Liverpool
Liverbirds
The Official Gridball Site
The Liverbird's story
Since being crowned the first ever Gridball Champions in 1951, the Liverpool Liverbirds have been an ever present in the latters stages of the competition, never failing to reach the last eight. However, they've also ben tagged as having a Supergrid hoo doo, having reached the showpiece fixture four times in the decade since and losing on every occasion. Sally Jellicoe has been in each of the four losing sides, holding a record for the most appearances in Supergrid without picking up a brooch. Her consolation was to be inducted as a Gridball Legend in 1960.
Liverpool Liverbirds
Formed 1948
Colours: Teal & Yellow
Feeder Teams: Bootle Scousers, Everton Toffees, Garston Wackers, Litherland Lasses, Crosby Cannonballs
WORLD CHAMPIONS 1951
Open Cup Round of 32 {1960}
Record Appearances:
Emma Kehoe-Sim 193 {1951-1960}
{World Record for any player}
Record Scorer:
Sally Jellicoe - 125 {1955-1960}
Record Victory
13-0 vs Dublin Ravens 13th August 1954
Record Defeat
1-6 at West Hammers 29th August 1953
Most Goals in a Game
Sally Jellicoe, 7 vs Dublin Ravens {8-0 2nd July 1955}
Most Goals in a Season
Sally Jellicoe 35 {1955}
Season History
1951 WORLD CHAMPIONS
1952 Runners Up
1953 Quarter Finalists
1954 Semi Finalists
1955 Runners Up
1956 Quarter Finalists
1957 Quarter Finalists
1958 Runners Up
1959 Quarter Finalists
1960 Runners Up ----- Cup Last 32
Players of the Year
Bessie Melia - 1951
Gertrude Keegan - 1952
Emma Kehoe-Sim - 1953
Sally Jellicoe - 1955
Young Players of the Year
Janet Horsbrough - 1951
Team of the Season
Thelma Bradford - 1960
Janet Horsbrough - 1960
Gertrude Keegan - 1952
Emma Kehoe-Sim - 1952 & 1958
Bertha Moore - 1952
Marion Mitchell - 1954
Pauline Yates - 1954
Sally Jellicoe - 1958
Joan Lenore - 1958
Golden Bat
Gertrude Keegan - 1952
Silver Bat
Sally Jellicoe - 1955 & 1957
Bronze Bat
Pauline Yates 1954
Sally Jellicoe 1957
Joan Lenore 1958
Nations Cup Champions
Sally Jellicoe - 1957 {England}
Emma Kehoe-Simm - 1957 {England}
Constance Kidd - 1957 {England}
Katherine Molloy - 1957 {England}
Nations Cup Representatives
Diana Arnould 1959-1960 {England}
Emma Kehoe-Sim 1957-1960 {England}
Constance Kidd 1957-1960 {England}
Sally Jellicoe - 1957-1960 {England}
Concepción Molinera Palacios - 1960 {Spain}
Katherine Molloy - 1957- 1960 {England}
Maria Santos - 1960 {Portugal}
Liverpool Starting Team 11th March 1961
Coach: Hazel Morley: Age 36: Rated 8 {Star}
Took Liverpool to four losing Supergrids
Netminder: Janet Horsbrough: Age 25: Rated 8 {Superstar}
World Champ '51, Twice Goalie of the Year
Left Guard: Constance Kidd: Age 25: Rated 8 {Celebrity}
World Champion with Newcastle in 1954
Right Guard: Emma Kehoe-Sim: Age 26: Rated 9 {Celebrity}
Gridballer of the Year 1953
Sweeper: Diana Arnould: Age 23: Rated 9 {Celebrity}
England Nations Cup Winner 1957
Centre: Audrey O'Neill: Age 38: Rated 5 {Excellent}
Played in Supergrid '58 & '60
Attacker: Thelma Bradford: Age 28: Rated 8 {Superstar}
Player of the Year Runner Up 1960
Shooter: Sally Jellicoe: Age 24: Rated 10 {Legend}
Gridballer of the Year 1955, Legend 1960
1961 WORLD RANKING: 2
Highest {1} 1951-1959
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Emma Kehoe-Sim
Janet Horsbrough & Sally Jellicoe
Constance Kidd
Catherine Molloy
Liverpool Legends
Diana Arnould: 48 appearances, 10 goals {1959-1961} - Supergrid '60 Runner Up
Thelma Bradford: 30 appearances, 39 goals {1960-1961} - Supergrid '60 Runner Up
Janet Horsbrough: 148 appearances {1951-1960} - Young Player of the Year 1951, Netminder of the Year 1951 & 1960 - World Champion 1951
