New hips do imperial service

Still he has a makeshift gym in his backyard, still does carefully programmed hour and a quarter workouts, still runs and skips when the sun's out.

"I find that a little bit difficult," he admits. "You keep on being reminded of the two chunks of iron in your legs."

Dorothy, his wife of 42 years, puts it differently. "He won't behave himself," she says.

A former south Yorkshire miner and NCB bantamweight champion, he joined the 15/19 Hussars - "The Fighting Hussars" - at Deerbolt, near Barnard Castle. They became the country's most successful military boxers.

At Deerbolt, they'd train every day, sometimes all day. Bobby, who had trouble meeting the weight, would often train in the boiler house.

He became Army and Imperial Service flyweight champion, lost narrowly to future world champion Walter McGowan in the ABA semi-finals, declined all offers to turn professional and still lives in the hamlet of South Cleatlam, near Barnard Castle.

He'd featured hereabouts in 1994, when he was simply a bit arthritic. Hip replacement operations, six months apart in 1999 and 2000, left him down but decidedly not out.

"I couldn't wait to get back into training," he says. "There's no reason why you can't be fit, just because you have two new hips."

He features again because Trevor McDermott from Chester-le-Street is organising a regimental reunion in Durham on August 30 and would love some of the Fighting Hussars to look in for a pint.

Johnny Caiger and Bobby Taylor were also Imperial Service champions - the only time the same unit has provided three champions simultaneously - fighting alongside men like Jimmy Singlewood from Bishop Auckland, Nobby Noble from Hartlepool, Johnny Holian from Bedlington and Tom Allison from Ashington.

The sheaf of regimental magazines Trevor has sent also recalls a fight night at Barnard Castle against the Royal Pioneer Corps in which Trpr Robertson broke his ankle in the second round, continued despite the pain, knocked out his opponent, collapsed, had to be carried from the ring and didn't box again all season.

Ah yes, what a Trooper.

The reunion, the first south of the Tyne, is at the Companions Club in Waddington Street, Durham. Trevor McDermott's on 0191-389-0118.

Whatever happened to Morris Emmerson, wondered Tuesday's column. The short answer is that at 25 the former England schools international goalkeeper gave up football completely.

That he had failed to make the really big time was, he believes, because he was too small. "I was 5ft 8in, talked of in the Press as the smallest keeper in the league. It certainly didn't help."

He joined ICI, still lives in Billingham, has been just once to the Riverside Stadium and has no closer link to football than the casual work he does for former Boro winger Billy Day, now a bookmaker.

"I've really never missed it," insists Morris, 59.

His childhood was in Flag Terrace, Sunniside, way above Crook. He went to Wolsingham Grammar School, sprinted for the county and won a single England Schools cap, against the Republic of Ireland.

"No-one made a fuss of you in those days," he recalls. "I was still just the same as anyone else."

Our splendid picture, courtesy of Norma Brown in Tow Law, shows him in the England cap and jersey which still he treasures. "Don't look at the boots," says Morris, "I think they were Co-op best."

From Esh Winning Juniors he had trials with Arsenal and Huddersfield, signed for Middlesbrough in 1959, played ten League games alongside the likes of Gordon Jones, Alan Peacock, Bill Harris and Ray Yeoman before transferring to Peterborough in the summer of 1963.

After seven League games he came home. "I could have played Northern League, I think Hartlepool made an offer, but I wasn't bothered. ICI paid the bills a lot better than football."

Though it wasn't quite the end of the dark ages, officials at Billingham Synthonia are looking at ways of marking the 50th anniversary of their first floodlit match - November 10 1952, when the rest of the region still kicked off at 2.15.

The Northern Echo was unimpressed, and not just by the clarty pitch and continuous rain.

"The lights were inadequate, there being a black patch from the 18-yard line to near the centre line in both halves of the field," complained our man in the murk.

"After ten minutes, when the muddy ground had taken its toll, it was almost impossible to see which side had the white ball, which was black when it slithered in the slush."

