The trouble with Cock-a-Doodle-Do was that he cock-a-doodle-didn't. Not every often, anyway. In a four year racing career on what might be termed the back tracks, the horse went unplaced and penniless over both flat and all weather courses, winning twice - with a total prize money of less than £5,000 - over hurdles.

Thirteen years after being retired, however, the 19-year-old also ran - now slightly arthritic - has at last got something to crow about. He'll be at Olympia in December.

Heather Calzini, who runs an equestrian centre at Brasside, near Durham, bought the horse at Doncaster sales in 1993.

"He was in a bit of a state," says her daughter-in-law Janine, 33. "He'd been out in a field for a year, he had rain rash and was very thin. I don't think she paid too much money for him, it was either her or the meat man."

Now the family pet - officially Jack Daniels, but still nicknamed Cocky - has won his way through two eliminating competitions to the Veteran Horse Society's national championships.

Janine's confident that Jack Daniels has the spirit to win it. "He's such a lovely natured horse, very laid back, very considerate and absolutely great with my children.

"I'm quite worried about how he's going to react in that huge arena with all those people around him."

The event won't involve jumping. "I think they're looking for evidence that horses are really enjoying themselves, not just plodding about thinking they'd rather be in a field," says Janine.

"Up until now everyone has ridden him, but now I'm wrapping him in cotton wool and it'll only be me." Cockle-a-Doodle-Do is coming home to roost.

The Grey Horse from Darlington, cuddy of a rather different hue, again reached the last two of the national dominoes championship "combinations" tournament in Bridlington on Saturday.

Sixty-four finalists had started the day, the only other North-East qualifier the George and Dragon from Heighington - including our old friend Stormin' Norman Kent.

Doubtless it was inevitable, therefore, that the pubs just seven miles apart should meet in the final. This time the George and Dragon are national champions, and for the third time. When the Grey Horse won two years ago they beat Busters, 100 yards up the road.

"It says a lot about our reputation in the game that we should be disappointed to finish second," says Derrick White of the Grey Horse.

Next month they gallop back to Brid in the last 64 of the singles, which they've won four times in the past six years.

Derrick anticipates little change in the line-up. "Same team, plus Stormin' Norman."

Out this week, Jimmy Greaves's much promoted autobiography recalls - as do many others - Chelsea's 1957-58 FA Cup defeat by Darlington.

The Quakers had drawn 3-3 at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Ted Drake so disappointed that he dropped the 17-year-old Greaves for the replay four days later.

A Feethams crowd of more than 15,000 saw Darlington win 4-1. "Ted was absolutely livid in the dressing room, laying into my team-mates while I stood in the corner, smugly counting my lucky stars that I hadn't been a party to the debacle.

"When Ted had finished his rant he stormed out, only for the door to flay back on its hinges again.

'And as for you, Mr England Under -23 bloody starlet,' he roared, 'some player you are if you can't even get into this ******* side in the first place."

A late stand-in on Saturday at the Over 40s League match between Wingate and Oddies pub in Sunderland, former top line Football League referee Ken Redfearn showed he still hasn't lost the essential ingredient.

"I'm afraid you have a problem, ref," they said. "The teams have turned up with almost identical colours."

Ken - 62 this Sunday and still refereeing five or six matches each week - told them he hadn't a problem at all. "The away side will have to wear their shirts inside out."

The vital ingredient? "It's called common sense," he says.

Mulling a couple of columns back about the demise of so many Co Durham cricket clubs, we recalled the "deep digging die hards at Dean and Chapter." It prompted a note from John Brennan, head of Coxhoe primary school.

John recalls watching the Ferryhill-based side in the 1950s - "substantial crowds, especially when we played Mainsforth" - graduating to the seconds in 1967 and the first team shortly afterwards. Usually it was a struggle. Dean and Chapter colliery was sinking - if a doomed colliery may - and interest waning. "Mind," says John, "we never finished bottom."

They finally admitted defeat in 1975, re-forming for a couple of years in the now defunct Mid Durham Senior League and in 1977 winning the Northern Echo and Sports Despatch Cup against Oakenshaw (where cricket also drew stumps many years ago.)

That's the victorious side in the photograph, young Brennan second left at the back, though probably they played in whites.

Chapter closed but book of memories still required reading, they held a recent reunion with lads like Ron Ruddick, Arthur Gardner, Ray Brunskill, Colin Turner, Dennis Walker and Albert Hickman, better remembered as one of the finest Northern League footballers of his generation.

Time having marched on, John and Albert exchanged reminiscences and gout tablets, as well.

Yet more on mares tail. The only effective solution, writes "ex-Gardener" from Teesside, is a solution of systematic weed killer and LAP wallpaper paste, liberally applied. "The only problem," he adds, "is being laughed at by passers-by on being caught painting the garden."

We're passing on details to Tom Donnelly at Billingham Town FC, where the mares tale began.

Farewell to a true character

Widely reported elsewhere, Steve Tierney's death at 33 was devastating to many of us involved with what is called non-league football in the North-East.

Tino was both a lovely man and an outstanding goalkeeper. Those who say there are no characters left in the game can never have met the Big Fella, nor watched him play.

His funeral is at St Patrick's RC church in Owton Manor Lane, Hartlepool, at 9.30am on Friday. The overflow will stretch half way to Seaton Carew sands.

Out of adversity comes strength, however, and much is already being mooted in Steve's memory, or to further leukemia research.

The most spontaneous, and immediately the most magnificent gesture, came from Durham City FC - a club against whom Tino many times performed heroics but for which he never played.

On the same day that he died, City transferred striker Michael Mackay - last season's leading scorer in the Northern League first division - to Consett. A fee of £1,000 changed hands.

Durham have not just pledged that £1,000 in memory of Steve Tierney but have agreed with Brandon United, their opponents in the last match of the season on April 22, to bring the game forward to the Friday evening.

Every penny in gate receipts, raffles and anything else from which spectators may be parted will go in big Steve's memory. It should already be a date in the 2006 diary.

People ask why I'm so involved with the Arngrove Northern League. That's why.

And finally...

Several readers of last Friday's column knew that the only player to appear both in the first all-London FA Cup final of the twentieth century in 1967 and in the second, eight years later, was Alan Mullery.

Brian Shaw in Shildon invites readers to name the Englishman who, in 2000, became the oldest player to appear in a Champions League match.

The old, old story again on Friday.

Published: 11/10/2005