Gertrude Keegan: 38 appearances, 57 goals - World Champion 1951 - Golden Bat 1952 - Gridballer of the Year 1952
Emma Kehoe-Sim: 192 appearances, 29 goals - World Champion 1951 - Gridballer of the Year 1953 - Team of the Year 1953 & 1958 - Nations Champion {England} 1957
Sally Jellicoe: 110 appearances, 129 goals - Nations Champion {England} 1957, World Player of the Year Runner Up 1955, Silver Bat 1955 & 1957, Supergrid Runner Up 1955, 1958 & 1960, Team of the Year 1958
Bessie Melia: 24 appearances {1951} - World Player of the Year 1951 - World Champion 1951
Hazel Morley {Nee McDowall, AKA Bray}: Coach 1953- Three time Supergrid Finalist 1955, 58 & 60
Rosalie Williams: 23 appearances, 17 goals {1951} - World Champion 1951
Diana Arnould
Nations Cup Winner - 1957 {England}
World Championship Runner Up - 1960 {Liverpool}
Date and place of Birth: 2nd June 1937; Luton, Bedfordshire, England
Age: 23 {Stats taken May 11th 1961}
Position: Sweeper, Height 5' 2"
Appearances: 101 {1954-1961}
Goals: 17
Leicester 46 appearances, 7 goals {1954-1958}
Liverpool 48 appearances, 10 goals {1959-1961}
England 7 appearances {1957-1960}
Science fiction loving Diana Arnould expected to become a dentist, after her father, who practised in her native Luton in the years either side of his service in World War Two. She began playing Gridball at Grammar School, being spotted by the Leicester selectors in 1953.
Arnould had to wait for her chance with the now defunct Vixens, appearing just once as a substitute in 1954.
Her chance came the following year, missing just one of Leicester's eighteen game campaign, in which they reached the last sixteen of the competition. Arnould still wasn't convinced that Gridball could be a full time career and enrolled in Dental School in 1956. Before the year was out she had to reduce to part time study as the Vixens had their greatest ever season. They reached the Semi Finals of the competition. The Vixens were favoured to beat Houston and book their place in Supergrid, which seemed on the cards when they took a deserved two goal lead into the final quarter of the game. However, the day ended in heartbreak for Arnould and her team mates, conceding a last gasp equaliser before losing in overtime.
The Vixens never came anywhere near Supergrid again and Diana's remaining two years in the Midlands were marked more by her England appearances than her Leicester games. The Nations cup began in 1957 and Arnould was pivotal in England winning the inagural title in 1957. However, by 1958 it was clear that she'd outgrown her home town team. Indeed Leicester themselves were on the brink of a merger with Derbyshire to form Nottinghamshire. Liverpool saw their opportunity and recruited the Sweeper to move to Merseyside.
Arnould was already a star when she arrived, and finally reached Supergrid in 1960. In a remarkably similar situation to her semi final heartbreak a few years earlier, Arnould saw her team enter the final quarter in front, she herself having scored what was looking like the winner, only for Willesden to equalise with seven minutes remaining, and then snatch victory in overtime.
Arnould also fell just short of nomination to the hall of legends at the end of the 1960 season while the Sweeper is also regarded as one of the greatest Gridballers never to be honoured in a Team of the Year. At just twenty-three, future honours are expected.
Outside the game, Arnould continues to study dentistry part time and is also regarded as the make up artist of the team as well as something of a dressing room comedian.
