She was among the country's top swimmers, represented England, held every Northumberland and Durham title simultaneously.

What no-one knew was that the young Dorothy Oliver longed to pull a different stroke entirely: she wanted to be a boxer.

"She had one of the hardest left hands in the game," says former champion Lol Degnan, now 69, with whom the youngster regularly trained.

"My right hand wasn't bad, either," says Dorothy - but it was still no contest when her angry father found out.

They'd spar together in 1945 at the back of the Majestic, later the Odeon, in Darlington - training on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and fights, water baby excluded, on stage on Saturday mornings.

"We'd box Hartlepool Odeon or Middlesbrough Odeon before the pictures came on," recalls Lol. "No ring, no headguards, just gloves and about 500 kids shouting us on.

"Dot was about 12 at the time, had really broad shoulders and could hold her own with the best of them. If you were the best fighter in Darlington, you weren't a bad fighter, believe me."

Dorothy, now Dorothy Bolton and two years Lol's senior, fought her corner until her father counted her out. "Crikey me, that was the end of it," she recalls.

"It wasn't the done thing in those days. I was the only girl because I was probably the only one daft enough and I got wrong for it. My father didn't believe in women and girls boxing."

Nor, no doubt, did the ABA. "If they'd found out we'd have got wrong as well," says Lol, former coach and still secretary of Darlington Boxing Club.

Both are still in the town. Dorothy returned to swimming in 1988, has a large collection of national "Masters" medals and still coaches.

After 60 years, however, the fighting spirit resurfaced when she discovered who'd been revealing how boy met girl at the back of the Majestic.

"You can tell that Lol Degnan," she said, "that I'm going to flipping well kill him."

It wasn't even that which Lol looked in to chat about. His brother had unearthed the programme from a Darlington Baths Hall boxing night on October 17 1945 - proceeds to King George's Fund for Sailors and some of the country's top fighters on the bill.

"The queues were massive. The only way I could get in was to sell programmes," Lol recalls.

Familiar names included Tommy Smith from Sunderland, Ben Duffy from Jarrow and Liverpool's Gus Fearan. The referee under Imperial Services Boxing Association rules remained outside the ring - the audience, mute point, asked to remain silent so that the fighters could hear him.

Lol Degnan once lost a decision like that - "ref told me to break, couldn't hear him, disqualified."

Bruce Woodcock, who three months earlier had beaten Jack London for the British heavyweight title, fought an exhibition bout. "I remember like it was yesterday the news being flashed up on the screen at the Majestic," says Lol.

"It was one of the perks of the boxing. We got into the pictures for nowt."

Tonight's expectantly awaited BBC documentary on Darlington FC chairman George Reynolds - "People are all right in groups until you knock on their front doors at 20 past two in the morning" - is shown only in the North-East and Cumbria. Viewers in Yorkshire, at exactly the same time, see something entirely different. It's called Men Behaving Badly.

On Saturday to Jarrow Roofing v Bedlington Terriers, the journey by no means as arduous as that faced by Jarrow fan Gary Brand.

Gary's a postal worker in London. On Friday night he worked a 13-hour shift, caught the 8am train from King's Cross - "I needed the overtime to pay the fare" - and was at the ground by 1pm.

Before the match he sold raffle tickets, after it he sold domino cards with 30 numbers, seemingly oblivious to the fact that in the real world there are only 28 dominoes.

"It's a Cockney domino card," said Gary.

Happy that his boys had won, at 7pm he was on the last train south - another night on the tiles, as probably they say at Jarrow Roofing.

It's not been a distinguished year for Crook Cricket Club, which is probably why they asked the column to present the annual awards on Saturday night. What do you say to a team that's won nothing?

What you say is well played, of course, and well done for staying the course.

Both first and second teams were grateful for Shildon Railway, who alone finished below them. Anxious to improve, both clubs are appointing a new professional next summer - quid pro quo, as it were.

Michael Cooper, known as Tommy, scored the season's only century in the last match; Alan Marsh, as we reported at the time, claimed a bowling hat-trick after taking off his wicketkeeper's pads and was also first team player of the year.

"Right from day one we knew it was going to be a matter of just getting through the season. We've done well to do it," said David Greener, the chairman.

The spread was fantastic, the turn someone called Uncle Fester, suitably sartorially sable. By day, Uncle Fester's an undertaker, and on that note they laid the season to rest.

Remarkable news from Norton and Stockton Ancients, bottom of the Albany Northern League second division, where three first team players - Lee Farrington, Liam Aldridge and Marcus Lang - have been picked for England Under 18 schools trials this weekend. Manager Ray Morton is understandably delighted - "the only snag is, I'm now three short for Saturday."

Those in high places at Tow Law are finalising plans for the club's record-breaking 2,563rd Northern League game on Saturday - beating the record held by South Bank, members from 1889-1983.

There'll be an exhibition of Lawyers' history, film of their finest hours - including the 5-1 1967 FA Cup win over Mansfield - a reunion of former players to which all are most cordially invited.

The league plans a presentation before the match against Bedlington Terriers, and a few beers after it.

Club chairman John Flynn was even further up in the world last Saturday morning - abseiling down the Baltic building in Gateshead to raise funds for the RNIB.

"If it had been after the match instead of before it, I might have thrown myself off it," he'd forecast. They managed a draw.

The other big matches in North-East football this weekend are, of course, at Shildon and Dunston Federation in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round. Shildon play Stocksbridge Park Steels from Sheffield - the only club in England, writes John Briggs from Darlington, who had to put up a 1.80, steel fence in order to get promotion. They take it down in the cricket season, he adds.

The FA Cup arrives at Shildon's Dean Street ground at 2.30pm on Thursday. More on that trail next time.

And finally...

THE three Football League clubs which Tommy Docherty managed in 1968-69 (Backtrack, October 17) were Rotherham, Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa.

Arnold Alton in Heighington today invites readers to name the only man to play in all six Amateur Cup finals contested by Bishop Auckland between 1950-57 - and each time in the same numbered shirt.

The column returns on Friday.

Published: 21/10/2003