Winter season ends
Last updated 20:19, Thursday, 24 April 2008
WINTER wrestling is ending with a flourish on the mats at Milnthorpe tomorrow night, and the new grass season begins at Carlisle Airport a week later on the Bank Holiday Sunday.
Milnthorpe Academy is hosting an Open Night when their last internal competitions will be completed. After that, wrestlers from all areas and other academies are invited to take part in boys and senior wrestling.
The Milnthorpe Academy is an anomaly. Usually wrestling clubs are scores of miles away from their neighbours: Kendal and Carlisle on the M6 axis, Rothbury in the far East, and Waberthwaite in the far West. But Minthorpe is only down the road from the bigger Kendal Academy.
The original formation of the Minthorpe Academy eight years ago arose when David Parsons, secretary of Kendal Academy, became disaffected and resigned. That could have been the end of his connection with wrestling, but he had young sons he wished to train and he contacted Dallam Sports Association to see if they could provide facilities.
The result has been a small academy aimed at the immediate locality, without any ambitions to grow beyond that. But even with this small group of young wrestlers, the academy has had some excellent successes. Tom Mason won the Under-15 Years/8st Championship two years ago at Forestburngate.
Last year his younger brother Stuart won the Under-15s at Grasmere. And, more recently, at the Waberthwaite Open Night, David Parsons took three of his wrestlers, and they all won their categories.
The last of the indoor wrestling could be a good training session for the new grass season which starts on the Bank Holiday Sunday when Hethersgill Vintage Society stages the first wrestling of the 2008 season at Carlisle Airport.
Wrestlers should be aware that points for The Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association's trophies for the most successful wrestlers of the season are available from all affiliated open events from then on. Points are awarded for the first three places in each category, and tallied up at the end of the season in time for the Annual Presentation Dinner in October.
Tonight all potential referees for the 2008 season will attend a seminar at Carlisle Rugby Club to establish a code of conduct and seek consistency at all wrestling events.
This initiative confirms the important role of the referee in wrestling, not only to reach the correct decision for each bout, but also to take a proactive role in supervising the table, weighing-in and ring safety. After the seminar a list of approved referees will be circulated to all sponsors and organisers of affiliated wrestling events.
Saturday April 26 - 7.30pm - Milnthorpe Academy Open Night - Girls/U10/U12/U15/U18/13/AW (trophies for all sections)
Sunday May 4 - 12.30pm - Hethersgill Vintage Society, Carlisle Airport - U12/U15/U18/121/2/AW
