Bullet ban remains a football mystery

A fireman and later engine driver on the LNER, he won six England amateur international caps, played 16 years for Stockton, and was 34 when he collected a loser's medal from FA president Sir Charles Clegg after the Ancients' Amateur Cup final in 1933.

It's what happened next which remains a mystery: why, despite protests led by the Mayor of Stockton, was Smith banned from football for a year?

Who had he hit? For what heinous offence did the FA so massively bite the Bullet?

The extraordinary suspension, briefly recorded in the Northern League's official histories, has resurfaced because one of Smith's pea on a drum England caps and his 1932-33 Northern League championship medal go under the hammer in Middlesbrough next month.

"Whatever he did must have been pretty hellish," says John Wilson of Methusaleh, the auction house. "Rio Ferdinand only got eight months and discipline wasn't usually so harsh in those days. It just seems incredible."

Stockton and Kingstonian had drawn the final 1-1, at Dulwich. In the replay, at Darlington on April 22 1933, Stockton right back Joe Thompson was carried off after 12 minutes - the Memorial Hospital reporting "an internal derangement of the knee joint." A goal down, Kingstonian won 4-1.

Northern Goalfields Revisited, the Northern League's millennium history, records that "allegations over Smith's post-match conduct" led to the ban. League historian Brian Hunt can now throw no further light; suffice that if Hunty says it happened, it did.

The following Monday's Northern Echo reported nothing untoward, mentioning - almost as witness for the defence - that the players had returned quietly, "going straight to Sparks's Caf in Stockton for tea."

Smith, we added, had combined the roles of forward and wing half after Thompson's injury and was to be commended for the way in which he'd kept his team going.

"It was regrettable that in their efforts to equalise the Londoners introduced unnecessary roughness," the Echo added, though Stockton had made £900 - "a truly handsome reward" - from their cup run.

Whether sparks flew at Sparks's, whether there'd been storms in tea cups or in the FA Amateur Cup, Smith announced at the post-match party that the result didn't really matter because it was probably his last season.

Teammates cried "Don't be silly". Perhaps he knew something they didn't.

"Smith has probably personal reasons for his retirement if it does occur," added the Echo's correspondent, as if also aware of something he didn't want to share with his readers.

Smith played in none of Stockton's remaining matches that season, though he was on hand to collect the cup when they beat the rest of the league on May 4, pronouncing himself "highly honoured" but adding - curiouser and curiouser - that accidents would happen.

The column's researches necessarily ended two weeks later. Dennis Smith, the surviving nephew who has given the mementoes to be auctioned, has also no idea what happened.

"I didn't really know my Uncle Ralph but my father and my Uncle Val, his two brothers, were very quiet and laid back and I understand it was a family trait."

Ralph Smith did eventually play football again, for Whitby United. He died in Middlesbrough in 1950, aged just 52. If Bullet fires anyone's imagination, even at this distance, we'd be intrigued to find out more.

April 22 1933? Leading jockey Ronald James was taken to hospital after a fall at Stockton races, Cockfield born J W Holliday's 39th Football League goal for Brentford made him the club's record scorer in a season, cricket was up to its ears in the bodyline bowling controversy and Middlesbrough Unemployed had a job on their hands in the Middlesbrough and District League cup final, losing 7-1 to Olympia Athletic before a 2,000 crowd at Ayresome Park.

The most dramatic events that April Saturday, however, came in the hamlet of Gurney Valley, near Bishop Auckland, when 40-year-old Florence Ada Kirkup, married to an unemployed miner, was shot dead after leaving a bus during a heated argument with another man.

After an all night search, miners' union official Robert Leighton was found shot dead in a disused carriage at Crook railway station, his gun by his side.

"It is understood," said the Echo, "that they had been acquainted for some time."

Bullet Smith's cap and medal will be auctioned at Marton Country Club, Middlesbrough, on Thursday April 29 (1 30pm). Hundreds of other lots include the shirt worn by Newcastle United's Alan Foggon in the 1969 Inter-City Fairs Cup final.

The sale also includes a large collection of Magpies' programmes and "related ephemera" from 1945-69 and 1914 FA Cup final material.

