This is the first of a couple of short accounts of matches I had in the third senior wrestling tournament. I’d been on a roll, scoring five consecutive wins including the title. That came to an end with an ill-judged boxing match (see my story “Nancy the rematch” in the boxing section) and a couple of weeks later I took a beating at the hands of Jay in the third round of qualifying.
Despite being knocked out by Jay, going into the fourth round of qualifying I was still in joint first place. My opponent for this match was Christine, who sharing first place with me. But the pack was closing in, earlier in the evening Jay had beaten Suzi and Jan had drawn against Clare so there were now four of us on 5 points and Jan was slightly ahead of the rest of us on falls aggregate. Whoever won this match would be in first place while the loser would drop out of title contention. I felt I needed to win this one if I was going to retain my title.
Initially the fight went well for me. I pinned her in the fourth minute and gained a submission in the seventh. She pinned me at the mid-way point to pull one back but I took the fourth fall with a cross press in the fourteenth minute. We pick up the story at the start of the fifth fall with me leading by three falls to one…
It looked like Ellen was cruising to her third victory in the tournament as the pair squared off again. But Christine was far from finished and the fifth fall was one of the shortest on record. At the sound of the bell Christine launched herself across the ring and drop kicked the big blonde to the mat. As Ellen lay momentarily dazed Christine grabbed her ankles and flipped her over, applying a Boston crab. For a moment Ellen tried to find a way out but she was just too far from the ropes to grab them and try to climb out. She had no alternative to submit. The whole fall probably lasted less than 30 seconds.
At the sound of the bell Christine released the hold and let Ellen’s legs flop to the mat. The blonde got slowly to her feet and returned to her corner as referee Gabi announced:
“Ladies and Gentlemen. After fifteen minutes and twenty seconds. The fifth fall, by a submission, goes to Christine. Ellen leads by three falls to two.”
The action at the start of the sixth fall was fast and furious. Christine was going all out for an equalizing fall while Ellen was keen to re-establish her lead. After throwing each other around the ring for a minute so they paused for breath and locked hands a trial of strength.
Ellen started to force the smaller redhead down but Christine head butted her, breaking the hold. Ellen staggered back while Christine dropped to one knee before launching herself at the dazed blonde, grabbing her right leg and flipping her face down on the mat. Still holding the Ellen’s leg Christine stepped between her thighs and bent it at the knee, locking it with her own legs by lying on her opponent’s bum. She then reached forward and grabbed Ellen’s head, pulling back on her chin. A perfect STF that left Ellen with no option but to tap out.
The bell sounded and Christine released the hold. Ellen remained face down on the mat as Gabi announced:
“Ladies and Gentlemen. After seventeen minutes and ten seconds, the equalising submission goes to Christine.”
Eventually Ellen got to her feet and staggered the few paces to her corner. It was clear that she was in some trouble and she looked very uncomfortable as the bell sounded for the seventh fall.
Despite the obvious pain she was in from two quick submission holds Ellen came out on the attack and, for a moment, dominated the action, whipping Christine first into a post and then into the ropes, clotheslining her to the mat. A second clothesline followed but as Ellen went for a third the redhead caught her off guard. She ducked under Ellen’s outstretched arm and delivered a straight finger jab to the blonde's gut that doubled her over. Grabbing her by the neck, Christine quickly took Ellen to the mat and tied her up in a small package.
Gabi counted the pin and the bell sounded. Christine released the hold and suddenly she was four-three ahead. The expression on Ellen’s face as she sat up on the mat said it all. She simply couldn’t believe she’d lost 3 falls in 3 minutes. She was now in real danger of losing the match.
Back in her corner Ellen gave herself a stiff talking to. When the bell sounded for the start of the eighth fall, she threw everything she had into securing an equalizer. Charging across the ring, she hiptossed the redhead to the mat before dropping to her knees in a reverse school girl press, pinning Christine’s shoulders and planting her shapely backside in the redhead’s face.
Gabi dropped to the mat to count the pin:
“One!”
Christine arched her back and raised her left shoulder. Ellen responded by driving a closed fist between the redhead’s legs. Christine screamed and Gabi look round in time to see the blonde repeat the manoeuvre.
“Ellen, stop that!” shouted Gabi but a red mist had descended and Ellen drove another fist into Christine’s crotch.
Gabi raise her arm and shouted “Public warning, break the hold!”
Ellen looked round and reluctantly stood up but not before delivering a fourth punch to Christine’s pussy.
The redhead lay on her back clutching her sex before slowly rolling over and coming to her feet. As she did so, a single bell rang indicating the last minute of the match. This time the pair locked hands and another trial of strength began as the last seconds of the match ticked away. Slowly Ellen forced Christine to her knees. Then she stepped forward, forcing the redhead onto her back and dropping onto her chest, her knees pinning Christine’s shoulders.
Gabi dropped to the mat again and counted: “One…, Two…” but the redhead bucked and raised her shoulder off the mat. Ellen rose to her knees and sat back hard on Christine’s breasts, forcing the air from her lungs. The redhead groaned and Gabi counted again:
“One! … Two!”
“Ding! Ding! Ding!”
The bell sounded for the end of the fight.
Ellen threw her head back with a guttural scream of “Noooooo!” before launching herself forward to land face down on the mat above her opponent’s head where she proceeded to pound the mat with her fists in frustration, her calves still draped across the redhead’s shoulders.
Christine lay on her back for a moment before pushing the blonde’s legs aside and sitting up. Ellen remained face down on the mat, head in hands, as Christine got to her feet and walked back to her corner. Gabi bent down to console the blonde who, eventually, also stood up, tears streaming down her face, and made her way to her corner.
Ellen was still sobbing when Gabi bought them together in the centre of the ring and, raising Christine’s arm, announced:
“Ladies and gentlemen. After a full twenty minutes of combat. Your winner, by four falls to three – Christine!”
Ellen was clearly devastated; she had the match in the bag with five minutes to go and somehow it slipped away. She couldn’t blame anyone but herself. It had been a clean fight and, for once, it was her not the redhead walking away with a caution from the ref.
She may only have lost by a single fall but the pack were so close that Ellen dropped from 1st place to 4th ahead of the final qualifying round. Christine, meanwhile, moved two match points ahead of the pack. Unless she lost to Suzi in the final qualifying round, she was in with a chance of regaining the title.
