East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-04-25

Ray McCarroll OF Pendleton was
the accredited victor last night over
Jack kennedy in their first meeting
on the mat, but the victory was one
that Kennedy denied, that the audi
ence didn't approve and that was nos
satisfactory even to McCarroll. After
more than an hour of uneventfui
wrestling McCarroll fastened the first
really dangerous hold Of the match
and this so excited Eddie Secor. ref
cree by courtesy that he gave the Jo-
cal grappler a fall pefore he had
earned it.
Kennedy vigorously denied he was
pinned and his contention was sup
ported by practically all of the spec
tators Secor declared he had given
the decision as he saw it and could
not change it, whereat Kennedy an
nounced that under the circumstan-
ces he could not continue the match.
McCarroll was given the seond fall
by default.
Decision Was Premature.
There is little doubt but that the
referee was premature in slapping
McCarroIl on the back McCarroll
had fastened a body scissors on the
Hermiston man and in a flash had
him dangerously near to a fall. Ken
jnedy began wriggling and squirmins
like an angleworm on hot griddle
and drew himself backwards until
his head and shoulders rather than
his breathing apparatus were squeezed
between the cIasped iegs of the 9th j.
er. It was at this juncture that Sc
cor gave his decision. though one
shoulder was clearly several inches
from the mat. II is very questionable
whether it was possible for McCar-
roll to get "a fall in the position he
had Kennedy. He came much near
er having a fall few seconds earlier
before Kennedy began squirming.
After the decision Kennedy aslSel
all those in the audience who thought
he was pinned to stand up. Not i
man arose and the opinion was prac-
| tically unanimous that he was noi
thrown H D. KEN mad moving
picture camera trained on the men
and the films will afford the final
proof
should Have Finished Match.
BE that as it may, Kennedy would
have made more friends had he gone
on with the match. Secor had been
picked by the audience to officiate
against his own wishes and had been
accepted by both men, He may have
been mistaken in his judgment but
that should not have been used as an
excuse to deprive the fans of their
privilege of seeing a completed match.
Such tactics hurts the game, and the
small audience last evening testified
that the game Is not any too flour
ishing here now under the best of cir
cumssances.
In Justice to McCarroil II should
be said that after the match he ex-
pressed a willingness TO leave the
side-bet money posted until another
match was held. he stated there
was some question as to whether ne
had pinned Kennedy and did not wish
to take advantage OF such a decis-
ion. However. the Hermiston fans
who had put up the other end of the
money proved their gameness by ac-
cepting the referees decision.
Not Very Interesting.
The match itself was not very in
terosting The two men seemed
very evenly matched and neither
manifested any superiority in strength
or science. McCarroil surprised the
hackers of Kennedy by his showing.
He never was in danger at any time
and in truth he never had Kennedy in
any danger save when he fastened
that scissors hold. Most of the time
the men were bullIng each other over
the mat or hugging each other in
turn
There was only one preliminary.
Young Guyll threw Jim Jackson and
Jackson won the second fall in l-s.
They did not go on for the deciding
fall