Thelma Bradford
World Championship Runner Up - 1960 {Liverpool}
Player of the Year Runner Up - 1960
Date and place of Birth: 13th November 1932; Bradford, Yorkshire, England
Age: 28 {Stats taken July 22nd 1961}
Position: Sweeper, Height 5' 2"
Liverpool Appearances: 30 {1960-1961}
Goals: 39
Leeds Appearances 107 {92 elite}, Goals 65 {39 elite}
It's no coincidence that Thelma Bradford's name is the same as her home city.
Her Hong Kong Chinese parents adopted the name of their new home as their own when they first arrived in Yorkshire in the late twenties and attempted to give their family as English an upbringing as they could. Thelma lied about her age to get work as a hostess in a Leeds nightclub in 1948 when she was just sixteen, being asked to adopt a faux oriental name and accent to accompany her Chinese looks. Fed up with the night club scene, Bradford successfully tried out for the Leeds Owls in 1951. She would go on to become Leeds all time appearance record holder, playing over one hundred times for the Owls before they merged with Sheffield in 1959. The highlight of Bradford's time in Yorkshire was a run to the Quarter Finals in 1955, but the Owls were more often struggling and finally lost their elite status in 1958. Bradford stayed loyal to the Owls in a bid to help them return to the top echelon. However, despite banging in an impressive twenty-six goals in Division Two, promotion wasn't achieved and the Owls opted to merge with Sheffield. By then, Bradford's future lay across the Pennines as she changed from Yorkshire green to Liverpool teal.
Her first season as a Liverpool attacker was an overwhelming success, proving her goal tally from the previous year was no fluke as she matched it in the top flight for the Liverbirds. Her performances earned her a Team of The Year place, narrowly missing out on the Player of the Year award. Her standout game was the second leg of the Quarter Final against Cheshire where she scored five goals to destroy the cats. The Liverbirds marched on to the Supergrid, setting up an opening goal before ending up on the losing side.
{post 1961 - outside Gridball} In 1967 she performed the Mandarin spoken word segment on the 1967 UK top ten hit, Soaring High by The Howling Wolves. She was briefly depicted in a sex scene in the 2020s TV drama, Monarchy.}
Janet Horsbrough
Young Player of the Year- 1951
World Champion - 1951
Netminder of the Year 1951, 1960
Date and place of Birth: 1st July 1935; Liverpool, England
Age: 25
Position: Netminder
Appearances: 156 {1951-1961}
Goals: NA
{11th June 1961}
Horsbrough was born at Sefton General Hospital in the summer of 1935 but spent much of her childhood visiting Alder Hey Children's hospital for regular calcium injections to combat calcium deficiency. Despite her childhood ailments she developed a strong level of physical fitness, even challenging boys to compete against her in sports as a youth. She was recommended to the Liverbirds in 1950 and was gambled on as their first choice goalie when still just fifteen years of age. Horsbrough played in the team's first thirteen senior games but was dropped after criticisms of her performances. The youngster was quickly recalled and her confidence visibly grew towards the end of the season, making crucial saves in all three knockout ties to help win the title. For her efforts she was named Young Player of the Year.
Horsbrough has continued as the regular first choice goalie in the years since, keeping goal in the losing Final of 1952. However, the pressures of rising fame on the teenager began to take it's toll when she sat out the 1953 season and almost quit Gridball altogether. She was convinced to stay on and returned to first team duty in 1954, reaching a third Final appearance in 1955 when the Liverbirds lost to Glasgow. Horsbrough suffered serious injuries when among several pedestrians struck by a bus on Oxford Street in London in 1957 when eight people lost their lives and it was initially suggested the driver was distracted by the sight of the star on the street. This was quickly discounted as a cause, but Horsborugh spent weeks in hospital with a crushed pelvis and leg injuries that threatened her career. She recovered sufficiently to regain her place in goal and play in a record fourth and fifth final in 1958 and 1960 but again finished on the losing side both times. She was named goalie of the year for the second time after the latter final but just a week later found herself on the front pages of the papers when a nurse involved in her bus crash recovery, claimed Horsbrough had been found to be a man during her 1957 surgery.
