KENDAL Academy hosts this year's Academy Shield competition, the highlight of Cumberland and Westmorland's indoor season, at Kendal Rugby Union Club off Shap Road tomorrow night (Saturday).

Only three wrestling academies have a winter programme these days - Carlisle in the north of Cumbria, Waberthwaite in the west and Kendal in the south.

Fifty years ago the number was much greater.

Even in Northumberland there were three academies and in the west of Cumbria nearly eevery village seemed to have its wrestling team.

The lowest point came in the late sixties when only Kendal Acdemy kept going.

For the Academy Shield, each club produces an 11-strong team, starting at six stones and going through the weights to 15 stones, and last of all, the heavyweights.

This means that the falls a tiny boy wins in the first section count as much as sometimes three times his weight in the last.

Kendal's numbers have been swelled by a good response to a Sport for all session at Kendal Leisure Centre, so they should be competitive in the lighter weights.

There also have a superabundance of big men so the three heaviest sections are easily filled.

The problem for them will be in the middleweights.

Waberthwaite Academy have the opposite problem.

They are chronically short of heavyweights so that the new 15 stone group is a disadvantage.

Carlisle Wrestling Club has established a near monopoly on the trophy since its revival in its present form in 1983.

In 1991 Kendal won the event and they have also tried with Carlisle, who again enter two teams.

N The grand old man of Icelandic wrestling Thorsteinn Einarsson, who travelled to Alwinton Show in October, has died, aged 90.

Results

Kendal Academy Points Night - 6st 1 D.

Parson, 2 M.

Longworth, 3 J.

Hartley; 8st 1 D.

Parsons, 2 J.

Hartley, 3 R.

Clement; 10st 1 D.

Parsons, 2 R.

Clement, 3 J.

Clement; 12st 1 M.

Wilkinson, 2 S.

Hadwin, 3 D.

Parsons; 14st 1 J.

Wilson, 2 S.

Hadwin, 3 M.

Wilkinson; All Weights 1 J.

Wilson, 2 J.

Bevins, 3 A.

Bentham.

Dates:

Friday: Kendal Academy Boys Ages; Carlisle Wrestling Club Boys Points.

Saturday: Academy Shield at Kendal RUFC, weighing in at 7pm.

Open competitions 7st/9st/11st/13st/AW.