Wrestling with sports day Aug. 27, 2006

The scene was set for the Grasmere Sports, the parent of all such sports gatherings. Fewer crowds than yesteryear (when grandstands were erected on the showground) – but more intimate. Particularly the Cumberland wrestling ring. A very attractive lady caught my eye, sat on the benches, watching every bout; withstanding the heavy rainshowers… she simply pulled her mack up over her head. Then, blow me, there she was suddenly, in a black t-shirt and shorts, ready to wrestle!

And Jack, my nephew , came third on the U17 Fell race – almost to the highest point on the horizon. He has two more years to perfect his technique.

Postscript : I read to you the Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling Correspondent’s review in the Cumberland News, centered on the Grasmere Sports : “Eight Breton wrestlers, including a girl called Fred, have lit up the wrestling events over the busiest weekend of our season.
All of them are excellent wrestlers in our style which is quite different to Gouren, their own jacket style of wrestling, and two of them, Tudy Le Meur and Mathieu Le Dour produced moments of brilliance which verged on the impossible.
Le Dourin the final of the All Weights at Bellingham particularly seemed able to lift and twist from any position. That form continued at Grasmere, and Keswick where he also won to oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Le Meur is a hanker, which means that several wrestlers thought they were winning as Le Meur fell backwards under them, only for him to disappear and swing up on top as the coiled spring that he calls a leg came into play.
Once the hank is wrapped round the opponent’s leg it is nearly impossible to remove, and when he sees his chance the chip is immediately in play.
Not only did the Bretons have great success over the week-end, but they also made our wrestlers raise their game.”

Roger Robson goes on to describe the bouts, finishing with :

“... In a busy week-end my other unconnected memories are of Stuart Mason injured with a broken collar-bone (get well quickly); William Hayhurst keeping the two stars, Jack Brown and Ben Brocklebank at bay to win the Under 12s; Craig Ridley hanking opponents at Silloth and Keswick after observing how the Bretons did it; the marvllous fun at Bellingham with so many Novices giving their all; Fred (Frederique Nouvel) winning in style five times; two Grahams, Brocklebank and Benson, improving every time I see them; and that massive crowd circling the ring at Grasmere.”