Cumberland Wrestling Champions. 73 



on The Swifts. Spying Chapman a few minutes 

 afterwards from his tent door, as the lad was putting 

 on his coat and waistcoat, he came up to him with a 

 bottle and a glass — " Here, young man, thoo mini have 

 a glass of porter, Pll stand treat" and so saying, he 

 creamed it up, and dismissed him with the cheering 

 prophecy, "Never a man threw me in Carlisle ring 

 but he won." Chapman was rather shy at first, and 

 he afterwards confessed that, living as he did in such 

 a quiet place as Patterdale, he was not sure that he 

 had ever seen porter before, or what its effects might 

 be. They seemed to be rather invigorating than other- 

 wise, and it was also something that the " Irving of 

 Cumberland " should be on his side, and specially 

 looking out for him. The eighteen-stone Messenger 

 met him in the fifth round, but he struck him with his 

 left leg, and cross-buttocked him very easily. Gra- 

 ham, of Loweswater, was the last stander, and pursued 

 the same tactics as Chapman had done with the " big 

 un," but he was stopped, and thrown in very similar 

 style to Irving. 



It was a very fine opening to a great career, which 

 produced about a hundred prizes in twelve seasons at 

 Carlisle, the Flan, Fauld's Brow, and all over the north. 

 " Chapman's chip " was hyping with the right and 

 striking outside with the left leg, and always at a loose 

 hold. He could hype with either leg, but thought it 

 safer to use the right, as it was easier to keep hold. 

 He always told the young wrestlers, " If you hype 

 with the left leg, and miss, and don't throw your man, 

 you are liable to lose hold, and then you are at his 

 mercy. The left leg hype requires a very tight grip ; 

 and, in fact, the finest hype is with the right leg, as 

 the slack hold gives you such a rare swing off." Since 

 his retirement he has frequently acted as umpire, and 

 those who frequented the Bridekirk coursing meetings 

 will remember his directing the beaters on the 380- 

 acre " Tarnities," as head-gamekeeper to Major Green 