The nurse claimed Horsborugh was found to have both female and male organs and led to a high profile court case where the Liverpool player was forced to sit through highly intimate testimony regarding her anatomy. Doctors defended the player, testifying that a small growth in the player's intimate area was not, as reported by the nurse, a partially formed male genital. The paper was forced to pay substantial damages to Horsbrough. The player had always been a very private person even before the case.
Sally Jellicoe
Nations Champion {England} 1957
Supergrid Runner Up 1955, 1958 & 1960
World Player of the Year Runner Up 1955
Silver Bat 1955 & 1957
Team of the Year 1958
Date and place of Birth: 15th April 1936, Kingston-Upon-Hull, England
Married Name: Sally Allen
Age: 24
Position: Attacker/Shooter
Liverpool Debut: 26/03/1955 at Croydon {scored the only goal of the game}
Liverpool Appearances: 110
Liverpool Goals: 129
Sculcoates {1953-1954} 27 appearances, 7 goals
Sally Jellicoe was born into a showbiz family with her father was the band leader of the Eda Rothko big band orchestra and Sally's older sister, Lisa went on to be a feature singer in the band in the 50s.
Sally showed more of an aptitude for acting as a child, with her father's connections in showbiz landing her tiny bit parts as a child actress in a couple of movies in the late forties. However as she matured into teenage, she found her love of sport, excelling at both Hockey and Squash. It was through the former that she was introduced to Gridball in 1952 when she signed professional forms with the Sculcoates Flyers for the 1953 season.
Jellicoe found life tough as a striker with a struggling team but her potential was seen by Liverpool Coach, Hazel Bray, who recruited her to the Liverbirds for the 1955 season. The eighteen year old was through to be something of a gamble before instantly endearing herself to the Merseyside fans with the only goal on her Liverbirds debut in Croydon. From there, Jellicoe never looked back, becoming an instant hit with the Liverpudlians, who had been desperate for a replacement for their beloved previous shooter, Gertrude Keegan.
Jellicoe smashed in thirty-five goals on the way to Supergrid '55, taking to the court tied for the Golden bat with her Glasgow rival, Eileen Logan. However, it was to be the start of a frustrating relationship with the showpiece fixture for the Humbersider. On a poor day for the Liverbirds, they were outplayed by the Claymores. Jellicoe also failed to find the target while Logan did, leaving the Liverpool star with a silver medal and a silver bat. She was also voted runner up in the Gridballer of the Year awards for good measure.
Expressing a preference to play as the foil, rather than the sharp end of an attacking partnership, Jellicoe was allowed the number six shirt the following year, but the decision was unpopular with fans, especially when Liverpool failed to reach Supergrid. Jellicoe was restored to number 7 the following year and again picked up a Silver Bat, though this time well in arrears of Mississippi sensation Jean Allen. Her goals were again unable to get Liverpool to Supergrid but she did finally earn a winner's medal in the new Nations Cup as England became the first Champions.
Jellicoe again dropped back to number six on court with better results this time as she and her strike partner, Joan Lenore fired Liverpool to another Supergrid. Yet again she would suffer disappointment in a late defeat to Cheshire, although being named in the Team of the Year for the second time was some consolation.
Sally also got involved in Politics for the first time, being among several leading sports personalities to sign an open letter to the Times calling on action to be taken against South Africa over it's Apartheid regime. She also strongly voice opposition to the introduction of Gridball franchises in Cape Town and Johannesburg for the 1960 season, relenting when the two teams were relocated to modern day neighbouring Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1961. Jellicoe also married actor, Donald Allen, opting, like many star Gridballers to retain her name on court.
With a new Shooting partner, Thelma Bradford, the pair clicked in 1960 and Liverpool yet again reached Supergrid, only to yet again be foiled. A third Silver Medal made Jellicoe the only player in history to have lost the showpiece so many times without having also won it, as three of her team mates with a trio of Silver Medals had previously done.
Having established herself as a Gridball star, Jellicoe has also found time for other sports too. A tongue in cheek enquiry as to her availability to play Hockey for England was responded to with absolute seriousness by the England Gridballer, who then promptly turned out for an International game at Wembley against Scotland last year with the permission of her Gridball Club. She also represented England in Squash in February in an exhibition game against Canada.
