, and the struggle between these
two was one of the most arduous of the day. Watson was
the tallerana more muscular man, but what Allison wanted
in height and strength he amply made up in skill and acti-
vity. In the first effort 'Watson threw Allison, in the so-
cowl Allison threw 'Watson, but it was evident that he did
so with great difficulty, and that his previous struggle with
Davison had exhausted him. In the third effort, as all had
foreseer, Allison was defeated, after a most gallant, but
ineffectual struggle, and Watson was proclaimed the win-
ner of the All Comers' contest. Other wrestling matches,
followed, and the games were prolonged till nearly mid-
night. The whole display was one of a most interesting
kind, and with a better arrangement with regard to seats
and keeping the ring clear, and, above all, with such cur-
tailments as will shorten the performances by some six
hours, these meetings may be made among the most popular
sights of the year.