Bishops revisited

The first 40,000 words contain five examples of a word that might these days see a Northern League player pointed summarily towards the dressing room. "They're all just good anecdotes," he insists. "I didn't even know that word had been invented in the 1950s."

Research party, he was up at the weekend for the Two Blues' annual reunion, a dozen of them at the town's golf club.

Alan was a miner's son, moved with the family to the Potteries when exhaustion rattled the coalhouse door knob, watched the Bishops' unique hat trick of Wembley victories between 1955-57.

Now 57, he'd not seen a match since the 1962 Amateur Cup tie with Loughborough Colleges - the students' goalkeeper a youngster called Robert Primrose Wilson, later of Arsenal, Scotland and Match of the Day - until getting the idea for the book.

Already thinking about it, he'd turned up at Northwich Victoria last season when an elderly Northwich fan approached the Bishop Auckland party and asked if they'd brought Bobby Hardisty.

"In a flash everything came back to me," he says. "I knew I had so much to write about."

The book will combine memories of his own Co Durham childhood with recollections of those epic days. Legendary former players like Bob Thursby, Ray Oliver, Warren Bradley and Derek Lewin have proved invaluable and Alan has also amassed - short time, considerable expense - a red letter collection of programmes.

The exception was the single sheet issue for the 1922 FA Amateur Cup final, Bishops v South Bank at Ayresome Park. The seller wanted £850. "I thought I could do without it," he says.

He became a housing manager in Staffordshire, retired early 12 years ago, was described in a Timeform guide as a "professional gambler" but believes the book - provisionally entitled Glory Days - to be a safe bet.

Expletives undeleted, the history with nowt taken out should be in the book shops next year.

Though they meet at the golf club, the former footballers no longer play a round. "Quite a few of us still play, but it seems unfair to leave the others twiddling their thumbs for four hours," says reunion organiser Derek Lewin, 74, inside right in each of the Wembley hat trick finals.

Other 50s' favourites back in town for the occasion included Warren Bradley, Corbett Cresswell, Ron Fryer, Len Langford, Derek Marshall, Ray Oliver and Bob Thursby, joined by Michael Barker, Mike Greenwood, Billy Roughley and George Siddle from a few years later.

"We never seem to run out of things to talk about," says Derek, now an FA Council member. "Mainly it's about Harry Sharratt or about how many goals Ray Oliver scored after the final whistle had gone."

They hope to be back again next year - and plan a putting competition instead.

among the other things which Alan Adamthwaite picked up in his meanderings was a 1956 FA Year Book, including an instructive five page article by L Rawe headed "Training at Evenwood Town FC".

"Coaching in amateur circles presents its problems," it began, familiar then as now. "They include lighting, lack of facilities, damage to the playing area, difficulty in getting all the players together and even lack of an adequate number of footballs."

Clearly his progressive fitness regime - "so essential to all players" - hasn't done him any harm.

Still in Bishop Auckland, Lez Rawe is now 84, has beaten two major cancers and until last year was playing a vigorous game of tennis. We've sent him a copy.

A little belatedly, though the shock still registers on the Richter, we hear that Durham cricket superfan and Peterlee magistrate Mervyn Hardy saw the first day at Grace Road - Leicester 400 and odd for four - then absconded the following morning to watch Yorkshire at Derby instead. Despite the time delay, the column's informant is unrepentant. "I said I'd bring him to justice eventually."

When Her Majesty's press had finally exhausted all their conjunctivitis puns in advance of Saturday's Tees-Tyne derby, it fell to the Riverside Stadium disc jockey to maintain the theme.

Boro fan Dave Gill in Eaglescliffe reports that both Lyin' Eyes and Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel's theme from Watership Down - were played immediately before kick-off.

With hindsight, adds Dave - and with the benefit of television replays - the Newcastle DJ at the return fixture might be tempted to play "You need hands" instead.

Among those watching North Shields' Northern League return on Saturday was 62-year-old Don Winskill, who'd scored twice in the Robins' first ever game in the league, exactly 40 years earlier. They won 7-1 at Shildon.

It was also the day that 15-year-old Derek Forster - "bursting at the seams with talent" said the Echo - made his debut in goal for Sunderland and that Brian Clough made his short lived comeback, that skipper Mel Nurse celebrated Middlesbrough's 3-0 win at Southampton with ten cups of lime juice and that Darlington lost 1-0 at home to Newport County.

"All our suspicions about the Quakers' goal shy forwards turned out to be dreadfully true," wrote Bob James, proving that some things never change a bit.

Don Winskill scored 200 goals in four seasons for North Shields, but joined Northumberland rivals Blyth Spartans shortly before Newcastle United legend arrived as Shields' manager, leading them to FA Amateur Cup final victory at Wembley.

Don's still rueful. "It was the biggest mistake of my life," he said.

Before any more aggressive e-mails arrive, it should with delight be recorded that Shildon Railway Cricket Club won their first Durham County League match for three years on Saturday, by two wickets over Ushaw Moor.

Just nine points behind Langley Park, and still to play them at home, they even have a chance of escaping the familiar bottom rung.

Sadly, however, club president Jack Watson missed the triumph - off football scouting at Carlisle United v Canvey Island for his new club, Hibs, managed by former Boro favourite Tony Mowbray.

"I spent a day at Easter Road pre-season and they were wonderful," says Jack. "Tony is a real gentleman."

We'd supposed Jack, familiar for almost 70 years in North-East football and cricket, to be 84. He insists he's a mere 83. "If Hibs thought I was 84," he adds, "I'd probably get the sack again."

And finally...

Friday's question caused considerable consternation. The six teams who've completed just a single Premiership season are Barnsley, Portsmouth, Watford, West Ham, Wolves and (wait for it) Swindon Town in 1993-94.

The team which has appeared in 11 out of 12 completed Premiership seasons is Newcastle United.

Brian Shaw in Shildon today seeks the identity of the only player to score a hat trick against England in Peter Shilton's 125 games for his country. Another trick or two, the column returns on Friday.

Published: 17/08/2004