However, her greatest honour came in January this year when she became the first Liverpool player inducted as a Gridball Legend by her peers.
Gertrude Keegan {Nee Thomas}
World Champion - 1951
World Player of the Year - 1952
Golden Bat - 1952
Date and place of Birth: 3rd September 1923, West Derby, Lancashire, England
Birth Name: Gertrude Thomas
Age: 37
Position: Shooter
Debut: 08/09/1951 vs Sunderland {substitute in Gridball '51 Final}
Liverpool Appearances: 40
Liverpool Goals: 57
Post Liverpool Career: 1954-1959 Amateur, 1960: Nuremberg 8 Appearances, 5 Goals {Division Two}
By her own admission, Thomas grew up in a privileged background. Her father was a gentleman and her mother a graduate of Neham College, Cambridge and so ensured her daughter received the best of an education, which was largely wasted on a girl with highly sporting interests. From a young age, Keegan wanted to play Hockey and soon excelled, coming to prominence while training to be a physical education teacher at the Froebel Institute in Roehampton during the war. While there, she and her team mates were strafed by a passing Luftwaffe pilot. "I think he was flirting with us" she once quipped. "Either that or he was a dreadfully terrible shot as he got nowhere near us as we ran for cover. Unfortunately my hiding place was a nettle bush so I was distinctly unamused by his chat up line of bullets!"
By 1947 she was considered good enough to make the England roster to embark on a tour of the United States where Hockey very nearly lost her to Baseball. "I was asked to play a couple of trial matches and was offered a lucrative professional contract, but I'd been married for less than a year and they couldn't offer my husband anything." Thomas, now Keegan's husband was a fellow PT instructor for the local constabulary whose advice upon her return was to tell her she should have snapped their bloody arms off as he would've found something to do!.
Keegan's sporting career was placed on hold at the birth of a son in 1948 and she was pregnant with what would be her second son when professional sport presented its second opportunity in 1951 when she was approached with an offer to become a Liverpool Liverbird. With a 'no salary until you play' deal, Keegan accepted, instantly informing her new employers that she was going to be sitting out the debut 1951 season on maternity leave. Despite this, she was a core member of the squad and was fit enough to be included in the team for the Final against Sunderland in an odd scenario where both sides were allowed rolling on/off substitutions. The experiment wasn't popular and was never repeated but it ensured Keegan played half of the Final itself and earned a winner's medal, despite that half an hour of play being her only court action that season.
Nobody would begrudge her that as she was instantly installed as first choice shooter for 1952 ahead of no less a player than Rosalie Williams. The Liverbirds had been chomping at the bit to unleash Keegan on the game and she didn't disappoint, smashing a then record thirty-three goals on the way to the quarterfinals where fate took some payback for her fortunate 1951 title medal. This time a broken ankle ruled her out of both the semi final and final, the latter of which was lost to Cheshire, though Keegan still received a silver medal to place alongside the previous year's gold. She also claimed the Golden Bat as Championship top scorer and was named by her fellows as World Gridballer of the Year for 1952.
Another excellent season in 1953 saw Keegan hit 25 goals on the way to a surprise quarterfinal exit against Croydon, which would prove to be her Gridball swansong. At thirty, Keegan felt she was too old to compete against the upcoming crop of teenagers exploding into the game and she announced her retirement prior to the 1954 season, despite easily being Liverpool's first choice shooter. She continued to play regularly in the amateur game while also writing for the Daily Express.
A family move to Germany, where her husband took up a role as a PT instructor with the army, led her to a surprise return to the senior game when offered the coaches' role at Second Division Nuremberg. The German side received more than they'd hoped when the English coach declared herself fit to play, scoring five times in eight games as the Batters settled in mid division.
