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This is another post showing pages from the 1983 Cup Final. The pages show details of the ladies finalists Robert Jenkins (Ruislip Eagles) Handball Club and Wakefield Metros Handball Club. Robert Jenkins won the final 15-14. The report below is taken from 'Word is ...' No.6 which was the BHA official journal at the time.
This is the photo and player profiles of the Liverpool team for the 1983 British Cup Final. As in the previous post there may be a few errors which I have overlooked during the copy from the pdf of the this post. Fortunately I spotted the player who had been copied across as a Minger!
Paul Davies
Goalkeeper. 22yrs. old. 5'10'tall. Welsh lnternational. Started off as a court player and decided to play in goal 4 years ago. A good prospect for future G.B. team.
Mick Hegarty (coach)
Left Back. 28yrs. old. 6'3". Welsh and G.B. lnternational. Current Men's G.B. coach. Hoping for his first major domestic honour as a club coach.
Les Davies
Centre Back. 24yrs. old. 6'1". Welsh lnternational. Although he has never gained full international honours, he is one of the best defenders in the country.
Tommy Garnett
Winger.20yrs. old. 5'8. Another product of their youth policy who has gone on to gain international honours at U/21 level.
Paul Church
Left Wing. 25yrs. old. 5'10'. England and G.B. lnternational. Last season's player of the year at Liverpool H.C. His recent form has brought him back onto the international scene after a two year absence.
Phil Church (captain)
Centre Back. 22yrs. old. 5'9'. England and G.B. lnternational. He has had an injury prone season, but he has managed to fight his way back to fitness for this final.
Steph Jones
Right Wing. 25yrs. old- 6'0'. England and G.B. Steph has played internationally for eight years making him the most experienced winger in the country.
Joe Nolan
Left Back. 22yrs. old. 6'4'.G. B, U/21 international. He has promised much over the past three seasons and with consistency in his game will become an extremely good player.
Peter lrving
Line Player. 25yrs. old. 6'1". Welsh lnternational. one of the best line players in the country.
Paul Forester
Right Back . 25yrs. old. 6'1". England lnternational. A much improved player over the past two seasons. On current form he will not be long in gaining his first full international for G.B.
Dave Woods
Left back 21 yrs. old. 6'1". Dave only_began.playing two years ago and he has already gained international recognition at England U/21 level.
Dave Henaghan
Goalkeeper 30 yrs. old. 6'2".England and G.B. lnternational. A remarkable player. He is probably the only player in the country to_have played in every position at top domestic level. He was a court player from 1973-1980. Then he went in goal and fought his way to become one of the top three keepers in the country. He is still a formibable court player and in fact played out and scored several goals in Liverpool's European Cup venture last season.
Dave Levy
Right wing. 22yrs. old. 5'10''. Dave has played for 3 years. He has just broken into the first team squad. lf a few more players in the country showed his determination and dedication, the standard of handball would rise dramiatically.
Steve Farrelly
Winger' 20yrs. old. 6'1''. An example of Keith Clark's youth policy, who was recently chosen to play for England U/21's against Scotland.
Tommy McNab
Line Player 25yrs. old. 5'9". He was introduced to the game through his wife, Chris,who plays for Halewood. Although he has played for only two seasons, he has shown a remarkable aptitude for the game.
Keith Clark
Line Player. 5'10". 28yrs. old. Former G.B. lnternational. Original founder member of Liverpool H.C. 13years ago. His youth policy has given L.H.C.the very sound base of up and coming talent in the club.
Following on from the last post this one has a photo of the Brentwood team from the cup final programme and the text is the player profiles. Please don't complain about any typos or other strange text. The text was copied from a pdf file of the programme and has been edited but probably still contains errors. I'll post more of the programme soon with the Liverpool men next. I'd have posted the pdf of the programme but unfortunately it exceeds the maximum memory allowed for posting here.
The Brentwood team shown was the dominent force in UK handball during the late 70s and early 80s but this final was a turning point in the history of British Handball with Liverpool gaining the first of thier many honours.
No. 1 David Hendrick, Age:20
Occupation: Bank Official
Goalkeepers must possess fast reactions. courage and good ball sense. David has
all of these abilities and with an impressive array of lnternational appearances for
both Club and Counrty behind him, he will undoubtedly play a key role in this final.
No. 2 Francois Joli Age: 25
Occupation : Geophysicist
Francois joined Brentwood at the beginning of the current season and has proved a
key man in the Brentwood attack, particularly from his favourite leftwing losition.
However, Francois would be the first to admit that adapting from the fluid French
style of Handball to the more physical British game is not an easy move!
No.3 Paul Dempsey Age: 18
Occupation : Gr-eengrocery R-etailer
ln spite of being the youngest player in the club, Paul shows strength, ability and
agility on court comparable with any of the more senior players in the country. He
already has an impressive lnternational record and is one of the top goal scorers in
the National league this season. A man worth watching!
No.4 Billy Hayburn Age: 25
Occupation: Student
Until his departure for Nottingham University, Billy was one of the stars of the Scottish Leagues and when asked to join Brentwood he seized the opportunity with both hands. His skills and effortless goal scoring ability make him a worthy addition to any team. Billy also has an extensive lnternational record.
