When wrestling packed the Parr Hall and Warrington Baths

Pictures Eddie Whitham

DURING the 1960’s and 1970’s wrestling was a popular attraction in Warrington. with bouts taking place at Warrington Baths and the Parr Hall to full houses.
Many of the stars like Count Batelli, Jumping Jim Hussey, Alan DennisoN, Bert Royal and ex-Wakefield and GB Rugby league player Don Vines were some the wrestlers who drew in he crowds.
One the big favourites was Les Kellett with his cheeky smile and expert wrestling skills.
Kellet at his best would even join the crowd!
He rose to prominence due to the popularity of televised wrestling in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kellett turned to wrestling after being demobbed from the merchant navy where he worked as an engineer.
During the 1950s he earned between £40 and £50 and was fighting five to six times a week all over the country. In the 1960s Kellett was nominated for the ITV Sports Personality of the Year.
In the 1970s, he was regularly seen on ITV’s Saturday afternoon sports show-case, World of Sport. Although well known for his comic antics he was respected and feared in equal measure by his fellow professionals and was regarded
as one of the toughest opponents in the sport. One of his standard tactics was to appear punch-drunk and almost defeated in a match, before suddenly recovering his ability and delivering the decisive move.
The money he earned from his wrestling appearances was not great and he supplemented his earnings by working a small holding and café.
He died peacefully in his sleep in 2002 aged 86.