There's fighting on the streets of Shildon

From next week, the 35 Shildon scrappers will quite literally be on the streets, top boxers like Cameron Elgey forced to train for the Four Nations tournament on August 16 in chief coach John Heighington's back yard.

Cameron is among five internationals or national champions - Arran Fletcher, David Watson, John Wright, Andy Railton - presently wearing Shildon's much feard black and amber. Since Heighington became coach in 1979 they have produced 81 national finalists, 68 champions and almost as many internationals.

"It's a record to match any other in Britain," says Tom Taylor, club chairman and himself an ABA finalist 42 years ago. Now they face homelessness, and having miserably to throw in the towel.

"We just can't go on with nowhere to train. Unless something happens quickly we're finished," insists Heighington.

Formed 80 years ago under the expansive wing of the town's wagon works - Shildon NER, LNER, BR - the club trained until 1979 in the former Soho engine shed, built by railway pioneer Timothy Hackworth.

It was appropriate, therefore, that six of the committee - still hoping to come out fighting - met the column in the pub named after the great engineer.

After leaving Soho shed, the club claims that it was promised permanent accommodation in the town by Sedgefield District Council. "Since then we've been kicked around from backside to breakfast time," says the chairman - a quaint Shildon phrase, but we will let it pass.

They trained in the wagon works canteen and, after the works closure, in a former maintenance department building so cold that the thermometer dropped to minus three degrees.

They spent 18 months in Middlestone Moor, tried vainly to fight the good fight in Shildon church hall, staged a comeback in a workmen's club concert room - until the club closed - and presently have a room until the end of term at the Sunnydale comprehensive school.

Now, however, the room has been identified for drama use - it's in the curriculum, the boxers accept the decision - and the club again faces, if not drama, then crisis.

A month ago they wrote, seeking help, to a leading Sedgefield councillor. So far they haven't even had a reply.

"Sedgefield council promised us the earth and have given us nothing," says Heighington, an ABA champion in 1958 and finalist on two other occasions.

"We don't want money, just a permanent home, and we don't want to move out of Shildon. If we had to do that, there wouldn't be a Shildon Amateur Boxing Club again.

"By the time we've put up all the bags, and sometimes the ring, there's hardly any time left to train."

Sedgefield council chief recreation officer Phil Ball offered immediately to meet the club after the column contacted him. "We have wanted to help them for a while. It might be an idea to bring in Sport England and try to fund something permanent."

Meanwhile back at the Timothy Hackworth, the conversation turned to some of Shildon's greats - to Sid Cottingham who beat Bruce Woodcock, Tommy Wearmouth who saw off Richard Dunn, Eddie Jenkinson, John Walton, Charlie Raine, Bob Tully, Cecil Attwood (who won an OBE for services to the community) and Laurie Brown, whose achievements were more memorably on the football field.

"It's incredible to think that we've turned out all those wonderful boxers, still take 35 youngsters off the streets three times a week and now find ourselves back on them," said Taylor.

John Heighington agreed, professed that he'd hate to see 80 years pugilism end in such a bloody way, admitted that they're all but on their knees. He's on 01388 662534, Tom Taylor on 01388 607595.

They are good lads, honest operators, true sportsmen. If not in John Heighington's, then in whose back yard may they continue, and in which corner may finally they find a home?

Hotly pursued by two uniformed pollisses, a youth fled into Bishop Auckland's Kingsway cricket ground on Sunday and tried to mingle with the crowd. Bishop's third team were playing the town's constabulary. The polliss were batting. "He lasted about three seconds before being arrested," reports our long leg long arm of the law.

Tuesday's column noted some minor differences between the treatment of FA Council members and altogether humbler league officials at an FA weekend seminar in Northamptonshire.

No guesses, for example, which side had fruit, chocolates and other little extras in their bedrooms.

No surprise whose name badges were prefixed "Mr" or who were allowed 40p a mile travelling allowance. The other lot got 25p.

As Steve Leonard from Middleton Tyas observes, however, such Gentleman and Players practices are nothing new. Steve recalls George Hardwick's trip to Hampden Park in 1947, FA officials dining in style at one end of the train whilst George stood in third class at the other.

Now 81 and living in Yarm, George was captain of England at the time.

Our note that Sessay and Wolviston will try again tonight to resolve their National Village Cricket Cup regional final has been overtaken by events - or more accurately, by the toss of a coin down the telephone.

"The Cricketer magazine, which organises the competition, decided that we'd run out of time," says Wolviston's Mark Christon.

The tie, at Sessay - near Thirsk - had twice been abandoned. After the first attempt, as we noted, the parish church had pre-arranged a Songs of Praise service, though there may be less to celebrate now. Sessay, finalists 25 years ago, lost the toss.

"It's an absolutely awful way to go out. They're lovely people, our lads feel very sorry for them but we have to abide by the rules," says Mark.

The Teesside club, four times national quarter finalists, may particularly appreciate the Cricketer spin since they were 34-4 in the first match and 29-3 in the second. They're at home to Kirkley, from Northumberland, on Sunday - "maybe it's a sign," says Mark, "that at last it's going to be our year."

Confirmation from Consett exile Arthur Bellamy that Burnley did field an early 60s reserve side at St James's Park comprising entirely North-East born players.

"I don't think there were substitutes in those days, but even the reserve was from Cramlington," says Arthur, one of the trans-Pennine twelve.

Unfortunately he can remember few other names - "I just know that Harry Potts was the manager and that I was part of it," says Arthur, now 59 and signed from his home town club in 1958 by near-legendary scout Jack Hixon.

He hit 29 goals in 217 appearances in Burnley's midfield, made another 133 for Chesterfield and for the past ten years has been the Turf Moor groundsman.

"I've settled here quite well considering how homesick I was at first, but the main problem is the weather. If you thought it was wet in Manchester, you should see the rain in Burnley."

He has a brother in Darlington, revisited Consett a couple of years back, found the Northern League team playing away but snuck anyway into Belle Vue. "It hadn't changed a bit."

Without knowing the answer, Tuesday's column also pondered - via Ron Raine in Coundon, near Bishop Auckland - the Leeholme connection between Lord Thomson, the air minister killed in 1930 in the R.101 airship disaster, and the lieutenant general in charge of the notorious Chiangi jail in Burma.

Since no one else knew either - clearly Backtrack readers are slipping - Ron has kindly offered the solution.

His brother Tommy - foot runner, cyclist, sparring partner to the still remembered Patsy Evans and Royal Horse Artilleryman - was the leading rider in front of the gun carriage at Lord Thomson's state funeral. They bought the photograph from the Echo for 2/3d. Tommy was himself killed in 1949, in an underground accident at Leasingthorne Colliery.

Ron's brother Billy, still alive, provides the connection to the lieutenant general. "I remember seeing him on the Movietone and going home to tell my mother that our Billy was on at Coundon pictures," says Ron.

The link to that wretched Burmese? Billy Raine was in the firing squad that shot him.

the chap who won his sport's 1982 world championship after alone being required to take a medical (Backtrack, July 17) was dear old Alex Higgins. The Hurricane reckoned that a skin condition made wearing a tie painful - a claim upheld by the doc. Readers are today invited to name two Welshmen who scored in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in the 1990s.

We return, weather permitting, on Tuesday