Lofty Blomfield
Lofty Blomfield | |
---|---|
Whangarei, New Zealand | |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Lofty Blomfield Walter Browning |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Billed weight | 224 lb (102 kg) |
Debut | 1932 |
Retired | 1949 |
Sgt. Major Meynell Strathmore Blomfield (18 July 1908 – 29 June 1971); also known as Lofty was a New Zealand
In addition to the national title, Blomfield also held the
Blomfield became a successful
In 1990, Blomfield was officially inducted into the
Early life and amateur career
Meynell Strathmore Blomfield was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 18 July 1908, to newspaper cartoonist John Collis Blomfield and Edith Amelia (Amy) Shakespear. His uncle was William (Bill) Blomfield, the second mayor of Takapuna, (whom Blomfield Spa is named after).[3] His family moved to Takapuna and, while still a child, he began working with horses there by visiting stables and doing track work for local trainers. Though Blomfield hoped to be a jockey, he grew too big and began racing motorbikes in grass track competitions. He left school after only two years of secondary education and travelled around the country working at various jobs and eventually settled in Waikaremoana where he became a taxi proprietor. He also began playing senior rugby during this time, competing in Auckland, Gisborne, Murchison and Nelson, and was selected to play for Auckland against Waikato in 1929 but he declined to play so he could compete in amateur wrestling. Returning to Auckland in 1930, he participated in the first national amateur championships hosted by the New Zealand Wrestling Union and won the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles.[2][4][5][6]
Blomfield first married Agnes Myra Lawton at Wairoa on 14 July 1927 resulting in two children born of this marriage. The two divorced 10 years later in 1937 and Blomfield then married Lily May Balenzuela on the 2 June 1937. There was one child born of this union. A further marriage to Heather June Ingley on the 20 February 1946 was to occur resulting in three children being born, a daughter and two sons. They were divorced in 1958. A further relationship with Hannah Wilson (a Whangarei landowner) was to eventuate with one female child being born. Blomfield was also to father a further two children. In all a total of 9 issue. Blomfield and Heather June Ingley were to remarry 10 September 1969.
Professional career
Early career in Australia
Encouraged by his successes in the amateur ranks, and inspired by foreign wrestlers competing overseas, Blomfield decided to become a professional wrestler.[4][5] He first travelled to Australia, in order to build up his experience, and worked in Sydney posing as a Canadian wrestler under the name Walter Browning.[4] Though Blomfield had mixed success there, he won popularity with fans for his "non-stop aggressive style". He briefly returned to New Zealand in 1934, where he first wrestled under the name Lofty Blomfield, before heading to the United States. Walter Miller, then booking agent for the Dominion Wrestling Union, was so impressed by Blomfield that he managed to convince Blomfield to return to his native country to compete exclusively for his promotion. Miller was then bringing in major international talent to New Zealand but felt he needed a strong New Zealand-born wrestler as a legitimate challenger to these newcomers.[2][5]
Arrival in the Dominion Wrestling Union
Blomfield was an instant success with crowds in New Zealand. His popularity was helped by announcer Gordon Hutter's vivid commentaries during radio broadcasts of his matches. His finishing move, "
Showdown with Bronko Nagurski
That same year, Blomfield was scheduled to meet NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bronko Nagurski in a first-ever "champion vs. champion" match.[9] Their match was to be one of the first international title defences to take place in the country and was expected to attract over 40,000 people. In negotiations with NWA promoters Toots Mondt, Lou Daro and Tony Stecher, Miller agreed to pay Nagurski the largest guarantee ever offered a boxer or wrestler in the Southern Hemisphere. Nagurski cancelled the trip at the last minute, however, and the two met in Vancouver instead where they fought to a time-limit draw on 17 March 1938.[4] Blomfield was the first New Zealander to challenge for the NWA World title[10][11] and would wrestle five world champions during his professional career in New Zealand.[2][5]
Final years as NWA New Zealand Champion
Blomfield feuded with another NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Champion, John Katan, and defeated him for the title in Wellington on 7 August 1940. The following month, he lost the championship to Katan in Auckland.