Emma Kehoe-Sim
World Champion - 1951
Nations Cup Winner - 1957 {England}
Gridballer of the Year - 1953
Team of the Year - 1952 & 1958
Supergrid Finalist - 1952, 1955, 1958 & 1960
Date and place of Birth: 29th April 1934, Messina, Italy
Birth Name: Emma Josephine Kehoe
Age: 26
Position: Sweeper/Right Guard
Debut: 3rd March 1951 vs Willesden {Lost 0-2}
Appearances: 194 {Senior Gridball Record}
Goals: 29
England 8 appearances
{First player to play 200 senior Gridball games}
{as at 8th April 1961}
The daughter of an Irish father and Italian mother, Emma Kehoe was born on her maternal grandfather's vineyard where her father was a manager. At sixteen the young Italian was sent to the Liverpool Institute High School for Girls to complete her education and improve her English, which was fluent by the time the Liverpool Liverbirds held Gridball trials among the fifth and sixth formers in 1950. The tall Italian stood out for more than her playing ability and was signed for the 1951 season.
Kehoe made her debut on the first ever round of Gridball in March 1951, playing at Defensive Centre in a team beaten 0-2 at home by Willesden
Liverpool recovered from a slow start to reach Supergrid '51 where, in an experiment in player rotation, she was named among four midcourters. Kehoe would play in three of the four quarters during regular time, mostly tracking back to support the defence. Emma also played some of the overtime period but was off court when the Liverbirds scored the sudden death winner. However she had a Supergrid brooch at just seventeen and was established in the side the following season as they set out to defend their crown. As teams adopted a more regular shape in 1952, Kehoe began to fit in more in the role of Defensive Centre, which would later become the Sweeper position. The highlight of a brilliant season for her on a personal level came in scoring the third goal of a comprehensive 4-0 semi final victory over Cardiff. At just eighteen, she was hailed as the engine room in Liverpool's team, being named in the Team of the Year before playing in her second Supergrid. However, she spent most of the game dropping back to defend after the dismissal of Bertha Moore as the Liverbirds lost to a last gasp goal to Cheshire.
Liverpool's title hopes were yet again undone by a dismissal in the Quarter Final defeat in 1953, but by then Kehoe had performed well enough to gain the unusual accolade of being named Gridballer of the Year two days before a Supergrid she wouldn't be participating in. The honour cemented her as a true Gridball star and she would go on to make a then record third Supergrid appearance in 1955 but it was a day to forget as the Liverbirds were easily beaten by Glasgow.
1957 was a landmark year for the Italian, firstly marrying former England and British Lions Rugby Union star, Bob Sim and then suffering the pain of losing her mother a few weeks later. The introduction of the new Nations cup left her facing the decision of what country she should pin her allegiance to. With no Italian team yet created, Kehoe-Sim should have been lining up for Ireland. However, her recent marriage was deemed enough for her to be classed as English, despite having no recognisable English ancestry herself. As a now British citizen, she repaid her new home country by helping them to be crowned the inagural Nations cup Champions. However, With Diana Arnould as England's primary Sweeper, Kehoe-Sim was instead asked to play as a Right Guard for her country, a move she would have to replicate at club level a couple of years later when her countrywoman became a clubmate.
In 1958 she was still the Liverbird's Sweeper as she, and three team mates made a record breaking fourth Supergrid appearance. Alas, for the third time, a brooch would elude her as Cheshire yet again got the better of the Liverpudlians, although Kehoe-Sim had the consolation of being named in the Team of the Year for the third time in her career. Her appearance in Supergrid 1960 set a joint record with her team mates, Janet Horsbrough and Katherine Molloy, the trio having played in all five of Liverpool's Finals. It also made a landmark as she took to the court for the 200th time in the colours of club and country, the first player to do so at elite level. Yet again the now Supergrid hoo doo struck.
Away from the court, Kehoe-Sim divides her time between homes in Cheshire, London and Sicily.
