Sporting Successes

Catholic Cup Football Winners, 1947-48

Back row, from left: Mr Tom Fitzpatrick, Norman Mayo, Vincent McGrath, Frank Beecher, Brian Hewitt, Mr Fred Andrew.

Middle row, from left: Vincent Murray, John Cuppello, John Baxter, Tom Monaghan, Johan Royan.

Front row, from left: Terry Richardson, Terry Queenan.

Picture taken near the arches at the end of the schoolyard.

Cup-winning football team, 1947-48

Standing, from left: Mr Tom Fitzpatrick, Eddie Goggins, Frank Beecher, Norman Mayo, Vincent McGrath, Brian McLeish, Terry Queenan, Mr Fred Andrew.

Seated, from left: Brian Hewitt, John Baxter, John Cuppello, Tom Monaghan (Capt.), Vincent Murray, Bernard O’Neil.

The trophies on display in this professionally taken photograph are the Manchester Schools’ Cup and the Manchester Catholic Schools’ Cup. A party was held one evening in Levenshulme at the home of Charlie and Nora Beecher, whose son Frank is shown in the picture, to celebrate the boys’ successful football season.  Mrs Beecher made a hotpot, ably assisted by Norman Mayo’s mother and sister. 

Winners of the Wilfrid Hayes Trophy, 1948-49

Back row, from left: Vincent McGrath, unidentified official presenting trophy, Eddie Goggins, John Cuppello, Tom Monaghan, Frank Beecher, Brian McLeish, Norman Mayo, Mr Tom Fitzpatrick.

Front row, from left: Bernard O’Neil, John Baxter, Vincent Murray, Brian Hewitt.

Football champions, 1948-49

Standing, from left: Mr Fred Andrew, Mr Wilfrid Holmes (Headmaster), Brian McLeish, Eddie Goggins, Frank Beecher, Vincent McGrath, Norman Mayo, Bernard O’Neil, Mr Tom Fitzpatrick.

Seated, from left: Brian Hewitt, John Baxter, Tom Monaghan (Capt.), John Cuppello, Vincent Murray.

This was a highly successful football team. They were winners of the Wilfrid Hayes Shield, Catholic Cup, the Daily Dispatch Lancashire Cup, and the Daily Dispatch Shield Manchester.

Tom Monaghan and Norman Mayo also represented Manchester Boys in the 1948-49 season.

Picture taken in Ardwick Green Park. 

Second Year football team, winners of the Third Division Shield 1949-50

Back row, from left: Mr Wilfrid Holmes (Headmaster), Rafferty, Dunn, Morris, Machie, Laurens, Holmes, Mr A.L. Smith. 

Front row, from left: Radcliffe, Phil Beswick, Hefferan, Berry (Capt.), Donegan, Brian Power, John Gibbon, Roy Beale, Peter Richardson.

Picture taken in Ardwick Green Park.

An interesting feature of this photograph is the fact that Mr Holmes, the school’s first headmaster, was now nearing the end of his time at St Gregory’s before retiring in January 1951, while Mr Tony Smith, himself a former pupil and now in his first year as a teacher, would one day become head of the school. 

The team, by the way, included six boys from the first year – but was sometimes referred to as the “Second Year”.