Preaching for the wicket

Gus lay languidly at his feet, log fire bright blazing as castle fires always should, whilst on Tuesday evening the Bishop told a group of visiting students that he had a dream.

"It is that the little kingdom of Lesotho might - in your lifetime if maybe not in mine - become like Kenya and Zimbabwe, on the edge of the international cricket scene."

Lesotho, it should be said, has some way to go before it may expect to pitch wickets at the ICC. It's a small and impoverished mountain kingdom - Basutoland before 1966, as schoolboy stamp collectors may recollect - surrounded entirely by South Africa.

Average life expectancy among the 2.2m population is just 47 years, 45 per cent are unemployed, almost half living below the poverty line and nearly as many with AIDS.

The only export is water to South Africa, there are just 22,000 telephones, two miles of railway and since the lowest point is 4,000ft above the sea it may not be the easiest thing in Lesotho to find a flat 22 yards - though it's never stopped the cow pat cricketers of High Farndale, whose sward be blessed for ever.

Only seven schools presently play cricket.

Other than an assortment of eccentric expats, all that the average Basutho adult knows about the great game is what he may have seen on a tea towel.

If the dream invites a rude awakening, however, it will fade neither for lack of episcopal effort nor of support from King Letsie III, educated at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire - where Catholicism and cricket are religions jointly pursued.

The dioceses of Durham and Lesotho, where 80 per cent of the population is Christian, created a formal link under Bishop David Jenkins in 1988.

The Rt Rev Michael Turnbull, the present bishop, has made several visits to Lesotho and played in an exhibition match there in the Spring.

Somewhere there's a picture of him hitting a four off the second ball - "more of a golf slice than a cover drive," he humbly insisted - though the ball's progress to the boundary was impeded by several tons of fresh frog spawn.

"It was like an ice rink, the frogs had just gone mad," recalled Paul Jefferson, Durham's Link officer with Lesotho.

The bishop himself, so passionate about cricket that he announced his impending retirement on Test Match Special and so full of Christian charity that he feels sorry for England's brave boys in Australia, packed both playing equipment and a couple of artificial wickets on his last visit to Lesotho.

On January 2, 17 members of Durham University's Combined Colleges squad - they, best bibbed and tuckered, at Auckland Castle - fly out further to spread the word and will stay in Lesotho's best hotel.

"I'm really envious, you couldn't be going to a nicer place in the world," said Bishop Michael, whose visiting accommodation was rather more modest.

If King Letsie hears of it, it's said, he'll very probably drop by too.

University cricket president Dr Grenville Holland called them ambassadors and talked of a vanguard, though they might also be considered cricket missionaries.

Paul Jefferson, a rugby man whose principal work in Lesotho is in health, education, forestry and among young people, is convinced of cricket's potential.

"There's tremendous enthusiasm. Young lads are particularly good at the game because they spend a lot of time as herd boys; they can literally knock a passing bird out of the air with a stone."

"Does wonders for hand/eye co-ordination," he added.

The match against a Lesotho XI has had to be cancelled, however, because the skipper's getting married and the rest of the team is invited.

"Apparently these things take four days over there," said Paul. They'll coach and play exhibition games instead.

Ben Wicling, a sports graduate from the University's Stockton campus, will remain as coach to the Lesotho Cricket Board - at first assisted by Rob Johnson, victorious captain in a record 37 Durham college matches.

In 2004, it's envisaged, a Lesotho schools cricket team will visit the North-East; the following year an English team will revisit Lesotho.

"There's so much they can learn from cricket, so many world-wide opportunities," said Paul Jefferson.

"Every one of these students is oozing confidence; in Lesotho they don't know what confidence is."

The Bishop, given a tour tie - "people will ask what it is and I can bore them stiff" - hopes to return, too.

"It could be the beginning of something really big in the cricket world," he said. The technicolour dream lives on.