Bessie Melia
Player of the Year - 1951
World Champion - 1951
Date and place of Birth: 15th August 1918; Seaforth
Birth Name: Elizabeth Hutchings
Age: 42 {Retired}
Position: Right Guard
Appearances: 24 {1951}
Goals: 0
The daughter of a English lawyer and Spanish mother, Hutchings grew up in a large well to do lifestyle on the outskirts of London. She finished her education in the early 1930s and initially considered an acting career until the advent of war brought her ambitions to a crashing halt. Hutchings joined the Wrens and found herself posted to the Boom Hall Londonderry base that would prove iconic for the creation of both Gridball and
Gridballers. The sport was born there among those stationed at Boom Hall but Melia's time there was brief, meeting and marrying Major General 'Titch' Melia in 1941. As Bessie Melia, she left the city the following year when her husband was posted to the War Office in London. At the end of hostilities she got in contact with her former Gridball friends to join the 1947 Gridball Shoeburyness camp where she was assigned to the Liverpool team in the first 1948 British Championship season. Melia was already thirty but was already a highly experienced Gridballer who trained the newly introduced players in these fledgling years. She was Liverpool's first choice Right Guard in the debut World Championship season in 1951, forming a partnership with Barbara Brothwood that wasn't initially successful. However, the Liverbirds scraped into the knockout stages and from there, showed their strength to win the title with Melia's defensive partnership with Brothwood proving key. Melia's performances garnered so much attention that the press named her the first World Gridball Player of the Year at the end of the 1951 season.
Despite her player of the year status, there was no room for sentiment at Liverpool and Melia's divorce from her husband of ten years created unwanted press attention for the game. Bertha Moore replaced her in the side in 1952 and At thirty-four years of age Melia decided she'd had enough of England, accepting an offer to coach in the United States in 1953.
Melia currently lives in Beverly Hills where she married a CBS Television executive in 1960, which also saw her launch a new career as a Television actress. In the last twelve months she's made guest appearances in shows such as Rawhide and Bonanza.
Rosalie Williams
World Champion - 1951 {Liverpool}, 1959 & 1960 {Willesden}
1958 Golden Bat {Willesden}, 1959 Joint Bronze Bat {Willesden}, 1960 Team of the Year {Willesden}
Date and place of Birth: 18th June 1919; Liverpool, England
Birth Name: Rosalie Molina
Age: 41
Position: Shooter
Debut: 03/03/1951 vs Willesden {0-2}
Last Appearance: Supergrid 1960 {Retired}
Appearances: 129 {23 Liverpool 1951} {42 Croydon 1952-1954} {84 Willesden 1955-1960}
Goals: 156 {17 Liverpool}, {39 Croydon} {119 Willesden}
Molina was born in Liverpool, the daughter of a local banker who relocated to Surrey just before the war where she had ambitions of becoming a dancer. She met and married actor, Marius Williams in 1945 and through a mutual friend, was
Invited to try out for Gridball as a means of getting fit after the birth of her daughter in 1947. She was assigned to play in Liverpool's first Championship game in 1951, going on to score
Melia in 1952
seventeen goals, which fell just short of a Bronze Bat. Williams almost missed the final through injury but was considered fit enough to play a small part in the Liverbird's victory. The arrival of Gertrude Keegan spelt the end of William's career at Liverpool, and she moved south to Croydon, spending three seasons in Surrey. At 35 it was considered a surprise move when Willesden offered her a contract. Many pundits thought she was over the hill, which only seemed to make Williams more determined to prove them wrong. However, luck deserted her when injury ruled her out midway through the season and she watched her teammates win the title from the stands. Once more the pundits wrote her off at their peril as she returned at the age of 39, even more determined to be part of the team retaining the title. While that wasn't to be, Williams enjoyed a great personal season, scoring thirty-three goals to win the 1958 Golden Bat.
The more the press wrote her chances of winning a title off, the more determined she became to prove them wrong, remaining at the top of her game at the age of forty to finally secure the much desired Supergrid brooch in 1959. Just for good measure, she came back again at the age of 41 to win another one. Despite her age, she was still regarded as among the best players in the game, announcing that she would retire no matter what the result of the 1960 Supergrid Finale. That didn't stop a host of clubs approaching her to keep playing in 1961. Those attempts have been quickly quashed by the news that Williams is expecting her second child in the autumn.
Hazel Morley
Coached Liverpool to 3rd losing Supergrids, 1955, 1958, 1960
Date and place of Birth: 16th January 1925; Seaforth
Birth Name: Hazel McDowall {aka Hazel Bray}
Age: 36
Position: Coach
Hazel McDowall had dreams of becoming a model as a child. However the lack of opportunities for her as a teenager saw her take a job as a ticket inspector at Seaforth and Litherland railway station in 1943 instead. The boredom of the job saw her one day decide to pack a small bag and use her uniform as a means to be able to travel all the way to London in 1945. "It was still wartime and there should have been all sorts of restrictions to stop me, and yet nobody so much as asked me a question. I could have been
a spy so far as anybody could have told."