The back page that Tuesday morning also noted that Gordon Richards had ridden his 226th winner of the season, that England fast bowler Fred Trueman had signed for second division Lincoln City FC after scoring four for the Colts - he never made the first team - and that Jack Watson (the same Jack Watson still kicking around Shildon) had been re-elected captain of Ashington CC.

An ad in the bottom right hand corner had Stanley Matthews breathlessly promoting Craven A - "a really satisfying cigarette that's kind to your throat."

A 3,000 crowd had peered through the gloom at the Billingham match, Synners winning 8-4 thanks mainly to four goals from Jimmy Muldowney. Bill McQuarrie, stationed at RAF Middleton St George but to become a Scottish amateur international and Synthonia legend, scored twice for the airmen.

It was another four and a half years, however, before the enlightened Northern League allowed Billingham to play a competitive match under the Belasis Avenue beacons. They lost, 2-1 to Ferryhill.

Back from the Lord's Test ("a bit too hot for me," he says, ungratefully) Alf Hutchinson in Darlington wonders if Michael Vaughan's match - duck in the first innings, exactly 100 in the second - was unique. "Dunno," says the Bearded Wonder. Others may.

Cricket's a family game, of course, as evidenced in last Saturday's NYSD League first division derby between Great Ayton and Guisborough II.

Bob Murray and his son Ryan were in the Guisborough side, Bob's eldest son Colin played for Great Ayton - and yes, with thanks to league secretary Stewart Clarke and with memories of Lilley ct Dilley b Willey, the inevitable happened.

Colin Murray ct Bob Murray b Ryan Murray.

Bob has two other sons, Chris and Graham - but they're in Guisborough;s first team.

Carlisle United majority shareholder Michael Knighton issued a vast and voluble statement two weeks ago after the FA's "Compliance unit" cleared the club of any irregularities.

Backed by Darlington chairman George Reynolds - "Michael Knighton is the same as me, all he's done wrong is make money," George told Backtrack - Knighton hit out at "false and malicious" allegations.

"I am still very hopeful that a deal can be done regarding my shareholding but I am sure it will NOT (his capitals) be with the likes of Brooks Mileson and John Courtenay, despite their recent claims."

A week later United were duly sold. To John Courtenay.

Brian Barrass, chairman of the North East Durham Cricket League - administratively impeccable, geographically suspect - rings euphorically. Their under 21s had just beaten the Durham Senior League in the semi-final of the KV Computers inter-league cup.

"It's like Crewe Alexandra beating Manchester United," Brian insists. "I was that excited, I bought drinks for everyone in sight."

The NE Durham League hit 122, Littletown's Matt Nixon making 44 and skipper John Smith, from Bearpark, adding 23. Smith also claimed four wickets as the opposition fell two short.

In the final on September 1, they play the North Eastern Premier League at Whitburn. "If we win that one," adds the chairman, "it'll be like Man United getting beat by Crewe Alexandra Reserves."

More of a pub crawl than a football club, the Darlington and District League side of which the column is president has changed its name yet again.

They began as Darlington College Students Union - perhaps too young to drink - became the Cricketers, crossed the road to the Greyhound and will re-emerge on August 24 as the Hole in the Wall, giving new meaning to the phrase about marking the Hole.

"We hope the change of venue will attract new players and lower the average age of the side," says secretary and sedulous supersub Alan Smith. Trialists welcome, fixtures in the pub.

Their Latin motto, supare possomus, remains unchanged. Translated, it means "Just two more for the set."

And finally...

IT was Watford who were once known as West Hertfordshire (Backtrack, July 30) and Queens Park Rangers who changed their name from St Jude's, the patron saint of hopeless cases.

As an example of how things change, Brian Shaw in Shildon insists that Manchester United bought just three players - a goalkeeper, a centre half and a winger - between 1964-72.

Readers are invited to name them. More big deals on Tuesday.

Published: 02/08/2002