Darren Nalton bagged 10-43 against Hartlepool, Clayton Lambert scored 1,938 runs in a season, Ijaz Ahmed hit an undefeated 204 against Northallerton and the team became so frustrated at Darlington's supposed spoiling tactics that they bowled four overs under-arm.

Then there was the harassed groundsman who remarked that the wicket would be perfect if it wasn't for the "bloody cricketers."

It's none of these latter years highlights which forms the frontispiece of the second volume of Harry Foster's history of Redcar Cricket Club, however, but a "trespass notice" issued in 1994. Harry, the club president, is still vexed by it.

A neighbour complained about cricket balls landing on his property and cricketers coming in after it. Finally he took legal action, the result a notice to all players and spectators - "Knock on the door, show politeness and request the retrieval of the ball" - and, for the cricket club, a very large bill.

It's possible, Harry concedes, that they might have moved more quickly and with more tact, impossible that they could do much more about it.

"How the hell can somebody buy a house next to a cricket field and then complain about cricket balls?

"It's like the silly devils who move next to a church where the bells have rung for 100 years and then complain that it's too noisy."

He is a kindly and a quietly spoken man, but this is a veritable presidential address.

The club has always been in the same splendid square, now part of the Coatham conservation area and also the venue in 1886 for the Redcar football team which reached the FA Cup sixth round after beating Sunderland and Middlesbrough. They lost 2-0 to Small Heath, later Birmingham City.

Harry, born in Ferryhill in 1928 - "even if I'd been good enough, they mightn't have let me play for Yorkshire" - moved to Dormanstown, near Redcar, when he was two weeks old.

His grandfather had rolled the first plate at Warrenby steel works, even in retirement awarded an annual bottle of whisky for his trouble.

At ten he joined the church choir (shilling for weddings, tanner a funeral), watched his first Boro match and became one of the scoreboard assistants - roller boy - at the cricket club.

During the war and after it, he even managed the occasional game in the seconds. "If enthusiasm counted for anything, I'd have been a Yorkshire regular," he suggests.

He'd left school at 14, became an apprentice brickie, decided while frozen atop Wilton power station that there might be better ways of earning a living and at 24 began a social sciences degree at Nottingham University.

Subsequently in the careers service in Derbyshire and Oxford - "it would be fair to say that absence made the heart grow fonder" - he kept faithfully in contact with Redcar and its cricket club.

"I came back for a holiday once and discovered that half a dozen players had died since I was last there. I was horrified; if we didn't get something down quickly, all this history would be forgotten."

The first part of his history, 1850-1968, appeared 13 years ago; the second has made it in time for Christmas.

It begins in the NYSD League championship season of 1965, dwells uncomfortably in the awful 80s - "Redcar crash to new low" said the headlines, and "Redcar plunge into deep trouble" - recounts happier times like the championships of 1991 and 1992 and runner-up spot in the 160th anniversary season.

Jamie Hood's 161 against Northallerton, an amateur record, is there, Australian 15-year-old Mark Cosgrove's 60 first team wickets at 14.4 last season ("there were some sly and not so sly digs about his amateur status") and another costly legal tussle, this time with Clayton Lambert.

On retirement, Harry became a Cleveland county councillor. Now 72, he lives in Romanby, Northallerton - churchman, male voice choir member, travelling supporter, enthusiast for everything he does. "Not being enthusiastic about life is like going into the sea and not getting your feet wet," he says.

We spent 90 minutes amid the Christmas decorations, discussing the summer game over coffee and mince pies. From 30 miles away the president's role may be a little less paternal, but the book's smashing and he's a great Foster parent, nonetheless.

l Harry Foster's history is available for precisely £6.44, including postage, from Redcar Cricket Club 150 not out, 30 Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, Cleveland TS10 1QH.

Remember Friday's column on the "all-weather" greyhound racing at Brough Park, Newcastle? How, like the Windmill Theatre, they never closed? "I was at Sunderland dogs the same night when I thought I recognised some Brough Park faces," reports a voice-mail man. He had. Brough Park abandoned, frost.

Friday's column also observed that the DJ at the Stadium of Light played "Paint Your Wagon" after the victory over the Boro. It's actually a three points regular, points out Dave French in Hartlepool - a song from the show called "I'm on my way".

From the same musical, suggests Dave, Darlington fans might sing "They called the wind Uriah", George Reynolds could adopt "Gold fever" as his signature tune and at the Riverside Stadium they'd sing "There's a coach coming in" - well, wouldn't they.

Sunderland's Worthington Cup quarter-final at Crystal Palace tonight was re-arranged only after running into crowds of Christmas shoppers.

The sides quickly agreed the new date after last week's postponement, then realised that Sky - paying a not-to-be-missed £100,000 to each club for television rights - were already committed to Northwich Victoria'a FA Cup match with Leyton Orient.

Wednesday was difficult, too. Palace have a home League match with Blackburn on Friday evening.

The match has been brought forward because they effectively ground share with the neighbouring Asda supermarket who bought their land from the club.

The supermarket closes when matches are on, and didn't want to lose the Saturday before Christmas.

Finally, Palace tried bribing the FA Cup sides to switch to Wednesday.

Northwich quickly agreed, Orient chairman Barry Hearn - the snooker king - was more difficult. "He drives a hard bargain," says Palace manager Alan Smith.

At last everyone's happy. "All we need's another postponement," says Smith. Sunderland's travelling army would probably agree.

Anyone else with a knowledge of Sunderland's suburbs notice, as Alan Archbold did, that Saturday's 1-1 draw between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United turned into something of a Wearside derby, too? Scorers: Ford and Hendon.

Back to books, and to the festive season almost upon us. Readers may know - perhaps could hardly have forgotten - that the column had a considerable hand in Northern Goalfields Revisited, the Northern League's much praised millennium history.

With Brian Hunt, the author and Durham County Cricket Club's scorer, we'll be signing copies this Friday from 12-3pm in the Britannia - off Bondgate in Darlington - with the incentive of a free pint and a mince pie for every buyer.

Friends and supporters of the Backtrack column, those who have long made it possible, would be particularly welcome - no purchase necessary, as they say - to a little merriment.

The richly illustrated 530-page book (£8.99) is a chronicle not just of the 112-year history of the world's second oldest football league but a reflection of life and changing times in the North-East.

It's not available in the shops - we can't afford the mark-up - but can be had before Christmas from Northern Echo offices in Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Durham and Northallerton or by post (plus £3) from Joe Burlison, 4 Carrowmore Road, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham.

Best of all, however, it would be great to sign off the year in style - Britannia, Darlington, Friday 12-3pm. Pie and a pint free.

Another Christmas offer - to sports and social clubs, possibly - from Jack Ogden in Coxhoe, near Durham.

Jack's converting the former Three Tuns pub into flats, finds himself with 100ft or more of plush banquette seating ("really good condition") and a gas boiler that heated the whole building.

It's free to a good home. We'll pass on offers.

THE only player to score two penalties in the same FA Cup final (Backtrack, December 15) is Eric Cantona.

One to chew over with the turkey, Bill Moore in Coundon seeks the identity of the only outfield player on the pitch for the full 90 minutes of all his club's Premiership games last season.

The column's annual review appears on Friday.