West Midlands Basketball League

Babe Clay Rosebowl Competition

'Babe' Clay was a Director and Company Secretary at a steelworks in Wednesbury, keen basketball player and coach at the BAI in 1935.
Clay and Bill Browning set up the Amateur Basketball Association in 1936 and Clay was Secretary and Treasurer until 1949.
During the war basketball continued to be played in the Midlands largely due to the work of Babe Clay and Les Cooper.
Clay died suddenly in the early 1960's and is reputed to have left all his money to the English Basketball Association.
Two theories emerge as regards the trophy:
(i) That it was presented by Clay himself when the Area Club Championship first started and became the Rosebowl Trophy.
(ii) It was bought in his memory from donations received by the League after his death.