No.5 Anthony Tropp Age:22
Occupation : lnsurance Broker/ Sports Retailer
A veteran of The Robert Jenkins Club in South Ruislip, Tony joined Brentwood to
assist his training for the National Team. Since that time he has become a key
member dominating the position of Left Wing in attack and scoring spectacular goals from this position.
No. 6 Paul Rolls Age: 28
Occupation : Commercial Printer
A founder member of the Club. Paul has been involved in just about every aspect of
the Club's set-up at one time or another. An ex-lnternational, he is now in the
unenviable situation of having to take the place of Goran Gazivoda as coach of
Brentwood, as well as playing for the team.
No.7 Larry Beard Age: 23
Occupation: Analyst - Ford Motor Co.
A few years ago Larry was heralded as the prodigy of British. Handball. playing his
first iniernational at the tender age of 15. Now at the peak of his handball career he
has an inteinational record as long as his shooting arm and will no doubt play a
leading role in the Cup Final with his total commitment to victory.
No.8 Anthony Easter Age: 21
Occupation: Loss Adjuster
This Season UJinS ni6 first in competitive handball, Tony has yet to reach his peak
performance. Hoiwever his experibnce and confidence irow with every game and
his raw enthusiasm for the spbrt will undoubtedly carry him through the final.
No.9 Graham Harris Age: 35(ish)
Occupation : Companv Director
4". SidJ"Oer .5mb'er of the Club, Graham has recently rejoined the team after a
iiu. uear break, due to work commitments in other parts of the country' He is
lnoti,ei oi tne'CtuU's ex-lnternationals and is the ideal man for boosting teant
morlie anO settlin-g the nerves. prior to a big event. He is also a strong and able
player!
No. 10 Gary Beechener Age: 25
Occuriation : lnternational Bond Dealer
Gary, another of the Club's well established players, has also represented his
couirtry at lnternational level. Formerly a strong-wing Player, he now plays as a line
attacker and has formed a new dimension in the Brentwood attack with his
spectacular "lay out" shots.
No.11 Anthony Davis Age:26
Occuoation: lnternational Bank Official
Another of the founder members,Tony, formerly the Club Chairman and now
Captain of the team, has also played at all levels of lnternational competition, from
Schools to World Championships. One of the three left handers in the team, Tony
has built his reputation as a right-wing player but now interchanges with right half
position in attack.
No. 12 Simon Perry Age:20
Occupation: Student
Alienated from the team through studying commitments, Simon's- handball career
has never quite been allowed to reach-its peak. However with studies behind him a
strong future is assured.
No.13 Danny Sweeney Age:28
Occupation : Electrician
Always an aggressive player, Danny has long been a key figure in the left half
position. Another of the Club's lnternational players, his stamina, gained from
training for marathon running, is usually an important factor in his game.
No. 15 Daren Bartlet Age: 20
Occupation: Fireman
Another player who has been away from the Club due to career training
commitment, Daren is beginning to gain the strength required for the difficult
position of line player in attack. He has also represented his country at Junior
lnternational level.
No. 16 Tom Smith Age: (lmmaterial!)
Occupation: ComPuter SYstem
Tom is unashamedly one of the veteran players of the Club.However he still works
hard on the promotional side of the game and for the Club. He is still more than
capable of hdlding his own in goal, at any level in British Handball, and will no doubt
rise to the occasion in the Cup.
The scans here are two pages from 'Word is ...' number 6 which was a newsletter published by the British Handball Association in the early '80s. The pages 3 and 7 show a report on the 1983 British Cup Final and end of season tables for the 1983 season respectively.
The report on the final is written by Ian Harris and summarises Liverpool's 14-13 win over Brentwood '72. It was Brentwood's first league or cup defeat since 1977/78 and Liverpool's first major honour.
The 'Results' page shows that Brentwood '72 were Men's English League champions and Wakefield Metros winning the ladies national league. In Scotland East Kilbride '82 were men's champions and Strathclyde the women's champions. The page shows a British Chamionship for the women won by Wakefield but there is no evidence of a men's play-off.
Towards the foot of the page 'Other Leagues' are for men Salford with 4 teams and Merseyside with 7 teams, and for women Greater Manchester with 4 teams and Merseyside with 5 teams. The statistics continue on to page 8 (not shown) with details of the Midland league and the GLSE league both of which were won by Milton Keynes.
This entry is a page from the Midland Handball Association Directory 1982. The Directory has a comprehensive array of data about not just the Midlands Association in 1982 but also British Handball at the time. The page shown shows details of the British Cup and English League in 1982 and also shows the winners of the competitions from 1977 to 1982. The page stands as evidence of the dominance of Brentwood '72 at the time.
The Bristol Tournament was the most popular tounament in the UK during the late '70s and through the '80s. The tournament named 'Inter' was usually held on the Saturday and Sunday of the May Spring Bank Holiday and brought together clubs from across Britain along with teams (usually four) from Europe. The six scans here are of programmes from four of the tournaments showing the high profile sponsorship that the weekend attracted. The event was the mastermind of Whitchurch Handball Club's Tim Rowbottom and the rise and fall of the tournament very much followed the fortunes of the club.
