We received this image over the weekend from Phyllis Watterson who believes the image is circa 1950s when there was a thriving Sunday School Football League in the island.

She confirmed that matches were played on weekday evenings during the summer months and results from the matches were eagerly awaited for in the Green Final sports newspaper on Saturday evenings (remembering there was no local radio in those days and 40 years before the internet became available with social media etc).

‘Most teenagers still attended Sunday School then but sometimes were suspected of changing churches or even denominations to gain a place in a good football or badminton team! All were welcome.’

Phyllis thinks these were all loyal St Thomas’s boys and the original photograph was given to the archives at St Thomas Church in Douglas by the late Roger Quayle, always a good sport.

She confirms the vicar is the Reverend George Duckworth and team manager Mrs Gladys Mountain, a Sunday School superintendent

She can’t remember how long the league lasted but, some time in the mid-1970s, local football clubs formed their own junior teams giving more scope for players to progress. They play on Sunday mornings.

Roger (Quayle) had added most of the names: which are as follows (Back row left to right): Mrs Mountain, Roger Quayle, Peter Moss, Raymond Quayle, Mike Dean, Eric Garnett, Revd Duckworth.

(Front) George Henthorn, Neil Martin, Colin Quayle, Max Callister, S? Bennett. Phyllis wonders if George Chatel was the 11th player, missing from the picture?

She is correct in thinking that George Henthorn is grandfather of the new Isle of Man representative football team manager, Chris Bass Jr (there is a very close resemblance). George was, until recently at least, continuing to run quite regularly in his 80s. Like Chris, he played for St George’s FC.