Carefully worded to avoid yellow cards, last Tuesday's column noted that "three of the best referees the North-East has produced" - George Courtney. George Tyson, Ken Redfearn - were reuniting for the Over 40s League Cup final in May.

None of them, suggests Stan Gibbon in Wolsingham, was as good as Pat Partridge.

Stan was secretary of Wolsingham Juniors in the 1970s when Pat, then a FIFA man, would often officiate in the Auckland and District Junior League on free afternoons.

"What I liked about him was that he talked to the players, told them what they'd done wrong," says Stan.

"When Pat refereed a game you could guarantee that the spectators enjoyed it. He was the only one who always get ten out of ten."

Pat, Billingham-born but long involved with the family farm at Cockfield, will be 70 in June. Though no longer an active referee, he still enjoys golf - or did until struck down with pneumonia at Christmas.

"I just thought it was flu, went to bed with a glass of brandy on New Year's Day and woke up with pneumonia," he says.

It means he's not had a round all year, though he hopes soon to return to the Celebrity Golf Tour, a charitable event which in six years has raised £2m for charities.

Days lengthening, sap rising, he's already had a couple of practice sessions. "After the winter I've had," says Pat, "I simply cannot wait to get back on the greens."

Old hands like Pat might consider themselves well out of junior football, anyway. A report by Teesside Junior Alliance secretary Chris Ord reveals that a spectator at a junior match had to be taken to hospital after being attacked by a rival official.

"Do they stop and think of the effect they have on young players under their control?" he writes in Stockton West End's newsletter.

"There are now numerous matches which players and managers don't look forward to attending. There is something sadly wrong."

Stockton's newsletter also contains an under 13s report in which two West End players were sent off by a 15-year-old referee in his first 11-a-side match. They've reported the ref to the League.

Last night's Football Flashback on Tyne Tees Television included footage of the Over 40s League match between Ferryhill Greyhound and Sunderland Catholic Club - intended to showcase Stan Cummins but also memorable for the sending off of former Spennymoor and Gateshead manager Matt Pearson.

"His death ray glare at the referee on being shown the red card is worthy of a television award in itself," says Tyne Tees sportsman Jeff Brown.

Stan, formerly with Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, is now back in his native Ferryhill after 18 years in America. The programme also showed his goal for Sunderland against Newcastle on April 5, 1980 - the last time that the red and whites beat the black and whites on Wearside.

"I can't see the record being broken this season," muses Jeff.

We can report two further developments, firstly that little Stan, 44, is said to be chewing at the lead to leave the Greyhound after a row over being substituted. Billingham Wanderers are sniffing around.

The second snippet is that Matt Pearson - one of several suspended from the Over 40s League when the Masons Arms at Middlestone Moor were found to be fielding a team of 39-year-old bairns - is now in line for one of the league's player of the year awards.

League secretary Kip Watson quotes St Luke's gospel, chapter 15 in explanation: "Likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Next week's Football Flashback - Monday night - includes Jackie Milburn's home movies, rescued after 30 years gathering dust in the family attic.

There's footage of his 1967 St James' Park testimonial - Puskas, Charlton brothers, Matthews, Stiles - holiday shots and film from the British Open, which Jackie annually accessed on his News of the World press pass.

They've all been transferred onto video so that Laura Milburn, now golfing again after a series of operations, can watch them at leisure with Jack junior.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Celtic 0 on Sunday? John Briggs in Darlington may not be alone in recalling the greatest sports headline of all time: Super Caley go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious.

Guisborough lass Sharon Gayter and the four other survivors in the Flora 1000 Mile Challenge passed the halfway mark on Sunday by lunching with former boxer Michael Watson at a pub on the route.

Watson, paralysed in a fight ten years ago, hopes to walk the London Marathon on April 13, taking up to six days.

Sharon, an asthmatic, is buying a face mask to help beat the exhaust fumes and ignoring "jealousy" from a peevish male rival.

She may also decide to ignore the suggestion in Friday's column that her weight is "constant at 5.4k" - a mistake spotted by Paul Dobson in Bishop Auckland, Ian Taylor in Darlington and Tom Cockeram in Barwick-on-Elmet, near Leeds.

"I knew these ultra runners were thin but a constant 5.4 kilo is some going - about eleven and a bit pounds," says Paul. We meant 5.4kg; they taught pounds and ounces at Timothy Hackworth Juniors.

Jane Tomlinson, sadly, is too ill to run this year's London Marathon. She plans to cycle from John o' Groats to Lands End, instead, and with chemotherapy en route

Jane, a mother of three from Leeds, was found to have breast cancer at 26. Despite a mastectomy, the cancer now terminally affects seven different parts of her body - but she still completed the London Marathon, London Triathlon and Great North Run last year.

Among those running this year's London Marathon as a salute to her courage is Paul Romaines, Shildon lad originally, who played cricket for Durham and Gloucestershire and is now on the Gloucester committee.

Paul, 47, read about her in the Sunday Times - "the article has had quite an affect on my life," he says.

l He'd much welcome sponsorship - cheques payable to Paul Romaines Cancer Research Marathon a/c. He's at 62 Cairns Road, Westbury Park, Bristol BS6 7TH.

Sunderland lad Ken Shaw, an officer in the Honourable Regiment of Groundhoppers, was off to watch Gravesend and Northfleet the other day when the train stopped in the middle of a Kentish nowhere.

A voice came over the public address: "This is a hijack. All blacks and Pakistanis get off now, because we're coming to get you."

Ken's pal dialled 999 and was put through to the police. There was no answer.

Ten minutes later, after the youths responsible had sauntered from the train, his friend's mobile rang. It was Kent police.

"We believe you dialled 999," they said.

And finally...

The world snooker champion in 1972 and 1982 (Backtrack, March 17) was, of course, Alex Higgins.

Bob Foster from Ferryhill today seeks the identity of 11 England footballers who've won full international honours since 1993 and whose surname contains just four letters.

Foursquare as always, the column returns on Friday.

Published: 25/03/2003