1959 and we have a Dale Martin bill. At first sight it has a northern flavour with four northerners on the bill. Whilst that's true it's not necessarily a case of the four jumping in a car and travelling down there. At this time all four worked frequently in the south. Dempsey was reported in The Wrestler magazine saying that he preferred southern fans as they appreciated wrestling more than the northerners.
As you see Ray Hunter in the main event. His friend and business partner in the 2i's, Paul Lincoln, had already jumped ship and was promoting his own shows. There must surely already have been a plan in place for Hunter to follow. Maybe he was left behind to recruit disgruntled Dale Martin workers.He didn't have any luck with these seven.
Ron found the earliest tag match in 1949 The rules in this programme for today in 1949 are not too dissimilar to the tag matches we watched in later years.
Testament to the high level of credibility these fights had in this era that so much space was given to the rules
On This Day-16TH JULY at BURTON CONSTABLE HALL and GARDENS at SPROATLY
near HULL- We See a RELWYSKOW Promotion with a 4 Bout Show-Featuring LES
'THE FOX' KELLETT against EZZARD HART!! +
The MASKED RED SCORPION Takes-On MICK MCMICHAEL!!
It's an Unusual Super Poster!!
MAIN MASK
16 July 1946
In a British Heavyweight title contest Bert Assirati KO’d George Gregory in Aberdeen
Doug Jones is a name I don't remember seeing before.
Thanks Ost. Good find.
Great 1966 bill SaxonWolf. All four of those matches would have had us wondering who would win,and at that time actually caring who would win.
Why does the mention of Kim Kendo always make me smile? A man of mystery.
Interesting that the Indies 1960 bill gives equal weight to all 4 matches. I would have expected the heavies to have top billing with Kidd main support.
I'll go to Eastbourne if you wake me up when Wells v Churchill is over.
Thanks Bernard for adding again to our knowledge. I know you have told us this before (see I do read what you write) but it's good to have it in this context.
Maybe Ray Hunter didn't lure anybody else on this bill towards Lincolnland at the start, but I saw both Harry Fields and Tony Charles on Lincoln bills in due course. Both at Ryde Town Hall..
John/Caulkhead.
Zimba v Nagasaki ... yeah, great bout for sure. Zimba, perhaps under-rated, could look so threatening and lose "unluckily" every time.
If he had a couple of pints before the bout, Naggers would have had a fight on his hands ...
Re Tag matches.
The above rules are as I remember from the 50's in Newcastle, EXCEPT that no points system was used.
It was 2 falls ,Pin, Submission or Knockouts . for either side to win.
If a man was Knocked out or Disqualified, his partner had to finish the contest on his own.
The system of shaking hands over the top rope whilst holding the tag ,was strictly enforced in those days, but rapidly became abused and accepted.
That must be one of the final outings for Kim Kendo.
Still wondering whether he got royalties when others duplicated his ring-name?
Here's the handbill to go with the programme in the initial post:
At the Fairfield Halls in 1968.
Working overseas today, we have two of our own, with "Wonder Boy" Steve Wright beating Terry Rudge in Krefeld, Germany, on this day in 1972.
On this day, in 1966: -
Jackie 'Mr. TV' Pallo (1) v Vic Faulkner (Bolton) (1)
Bill Howes (Bolton) v Jim Hussey (Manchester)
Geoff Portz (Bradford) v Bill Robinson (Manchester)
Tony Charles (Bristol) (1) v Les Kellett (Bradford) (1)