Details from John Wilson on 07718 120274 or www.methusaleh.com

Lewis deserving of benefit

Breathing fire and philosophy - "county cricketers are the poor relations" - long serving Durham CCC director Tom Moffatt has happily joined the benefit committee for club captain Jon Lewis.

Lewis joined Durham in 1997, scored an unbeaten 210 against Oxford University on his debut, has hit more first class runs - 6,247, average 33.22 - than any other Durham batsman and is second among the century makers. John Morris has 14, Lewis 11.

His bowling, it should be said, is rather less impressive - first class best 1-73 ("declaration bowling," snorts the Beardless Wonder) and his only national league over carted for 32 by Alan Wells. They didn't ask him again.

Tom insists upon the benefit of the doubters. "I find it quite sad to be told that they've had their wages so why should they have a testimonial year.

"Many first class cricketers can earn less in a season than a Premiership footballer does in a week and to a cricket lover that doesn't seem right.

"Cricketers can be playing or travelling to matches 30 days out of 40 and a playing day can stretch to eight hours. Footballers play one and a half hours a week and cry if they have to play anther one and a half hours."

Lewis's first benefit event is on Tuesday April 6 at the Riverside, billed as "an evening with JJ and the Yorkshire and Durham lads" and compered by BBC television sports editor Jeff Brown.

Tickets, including pies and peas, are a tenner. Tom's on 0191-388-0421.

It was at the Riverside, almost coincidentally, that the most extras in a one day international were recorded. Tuesday's column, by the bye, addressed that and sundry issues.

It was May 20 1999, Pakistan v Scotland in the World Cup and the wide boys very much in evidence.

Pakistan managed 261, Yosuf Youhana - a Christian who signed himself with the cross before every innings - top scoring with 81. The 59 extras included 33 wides and 15 no balls.

Pakistan in turn conceded 37 extras in Scotland's 167 - Gavin Hamilton scored 76, Shoaib Akhtar claimed 3-11. Shoaib and Hamilton will be Durham teammates next season.

A little lower down cricket's pecking order, Jack Chapman in Hebburn sends details of the Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League Under 15s match between Blaydon and Ryton: Blaydon 77-4, Ryton 38 all out. (Extras 26.)

The 50th anniversary of the epic FA Amateur Cup final between Bishop Auckland and Crook Town will pass without commemoration: plans for a players reunion on April 10 - the day of the first match at Wembley - have been abandoned.

Even with the column's eager assistance, Crook chairman Stephen Buddle has been able to track down just three of them - Jimmy McMillan, Bobby Davison and Ray Oliver - though many more are known to survive.

Instead, they hope to make presentations to some of the players at a clubhouse talk-in with Peter Beardsley on May 7.

Crook finally won the cup in a second replay at Ayresome Park, the three games watched by almost 200,000 people. Much more on Bobby Davison in the April 9 Backtrack.

Lured by the prospect of a good pint of Black Sheep, the column again presented Darlington Snooker League's annual awards on Monday night - Darlington Snooker Club A league winners, Darlington Cricket Club team knock-out winners.

The do was at Darlington Snooker Club on the corner of Corporation Road, amiably and professionally run by Peter Everett and his mum (that should probably read "his mum and Peter Everett.")

Next year, at any rate, they hope that someone else may do the honours. The Charlie Hall memorial trophy, named after one of the league's founders and engraved with legendary names like Ray Kell's, has seen very much better days and is being restored.

They'd love a member of Charlie's family to re-present it. Peter (and his mum) are on 01325 241388.

...and finally

The five England players who scored centuries on the successful 1967-68 West Indies tour (Backtrack, March 23) were Ken Barrington, Geoffrey Boycott, John Edrich, Tom Graveney and Colin Cowdrey, twice.

Ted Scotter, a Yorkshireman exiled for 50 years to Darlington, not only knew that but in turn seeks the identity of the four Yorkshiremen who completed the double of 10,000 runs and 1,000 wickets in first class cricket - perhaps with the bonus of the poor Tyke who claimed over 1,000 wickets but stuck on 9,994 runs.

Mr Alf Hutchinson, similarly doing missionary work in Darlington, has until lunchtime today to provide the right answer (and may, if he wishes, claim a pint in the Brit as his reward). For everyone else, the column returns at the double on Tuesday.

Published: 26/03/2004