Results tagged “skelmersdale” from O & S Advertiser - Memories

WEST Lancashire sports fans rubbed shoulders with some of their heroes when they visited the town in October 1980.

Former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths played to a packed house at the Comrades Club in County Road, Ormskirk.

He beat former world amateur champion Cliff Wilson by five frames to four over nine exhibition frames.

THIS week we have soccer mad Darren Donnelly who dreamt of becoming a professional footballer back in 1986.

The football fanatic from Flordan, Birch Green, Skelmersdale had already gained a place in the Blackburn Rovers before being named as 'best pupil' during a course for the Lancashire Schoolboys team.

Darren, 14, was a pupil at St Thomas the Apostle, and was picked as cream of the crop out of eight other West Lancashire boys competing.

This week's Memories takes a look at two budding soccer stars who played for the Grimshaw team in Skelmersdale back in 1988.

Stephen Reilly and Lee Barrett earned their first step on the way to making a career in professional football.

Stephen was granted a youth team place with Everton and Lee, from Burscough, was selected for a place with Stockport County.

WE have gone back to 1981 with our photo of the Couch family who had their 15 minutes of fame on “Family Fortunes� with Bob Monkhouse.

The family from Skelmersdale were featured on the show after Doris Couch from Blakehall applied to appear.

The family came away with over £200 and were delighted to have their chance in the limelight.

Skelmersdale Sports Centre celebrated ten years in business with special guests Alan Kennedy and Billy Butler back in 1981.

More than 2,000 people visited the centre and leading personalities from the world of athletics, body building, football and karate were there for the occasion.

DJ Billy Butler and Liverpool FC full back Alan Kennedy were joined by the Radio City team to take part in a celebrity soccer match.

The Skelmersdale Nursing Cadet Team won a place in the St John Ambulance Nursing cadets national finals.

The all-girl team from St Richard’s RC High Schoool, which has been demolished since, also won the Dunbar Nasmith Cup in the North West heats, and were trained by former St Richard’s pupils Tom Sweeney and Kathy Taubman.

Pictured are Nuala Carkill, Louise Duff, Camille O'Hara, Patricia Duff and Denise Carkill

This picture shows kick boxing champions from Skelmersdale taken in May 1988. The club were celebrating awards they won in two competitions in Manchester and Wales.

Pictured are Davey Gibson, James Pilkington, Guy Gibson, Natasha Bimpson, Stacey Bimpson, Kerry Ann Gibson, Ian Humphries and John Duxberry with trainer Albert Gibson