Blomfield held the national title for well over a decade and retired as champion on 7 June 1949.[5] Throughout his career, Blomfield vigorously defended professional wrestling and denied frequent charges that matches were rigged.[15] In New Zealand alone, he had wrestled 490 matches[2] with 272 wins, 105 losses and 113 draws; his combined amateur and professional bouts between 1929 and 1949 totaled an estimated 1,200 in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States. He remains the longest reigning champion in New Zealand's wrestling history.[4][5]
Later years
After his retirement, Blomfield became a hotelier and took over the licence of the Whangarei Hotel[5] where he and his wife Heather June were popular hosts in the area for many years. A well-known sportsman, Blomfield was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers club and helped form the Northland Trotting Club and the Whangarei Powerboat Association. He also financed a large number of sporting competitions and organizations in Whangarei and Northland such as Whangarei Inter house rugby.[4]
Blomfield was a lifelong supporter of many charities, especially those dealing with
Blomfield died in Whangarei on 29 June 1971, at the age of 62. He was survived by his wife, June, and two of their children as well as two others from his first marriage and one from a long relationship during the divorce to June[5]
Legacy
Nearly thirty years after his death, Blomfield was officially inducted into the
In September 2006, Blomfield was one of several Whangarei athletes including former
Championships and accomplishments
Amateur wrestling
- Auckland Provincial Championship (1 time)
- New Zealand Amateur Heavyweight Championship (1 time, first)
Professional wrestling
- Dominion Wrestling Union
- NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[7]
- NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version) (1 time)[12]
- NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[8]
- New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
- Class of 1990
References
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Lofty Blomfeld (1908-1971)". Wrestling. New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. 1990. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ Titchener, Paul (16 June 1981). "Top wrestler grew up in Takapuna". North Shore Times Advertiser.
- ^ Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre. Archived from the originalon 2 June 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McMillan, N. A. C. (22 June 2007). "Blomfield, Meynell Strathmore 1908 - 1971". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume Four (1921-1940). Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ McLintock, A. H., ed. (23 April 2009). "Wrestling". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ a b "New Zealand Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Australasian Heavyweight Title (New Zealand)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ Ingram, W. F. (1 September 1938). "Panorama of the Playground – New Zealand to have World Championship Wrestling Bout". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 13 (6). Victoria University of Wellington: 62.
- ^ Cameron, Dave (August 2005). "A Trip Down Memory Lane - Lofty Blomfield's Title Quest". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ Wrestling Flashbacks/All-Sports Monthly (July 1949). "Lofty Blomfield's Bid for a World Title". The WAWLI Papers # 008. WrestlingClassics.com. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ a b "British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ISBN 1-4116-6196-6
- ISBN 0-86473-478-6
- ISBN 0-949819-40-9
- ^ Keene, Florence. "Wrestling". Between Two Mountains: A History of Whangarei. Whangarei City Libraries. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ McCarthy, Winston. "D SERIES - Sportsman of the Week, Lofty Bloomfield". Sportsman of the Week. SoundArchives.co.nz. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- Northern Advocate.
- ^ Cameron, Dave (March 2009). "My Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ Rattue, Chris (6 March 2009). "Chris Rattue: NZ's 10 favourite wrestlers". The New Zealand Herald.
Further reading
- Ingram, W. F. Legends in their Lifetimes. Wellington, 1962.
- McMillan, N. A. C. New Zealand Sporting Legends: 27 Pre-War Sporting Heroes. Auckland: Moa Beckett, 1993. ISBN 1-86958-014-1
- Taylor, Mark. High flying Kiwis: 100 Heroes of New Zealand Sport. Auckland: RPL Books/Rugby Publishing Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-9597884-0-9