Left footers or no, on their knees or otherwise, there was always affinity between church and football. When the Washington Amateur League was formed in 1932, for example, the 15 interested clubs included the Church Institute, the Primitive Methodists, the Wesleyans, St Andrew's, St Joseph's, the Havannah Mission and the Washington Brotherhood (who presumably were also of that fraternity.)

The Vicar was the first league president, joined on the early committee by the School Board man, the chief clerk of the Washington Coal Company and an ice cream seller called Forte, who may or may not have been a forerunner of the celebrated Charles.

Havannah still transgressed, alas, fined half a crown in November 1932 for sending their result card three days late. Two months later, referee J Wilson was fined six shillings for turning up 15 minutes late, 1/7d more than the league secretary's honorarium for the season.

The league folded in 1939, and was re-formed ten years later. To mark 50 years continuous existence, a splendid and richly illustrated league history has just been published.

These days it's the Durham Football Alliance, having absorbed the Sunderland and District League in 1993 - none of the Sunderland teams remains, such is Saturday football's vertiginous decline - and with the North West Durham Combination in 1997.

Other past teams include Birtley Co-op, Hebburn Shipping Complex, Mercantile Marine, Jarrow Labour Club, Sunderland Magic City (honest) and the now dormant Boldon Sleepers.

Like Blazers ICL FC of Crookhall, near Consett - bottom of the Alliance's seven club second division last season after conceding 110 goals and gaining just one point in their 12 games - they can doubtless still have their dreams.

l The league history costs £4.50 and is available (plus postage) from Alan Charlton, 2 Thornton Close, Whitefield Estate, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring Dh4 7RA.

The Northern League, too, has had God on its sides. Darlington St Augustine's were the first champions in 1889-90 despite not being invited to the inaugural meeting because they were considered "too small fry".

Other church teams have included West Hartlepool St Joseph's, Grangetown St Mary's and Stockton St John's.

The Rev Ferry Drury, known as Ferry Hill, played for Bishop Auckland, Middlesbrough and Darlington at the start of the 20th century, refused all expenses and tea money and even paid at the gate to get in.

All that's scanty excuse again to plug the Northern League's millennium history: The 530 page book costs just £8.99, overflows with information and anecdote, and may be bought from Northern Echo offices in Darlington, Durham, and Bishop Auckland, from all branches of Durham County library or by post (plus £3 p&p) from Joe Burlison, 4 Carrowmore Road, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham.

Hebburn Argyle were Washington League members, too, though it was one of the club's five-a-side teams which long held a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

In the late 1970s, the team is reckoned to have won 303 successive games and achieved worldwide publicity, though the record is no longer included.

They plan a reunion, anyway - November 29, Hebburn Colliery Club - and former manager Ronnie Jenkinson is particularly keen to hear from brothers Colin and Kevin Gardiner, now thought to be around Darlington.

Ronnie's no longer involved with football, other than from his armchair. "I've not been too clever" he reports. "Seeing the record breakers again will cheer me up no end." He's on 0191-428-4427.

F our Durham cricketers are in the England under 19 party for the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka, among them 18-year-old Sunderland based all-rounder Ian Pattison. The ECB has now released squad profiles, including a "Player most admired" section - Shane Warne, says poor Pattison . . .and Hansie Cronje.

Jack Chapman, assiduously compiling his history of Durham club cricket, reports that Ray Marshall last week became only the fifth man to score 10,000 runs for Blaydon. "A rugby player who ate all the original pies" Jack suggests.

Known universally as Biffa - " it's writ large on his T-shirt; when in the company of his father, his dad's shirt bears the words Mr Biffa" - the lad has five times hit 1,000 in a season, is fifth among Blaydon's all-time wicket keepers, bowls a bit and is an accomplished slips man.

"His resolution is pure theatre to watch" says Jack. "He can pulverise the opposition when in the mood.

"He's a complex character with hidden depths, even if sometimes they do seem to be the depths of the River Lethe."

All complimentary, however left handed. The highest praise is at the end, however. "He may" adds Jack "be a clone of Bulldog Billy Teesdale."

A bad trip to the seaside for Somerset at Scarborough last week. Not only did the cidermen lose by an innings, but three of them got parking tickets outside the ground.

Harmby, a dot in Wensleydale, may have the finest sports facilities of any comparably sized village in the land.

Sports field and handsome pavilion were opened in 1995. By 1997 the splendid folk of the Spennithorne and Harmby Sports Association had provided quoits, boules and short tennis areas.

Munificently backed by the Sport England Lottery Fund, among others, they've now developed a floodlit games areas which includes tennis, five-a-side football, netball, basketball and a cricket practice strip.

The column officially opens the new facilities on Sunday August 27, though youngsters from several top football clubs have the chance to see what's what before then.

The Wensleydale Festival of Football kicks off tomorrow when the Wensleydale League plays Darlington, followed on August 2 with a match against Sheffield Wednesday and ending on August 7 when the League has its by-now annual encounter with Huddersfield Town. All at Harmby, all 6.30pm.

Whilst the set-up is tremendous, festival organiser Raye Wilkinson reckons the other incentive is the 4lb Wensleydale cheese presented to visiting captains.

"It's the one they have to come back for" says Raye. "Beats a pennant any day."

T he Christmas Eve doodlebug that fell on Tudhoe cricket field (Backtrack, July 21) was duly noted in the Durham constabulary "bomb book" - 11 people injured, two churches damaged, serious damage to 22 houses and slight damage to 368, it notes.

The bomb book entry for the raid on Tudhoe Colliery Co-op in 1940 ("completely gutted, no casualties") is followed next day by three bombs on Quebec - not the Canadian city, but the small village west of Durham, though perhaps no one told the Germans.

Martin Birtle, who drops additional detail, also notes that the planes from which the V1s were fired tended to break their backs after release. "It was" he adds mordantly, "hardly a job with a pension."

AND finally, the team Hereford United replaced in the Football League in 1972-73 (Backtrack, July 23) was Barrow.

Brian Shaw (again) wonders which football team had the suffix "Fosse" until they changed it to City in 1908-09.

A Fosse up again on Friday.