This film is part of Free

Catch-as-catch-can

Young men grapple in the sun under the watchful eye of Japanese legend Yukio Tani in this film of a wrestling competition at Finsbury Park.

Non-Fiction 1926 1 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for London's Screen Archives

Overview

With interest in wrestling on the wane, the organisers of the Middlesex County Championship Tournament elected to hold 1926’s competition in Finsbury Park to raise interest. Hence this film of men wrestling on a mat in the park watched by a decent crowd, while London buses rumble past, passengers oblivious to the frantic grappling taking place nearby. Among the crowd is Yukio Tani, a retired Japanese wrestler and teacher known as the “pocket Hercules”.