Merseyside Grapplers Featured In New Wrestling Book

5 figures from Merseyside are among more than 50 stars profiled in a new book on the:- 'World of Sport' era of television wrestling. "Have A Good Week… Till Next Week" includes detailed biographies on wrestlers and promoters including:-

Brian Dixon: Formerly of Tranmere and now based in Birkenhead, his All Star Wrestling group is the world's  3rd oldest wrestling promotion, while his 48 years in charge is an all time record.

Rob Brookside: A Liverpool wrestler regarded as 1 of Britain's best performers of the 1990s, he now trains future WWE stars in Orlando.

Doc Dean: Brookside's 'Liverpool Lads' partner who wrestled in Europe, Japan and the US before retiring to become a plumber. Dean died earlier this year aged 48.

Brian Maxine: Known as 'Gold Belt' for his prized middleweight championship (which was featured on Police 5 after being stolen from a dressing room), Ellesmere Port's Maxine also recorded 3 country music albums backed by Fairport Convention members.

John Kenny: The wrestling 'Gypsy' from Widnes whose memorable moments included wrestling a Greek waiter in a hotel lobby and snuggling against Giant Haystacks in the back of a car when fearing paramilitary attacks in Northern Ireland. He now trains wrestlers at the Infinite Promotions gym in St Helens.

Author John Lister said:- "I was privileged to interview all 5 men for the book and hear their fascinating tales of life in and out of the ring. Both Dixon and Brookside still had shivers at the thought of their childhood watching shows at the Liverpool Stadium. It's amazing to think that 30 years after wrestling  1st came off TV, they are still keenly involved in the business."

'Have A Good Week… Till Next week' is named after commentator Kent Walton's signature signoff phrase. The 400 page book is available in print and Kindle edition on Amazon. 

For 6 years, the stars of Britain's ITV wrestling;- many speaking candidly for the  1st time; told their stories to Fighting Spirit Magazine's John Lister. Now these in-depth biographies of more than 50 grapplers come together in:- "Have A Good Week… Till Next Week," the ultimate history of the:- 'World of Sport' era. From Adrian Street to William Regal, from Tiny Tom Thumb to Giant Haystacks, these are the true stories of amazing lives in and out of the ring.

The book also contains articles on wrestling at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena; the FA Cup Final special shows; wrestling in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the pre TV era; and the most in-depth and revealing history of Joint Promotions.

Fact File:- John Lister is a professional freelance writer who has been writing for wrestling publications since 1990. Author of:- 'Slamthology,' 'Turning The Tables: The Story Of Extreme Championship Wrestling,' and 'Purodyssey: A Tokyo Wrestling Diary,' he formerly worked for:- 'Power Slam' and 'The Fight Network' and is now a regular contributor to:- 'Fighting Spirit Magazine.'

₤280,000 investment for patients needing surgery

PATIENTS needing surgery will benefit from a ₤280,000 investment at Southport Hospital from this month. Work completed last week on the Surgical Assessment Unit on Ward 10B which will be fully operational by the beginning of October 2018.

Kath Higgins, Head of Nursing for Planned Care, said:- "This is a new, dedicated space for patients with urgent referrals for surgery as well as some patients arriving for planned procedures. It will be more convenient for them, their families and the staff who treat them. Because the unit can only be used for surgical patients, it will also mean fewer cancellations."

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust has also begun work on the final phase of an extension and refurbishment to A&E at Southport Hospital. There will be a bigger reception and waiting area, and a much-needed additional clinical assessment space to support the timely handover of patients arriving by ambulance. It is part of a ₤1.25m investment that includes the eight-bed Clinical Decision Unit opened in the spring.

A&E will continue to operate as usual during the work which is due to finish by late November. Drop-off parking immediately outside the department is unavailable until then.

Southport Hospital is also replacing an ageing CT scanner. The ₤350,000 contract is part of a whole scale review of the radiology estate which will see the Southport Hospital MRI scanner replaced in 2019 and the Ormskirk CT scanner in 2022.