Thank you. So there's nothing I can do about it without appearing illiterate!

I saw Mc.Manus versus Masambula at The Wirrina Stadium, Peterborough, in the early seventies and it went to four cats with Mc.Manus loyally selling all the Masambula hoo-hah. I also saw them in tag against each other as part of a four team tournament around the same time at the Ice Rink, Nottingham. It was quite a short bout with Mc.Manus and Logan being disqualified against Masambula and his partner Les Kellett who then went on to win the entire tournament beating The Royal Brothers (who had previously ousted The Pallos) in the final. (I don't know why but when I type in Mc.Manus the Mc.Man appears in white which can hardly be seen).

I only managed to persuade Les to wrestle for me twice. His last bout for me was at The Gala Baths in West Bromwich at the tail end of his career when he would only work with Klondyke Jake. However, a couple of years prior to that I matched him with Ginsberg at the Halton British Legion and, indeed, it was one of the highspots of my short promoting career. Ginsberg proved to be the perfect foil and the punters loved it!

I think most wrestling fans will remember the first time they saw Mick Mc.Manus live and, in my case, it coincided with my first visit to The King's Hall, Belle Vue, and, to be relevant to this thread, he was facing Kalmon Gaston. In fact, it was a tag match with Mc.Manus and Logan facing Gaston and Peter Szakacs. At that time I had gone as a boy with my father to Wryton shows at Rhyl's Gaiety Theatre and the ballroom in Prestatyn Holiday Camp so it was quite something to attend a show in such a cavernous arena. The main singles bout was Albert "Rocky" Wall versus Peter Stewart; Mick Mc.Michael faced Johnny Saint and the opening bout featured lightweights Deep River and Andras Swajcsic.

I recall him wrestling for me once in the mid-eighties. I had booked Les Kellett versus Klondyke Jake at The Gala Baths, West Bromwich, and Les suggested Guy Mitchell to both get him there and to wrestle. I wish I'd kept records at the time but I think I booked him with Doctor Death (Paul Carpentier) who also provided the ring that night.

Thank you for the kind comments.

Unfortunately I no longer seem able to access it.

I promoted a handful of shows at The Parr Hall in the mid-seventies and have fond memories of them. My first ever promotion was in my home town of Wilmslow at The Public Hall there but it was booked for me by Abe Ginsberg. My second show, in April 1976, was at The Parr Hall which was booked by me. I offered Ginsberg a place but he took the hump accusing me of using him to buy my way in to the sport and expected once again that I would give him the money and allow him to do the booking. My top of the bill was The Borg Twins versus Les Diables Rouges with Eddie Rose and Ian Wilson wrestling each other lower down the bill. My main supporting bout saw local boy Mike Dallas facing Lord Bertie Topham (accompanied by valet Ponsonby) and Harry Palin featured in the fourth bout of the night against a lad named Keith (I forget his surname) whom I billed as "Beergut" Brannigan. Two other shows followed, one topped by John Lees which I have reason to believe was his final contest and one where I ambitiously staged an eight team K.O. tournament in which Al Miquet not only provided the ring but also wrestled as Kung Fu and as Kamikaze and as himself. The winners, Bill Clarke and Rick Wiseman (wrestling as Lincolnshire Poachers Bill and Rick Clarke) came back on the next show to face the team of Klondyke Jim and Lee Sharron. Because Bill and Rick had built up such a hatred on the previous show, Jim and Lee were the unlikely blue eyes.

I was at The Ice Rink, Nottingham, when he fought Butts Giraud. The bout was over quite quickly with Giraud signalling his retirement with a shoulder injury. It was also the opening bout. Not really a good opportunity to showcase him. I would have liked to have seen him against Wall, Robins or Yearsley.

He was a gentleman to do business with and gave me some very good advice when I started promoting shows. His last show for me was at the Gala Baths in West Bromwich when I put him and Jackie Jnr in against a makeshift team of Johnny Kincaid and The Dropkick Kid (I forget his name. He travelled up from Bournemouth with Nikki Munroe and her opponent. At the time Crabtree was pushing The Dynamite Kid on TV so coming up with "The Dropkick Kid" was not particularly difficult). Promoting did not come naturally to him however and he and jnr made all sorts of cock-ups along the way. Very old-fashioned views regarding a woman's place in the wrestling ring but that did not stop him promoting them if he thought it would get bums on seats. On the last show he did for me he had had two hip replacements and the hardest part of the bout for him was walking from the dressing-room to the ring and then climbing up to the ring apron.

In my teenage years most Saturday nights were spent at The King's Hall, Belle Vue, and, for most of that time, Morrell and Beresford were the promoters (later Wryton and, later still, Crabtree) with the two Ernies, Baldwin and Lofthouse, alternating as MCs. There could not have been a greater contrast. Baldwin was loved by the punters whereas Lofthouse was universally disliked; cold and arrogant in contast to Baldwin's friendliness and warmth.

I can tell you as I was there that night. It was Gordon Corbett who faced not Kendo Nagasaki but The Wildman of Borneo. It was an entertaining bout but, of course, not the one billed. At the time I was corresponding with Gillette who wrote to inform me that Kendo had not even been approached about appearing. Incidentally, the "one other contest" was that popular standby, Pedro The Gypsy versus Butcher Goodman.

Kevin Conneely was usually billed from Liverpool although I used to introduce him as being from "the war-torn streets of Belfast" which he failed to find amusing. In fact, for someone who portrayed such a comical character, there was little that he actually did find amusing! I recall that Joint usually billed him as being from Liverpool unless he was up against Roy Paul. Then Paul was billed as being from Liverpool and Conneely as being from Belfast.

I remember promoting him at The Civic Hall, Bollington, against Bob Bell. They travelled together from Ellesmere Port. I billed him as Ragnor The Viking. He was actually Dave Crosse. He made his TV debut as The North Man on a Relwyskow and Green show where he faced Dalibar (Gil) Singh. I believe Crabtree billed him as Ox Brody.

Thank you. I've shared so many anecdotes over the years that I've not really got that much more to say. I'm still promoting every second Tuesday of the month at The Morley Green Club in Wilmslow but, of course, it's jazz, not wrestling. The last wrestling show I did was back in 1987 (and my last bout promoted was Pete Evans versus Mickey Gold).

Royals versus Colbeck and Penzekoff?

It was indeed. On another thread recently I nominated Jon Lapaque as a wrestler whom I only heard of in tag matches. I now recall one night in the seventies there was deep snow at Trowell and only half of the bill had arrived at the show's official start time. The evening was due to end with a Royals versus Lapaques tag match but, due to the sparcity of wrestlers, Royal faced Pete Lapaque and Faulkner faced Jon Lapaque in two singles matches of quite some length which, when added to the interval time, allowed the remaining six wrestlers to arrive. If indeed this is Jon Lapaque's only singles match, it was one of necessity rather than promotorial choice.

Sid Millward and The Nitwits

The only one I can think of is Jon Lapaque. Whereas Pete had a few singles encounters, I don't recall Jon having any.

I recall two on TV; against Mick Mc.Michael and Johnny Eagles. I also recall him doing six cats for Martin Conroy at Bolton's Wryton Stadium against Keith Martinelli but, indeed, most of his appearances were with Ginsberg. By the time I got into promoting, Ginsberg was working with anyone who would put on the skullcap and they were calling themselves The Black Diamonds. I billed The Black Diamonds and put him on with, on various occasions, Jimmy Munroe, Lee Sharron and Eddie Rose.