McDowall headed straight for a modelling agency who promptly refused her, but was fortunate enough to be spotted there by budding photographer, Harry Bray. The pair married after a whirlwind romance and just as quickly separated, but the relationship lasted long enough to give Hazel time to find her feet in the City. When the marriage broke up in 1947 she signed up for the Gridball at the Shoeburyness camp but was only a moderate player, even by the standards of the time. Instead Hazel was used to model kits and take part in promotional tours of the Country, as the sport tried to find owners for the teams. Once the Liverpool Liverbirds were signed up and set up in Merseyside, she returned home, initially on the playing staff in 1950, before stepping back to become a coach in 1951 when the Liverbirds won the inaugural title. Bray was again on the touchline the following year when they lost to Cheshire before she was named as the club's first full time coach in 1953, taking over all team affairs from a selectors panel.
Bray has gone on to become a legendary coach on Merseyside, but the grand prize of leading the team to a Supergrid success continues to elude her, having been coach in three losing showpieces in 1955, 58 and 60.
Off court she began a high profile relationship with the Pakistani Ambassador to the UK, Sir Zafurullah Bagra in 1955. Having tracked down her first husband and secured a divorce, Bray was due to marry in 1960 when tragedy dealt a different fate, a car crash in France which killed Bagra and caused the pregnant Bray to suffer injuries, which resulted in a miscarriage. While convalescing, she met another photographer, Hugh B Morely, the couple forming a relationship, which led to her second marriage in January.
Rosalie Williams
World Champion - 1951 {Liverpool}, 1959 & 1960 {Willesden}
1958 Golden Bat {Willesden}, 1959 Joint Bronze Bat {Willesden}, 1960 Team of the Year {Willesden}
Date and place of Birth: 18th June 1919; Liverpool, England
Birth Name: Rosalie Molina
Age: 41
Position: Shooter
Debut: 03/03/1951 vs Willesden {0-2}
Last Appearance: Supergrid 1960 {Retired}
Appearances: 129 {23 Liverpool 1951} {42 Croydon 1952-1954} {84 Willesden 1955-1960}
Goals: 156 {17 Liverpool}, {39 Croydon} {119 Willesden}
Molina was born in Liverpool, the daughter of a local banker who relocated to Surrey just before the war where she had ambitions of becoming a dancer. She met and married actor, Marius Williams in 1945 and through a mutual friend, was
Invited to try out for Gridball as a means of getting fit after the birth of her daughter in 1947. She was assigned to play in Liverpool's first Championship game in 1951, going on to score
seventeen goals, which fell just short of a Bronze Bat. Williams almost missed the final through injury but was considered fit enough to play a small part in the Liverbird's victory. The arrival of Gertrude Keegan spelt the end of William's career at Liverpool, and she moved south to Croydon, spending three seasons in Surrey. At 35 it was considered a surprise move when Willesden offered her a contract. Many pundits thought she was over the hill, which only seemed to make Williams more determined to prove them wrong. However, luck deserted her when injury ruled her out midway through the season and she watched her teammates win the title from the stands. Once more the pundits wrote her off at their peril as she returned at the age of 39, even more determined to be part of the team retaining the title. While that wasn't to be, Williams enjoyed a great personal season, scoring thirty-three goals to win the 1958 Golden Bat.
The more the press wrote her chances of winning a title off, the more determined she became to prove them wrong, remaining at the top of her game at the age of forty to finally secure the much desired Supergrid brooch in 1959. Just for good measure, she came back again at the age of 41 to win another one. Despite her age, she was still regarded as among the best players in the game, announcing that she would retire no matter what the result of the 1960 Supergrid Finale. That didn't stop a host of clubs approaching her to keep playing in 1961. Those attempts have been quickly quashed by the news that Williams is expecting her second child in the autumn.