Wrestling Venues – Preston Pride

By Beancounter

Preston Public Hall

Queens Hall (Saul Street Baths)

Wrestling has a long tradition in Preston, pre-dating the shows remembered here at the Public Hall (left) and Queens Hall. Wrestling was staged regularly in the 1930s at the Majestic Skating Rink in Tenterfield Street. The Majestic was owned by by Preston market trader Matthew Wade and managed by Tom Richie.

Amongst those who appeared at The Majestic were ex Olympian Joe Reid, Vic Hessle, who was the father of the famous 1960s tag team the Royal brothers, Canadian Whipper Watson, who was to go on to win the World heavyweight championship, Billy Riley, and Black Butcher Johnson.

Following the Second World War Norman Morrell and Ted Beresford presented shows at the Queens Hall (Saul Street Baths). The Queens Hall had an austere exterior with a colonnaded entrance. The ring was set up above the centre of the boarded up pool, beneath an impressive arched ceiling. When the baths were in use Morrell and Beresford would move to the Public Hall.

Through the entrance of the Public Hall we handed over our money (the Public hall was a bit cheaper than Saul Street Baths) at the tiny ticket office window. Then it was up the grand staircase to the balcony. The Public hall balcony seemed huge, horseshoe shaped with the massive organ at the opposite end. There must have been about ten rows of seats in the balcony, quite steep, and very tightly packed in.

Visits to the public library allow the sharing of the great bills we enjoyed during 1962-1963:

The consistent quality of these Preston bills match those seen anywhere

17th October, 1962
The Professor v Albert Wall
Max Crabtree v Arthur Ricardo
Alan Colbeck v Nicholas Priore
El Greco v Ezzard Hart

24th October 1962
Jack Pye v Gil Voiney
Steve Bell v Eric Leiderman
Cliff Belshaw v Keith Martinelli
Ernie Riley v Albert Wall

31st October 1962
John Da Silva v Gwyn Davies
Robert Fineschi v Bill Howes
El Greco v Frank O’Donnell
Jim Rawlings v Jim Grosert

7th November 1962
Greek Apollo v Albert Wall
Pierre Bernhart v Billy Joyce
Ernie Riley v The Professor
Bert Royal v Leon Arras

14th November 1962
Jack Pye v Henri Pierlot
Syed Saif Shah v Bob Sweeney
Bert Royal v Robert Ricetti
Ezzart Hart v Bill Rawlings

21st November 1962
Dai Sullivan v Albert Wall
Greek Apollo v Arthur Ricardo
John Foley v Keith Martinelli
Ernie Riley v John Allan

28th November 1962
Chic Purvey v Alan Colbeck
Prince Kumali v Gwyn Davies
Jim Rawlings v John Ure
The Professor v Gordon Kilmartin

5th December 1962
Prince Kumali v Greek Apollo
Billy Joyce v Syed Saif Shah
George Kidd v Alan Dennison
Johnny Eagles v Keith Martinelli

12th December 1962
Jack Pye v Dennis Mitchell
Norman Walsh v Ernie Riley
Bert Royal v Alf Cadman
The Professor v Billy Parkey

19th December 1962
Josef Molnar v Eric Taylor
Greek Apollo v Jess Hodgson
Alf Cadman v Bill Howes
Bob Sweeney v John Ure

2nd January 1963
Gwyn Davies v Albert Wall
Masambula v Bob MacDonald
Eric Taylor v Bert Royal
Bernard Murray v Chic Purvey

9th January 1963
Billy Joyce v Dennis Mitchell
Ernie Riley v Alf Cadman
Bert Royal v Alan Colbeck
The Professor v Colin Williamson

23rd January 1963
Norman Walsh v Jim Hussey
John Foley v Johnny Eagles
Bernard Murray v Vic Faulkner
The Professor v Bob Sweeney

30th January 1963
Dennis Mitchell v Gwyn Davies
Steve Bell v Jesse Hodgson
Bill Rawlings v Colin Williamson
Masambula v Leon Arras

6th February 1963
Bill Robinson v Eric Taylor
Iska Khan v Alf Cadman
Arthur Ricardo v Jim Armstrong
Mirzaffer Ealam v Alan Dennison

13th February 1963
Pedro La Chapelle v Billy Joyce
Colin Williamson v John Lees
Dave Armstrong v Bill Rawlings
Keith Martinelli v Young Vulcan

20th February 1963
Earl Maynard v Ernie Riley
Bert Royal v Eric Taylor
John Foley v Johnny Eagles
Mirzaffer Ealam v Al Nicol

27th February 1963
Masambula v Albert Wall
The Professor v John Allan
Jim Rawlings v Steve Bell
Terry Nylands v Terry Downes

6th March 1963
Yassin Ghalam Gama v Dennis Mitchell
Norman Walsh v Albert Wall
Frank O’Donnell v Jess Hodgson
Bobby Steel v Alan Dennison

19th March 1963
Geoff Portz v Marcel Blaize
Bill Howes v Farene Samoa
Jack Pye v Jim Hussey
Alan Colbeck v Eric Sands

3rd April 1963
Masambula & Ezzard Hart v Alf Cadman & Jim Hussey
Geoff Portz v Bill Robinson
Albert Wall v Arthur Ricardo
Bill Rawlings v Bob Sweeney

10th April 1963
George Kidd v Alan Colbeck
The Professor v Masambula
Brian Trevors v Eric Sands
Jack Pye v Pedro La Chapelle

17th April 1963
Dennis Mitchell v Bill Robinson
Bill Howes v Arthur Ricardo
Bernard Murray v Bobby Steel
Alf Cadman v The Zebra Kid (Wow!)

22nd April 1963
Jackie Pallo v Alan Colbeck
George Kidd v Ian Gilmore
Eric Sands v Keith Martinelli
Geoff Portz v The Professor

29th April 1963
Geoff Portz v Reg Williams
Jack Pye v John Lees
The Professor v Ernie Riley
Bernard Murray v Al Nicol

7th May, 1963
Geoff Portz v John Allan
Cliff Belshaw v Melvyn Riss
Billy Joyce v Prince Kumali
Jim Breaks v Keith Martinelli

END OF SEASON

8th October 1963
Billy Two Rivers v Leon Arras
Bill Robinson v Norman Walsh
Chic Purvey v Shem Singh
Ezzard Hart v Joe Keegan

23rd October 1963
Norman Walsh v Tony Cassio
Bruno Elrington v Bill Howes
Jess Hodgson v Keith Manning
Alf Cadman v Eric Taylor

30th October 1963
Billy Joyce v John Allan
Terry Nylands v Win Zaffer Kalam
Bert Royal v John Foley
Jack Pye v John Lees

13 November, 1963
Bill Robinson v Albert Wall
Al Nicol v Jim MacKenzie
Martin Bormann v Abe Ginsberg
Tosh Togo v Frikki Alberts

Finally, just one reference to the independents.

There were many good independent bills at Preston with fine wrestlers such as Martin Robson, Gordon Corbett, Bill Tunney and Dave Finch.

The Preston Season finished with a bill on 29th May 1963 described in an elaborate advert as “The Finest Bill Ever in Preston”. You will probably appreciate the reason why I have not included it in my main tabulation as it is probably the worst I have ever seen anywhere:

Sky Hi Lee (Billed as the tallest man in the world)
v
Alexandra (sic) Copocoppovitch (Billed as coming from the Ural Mountains, Russia) – more likely the Pennines

Dr Death (Hollywood)
v
Dave Newman (Wigan)

Inca Pedroani (sic)
v
Dennis Tracey