Lofty Blomfield

Sgt. Major Meynell Strathmore Blomfield (18 July 1908 – 29 June 1971); also known as Lofty was a New Zealand professional wrestler, also known by another ring name; that of Walter Browning.

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).

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.

Blomfield first married Agnes Myra Lawton at Wairoa on 14 July 1927 resulting in two children born of this marriage.

Blomfield wrestled 490 matches in New Zealand and an estimated 1,200 matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States between 1929 and 1949.

Blomfield became a successful hotelier in the years after his retirement, as Publican of the Whangarei Hotel, as well as being a noted sportsman.

He was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club, a founding member of both the Northland Trotting Club, the Whangarei Powerboat Association, and sponsored countless athletic organisations in Whangarei and Northland, most notably, Whangarei Inter-house rugby.

He was also involved in numerous charity fundraisers and organizations, especially those involving mentally handicapped children, and served as president of the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Association.

He later founded the Northland IHC and the Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre in Whangarei, the latter institution being named in his honour.

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.

,Lofty was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s.

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.

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.

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.

He competed primarily for promoter Walter Miller and the Dominion Wrestling Union for nearly 20 years where he defended the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship against many of the top stars of the National Wrestling Association from 1936 until his retirement 1949.

He is credited for inventing "The Octopus Clamp", an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock, and is the longest reigning heavyweight champion in the history of professional wrestling in New Zealand.

In addition to the national title, Blomfield also held the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship and the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship.

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.

In 1938, he became the first New Zealander to wrestle for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship when he fought then champion Bronko Nagurski to a time-limit draw.

He also had a successful amateur career winning the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles prior to becoming a professional wrestler.

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.

Encouraged by his successes in the amateur ranks, and inspired by foreign wrestlers competing overseas, Blomfield decided to become a professional wrestler.

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.

Though Blomfield had mixed success there, he won popularity with fans for his "non-stop aggressive style".

In 1990, Blomfield was officially inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

He is the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be an inductee.

He was also profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999.

In 2009, Blomfield was named one of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers" by Fight Times Magazine and ranked #1 of the country's top ten favourite wrestlers by The New Zealand Herald.