Story of the box of kippers no fishy tale

Back to One Dead Ref and a Box of Kippers, the title of Steven Chaytor's book on Sedgefield area footballers. Since the column might have suggested that the kipper story be taken with a whiff of wood smoke, Stan Jones rings from Spennymoor to confirm it.

"It was me grandad, it must be right," he says.

His grandad was Nicol Evans, Hartlepools United's reserve team manager after the war and known as a bit of a wheeler dealer.

Thus it was that on a cheery night in the Victoria in Wingate, Nicol tried to buy a local player. "All he had about him was two quid, a goal net and the kippers," insists Stan, as if it was what reserve team managers carried with them all the time.

Doubtless it was the kippers which swung it.

Stan's other grandfather was James Kennedy Jones, a former Kilmarnock professional, who was in the Middlesbrough team which won the Northern League by four points from Darlington in 1896-97. If anyone knows of a team picture, he'd love to hear on 01388 818980.

Jackpot question, £115 at stake, in the Kings Arms at Great Stainton on Sunday night: from which club did Everton sign Dixie Dean?

The answer, Tranmere Rovers, was one of the precious few that the column knew at once - and wasn't there, of course. The jackpot snowballs.

The piece a fortnight back on Derrick White, one of the all-conquering Grey Horse 5s and 3s team in Darlington, reminded Dave Burdon that Derrick was once the driving force behind Victoria Rovers football team, too.

In the 1970s, the Vics faced their own reserve side in a cup final, and lost.

"They had a bit of a sulk on," recalls Dave, but still everyone looked forward to the Church and Friendly League column in the Sports Despatch.

The Vics secretary also wrote the league notes for the Pink.

For some reason the final was never mentioned.

Just to show that luck really is on Harrogate Railway's side this season - remember the opposing goalie who deliberately scored for them in a qualifying round? - there's also a brewery just 100 yards from the ground.

Daleside has produced a special ale called FA Cup Fever, on sale in the area and donated to their neighbourly football club before Sunday's televised second round tie with Bristol Rovers.

More of the same is in reserve for the third round, says Daleside's John Moorley.

"For the fourth, we'll try something different."

Feller rings to insist that former British middleweight boxing champion Herol Graham played a season's cricket for Tudhoe in 1978.

Durham County League secretary Roy Coates shares the column's doubts - "I think he'd have been a bit hard to miss," says Roy. Anyone else weighing in?

And finally...

The Fishburn-born player for whom Middlesbrough paid Newcastle United a club record £475,000 in 1978 (Backtrack, December 3) was Irving Nattrass - and since Arnold Alton believes that these questions are getting too easy, he in turn invites readers to name ten North-East lads who've played for Norwich City (and in his top ten doesn't even mention Andy Linighan.)

More singing like a Canary on Tuesday.

Sport is a family affair to Shillitos

Back to school, Bedale High, to meet the first brother and sister to play cricket for Yorkshire and the latest among a lengthening line of football referees being whistled up from the classrooms.

Martin and Emma Shillito are only in the Under 15s, of course - separate teams - but already in the nets there's a healthy rivalry between the two quick bowlers.

Both are also promising footballers and qualified referees; 14-year-old Emma, goalkeeper and Man United fan, awaits the result of her county football trial, too.

Martin, 16, supports Newcastle.

"I see myself as an up-and-coming Alan Shearer," he says.

Brother and sister have also played cricket together for Bedale II.

"They encourage her and take the mickey out of me," says Martin.

They've also a 12-year-old sister who plays piano, saxophone and violin - but has no interest in sport whatever.

l The latest referees are among 16 Bedale students who've qualified, encouraged by head of PE Martyn Coombs - himself a Northern League assistant referee, chairman of Bedale FC and (among other things) Sunderland season ticket holder.

"There's an ever increasing demand for qualified referees," said Martyn.

"The production line is paying dividends not only for the school but for local associations and junior and adult leagues."

Whetting their whistles, from the front, are Danby Williams, Paul Muir, Liam Ormonde, Jonathan Pearson, Stuart Clapham, Adam Croft and Robert Durrans.

Published: 06/12/2002