How the Black Cats earned their stripes

It comes from a report on a Guardian website last week - spotted by John Briggs in Darlington - that the barber pole shirts were an 1880s gift from Teesside club South Bank when times in Sunderland were so hard up that the club had to raffle a canary in order to survive.

If they were so short that they begged the shirts off other people's backs, it was probably through paying too much to inadequate Scottish professionals - but that's another story.

Sunderland, at any rate, were said to be so ungrateful that when South Bank visited Wearside shortly afterwards, they walloped them 7-0.

Bill Simmons's 1988 History of Sunderland mentions neither the bird nor the basting - there's a reason for that - but the photographs are most illustrative.

Pictured before the Durham Challenge Cup final in March 1887 - they beat Darlington 1-0 - Sunderland are wearing halved shirts in dark and light colours, possibly two blues.

For the match against Cambuslang on September 8 1888 - the week before the South Bank encounter - the players disported themselves in red and white stripes. (The committee wore bowlers. ) The book further complicates matters by recording the South Bank score as 5-2, whereas the following Monday's Northern Echo confirms that it was 7-0 - "a very one sided though extremely rough game."

Among the world's oldest clubs, South Bank were formed in 1868 and became full FA members in 1886 at the same time as Everton and Chester. Their first shirts were Oxford and Cambridge blue, the colour of the knickerbockers - says the club's exhaustive website - "left to the discretion of the participant."

By 1885, however, the shirts were red and white and the instruction went out that they mustn't cost more than five shillings each.

South Bank players could even frequently be seen walking round the Eston Hills in their kit - "bringing much amusement to the locals."

The website also confirms the gift of shirts and how the Wearsiders raffled feathers, suggesting that it's because of South Bank that Sunderland are where they are today.

Perhaps readers may be able to earn their own stripes by adding a little colour to the account. Perhaps it's just time to lock up your canaries.

MORE shirt shrift, Crook Town FC - famously amber and black - make their debut in Graham Wylie's racing colours in the FA Vase a week tomorrow.

Happily the silks are much the same colour, and that's just the first of several remarkable coincidences.

Technology tycoon Wylie and his companies have 100 horses in training - 50 flat, 50 jumps - with Howard Johnson, just a mile about Crook's historic Millfield ground.

"We asked Mr Wylie if we could redesign our kit in the same style as his own colours and he was delighted, " says Town chairman Stephen Buddle.

What Crook didn't know was that when Howard's late father Roy held a training permit, his own colours were amber and black in honour of the five times FA Amateur Cup winners.

Nor had they realised that one of the Johnson-Wylie team's most promising horses is called Millfield - though not after the ground.

"It's 100 per cent coincidence, " says Sue Johnson, the trainer's wife.

"I think it's something to do with the area where Graham and his wife live."

Roy Johnson ran an overflow yard for Bishop Auckland trainer Denys Smith before training horses of his own. "I wouldn't say he was a Crook Town fanatic but he was very proud of the recognition and glory they brought to the town, " says Howard.

Millfield - "a useful looking twoyear-old" - has had six outings this year, winning two and twice coming third.

The Arngrove Northern League second division club hopes that Graham Wylie will now be a guest at the big Vase third round tie against Daventry based Ford Sports on December 10 - where they may not be racing certainties, but the chairman's quite hopeful. They also plan to merchandise replica gear.

"In racing silks and with the town behind us I believe we can win, " says Stephen. "We might even be worth a little bet."

The kit is also featured on the club's new website - www. crooktownafc. co. uk

Mileson's Gretna have the rest of Scottish football green with envy

BBC Scotland's sports awards ceremony was held last weekend in a huge former church in Glasgow, opulently converted into a five star banqueting suite.

"Welcome to Brooks Mileson's sitting room, " said the compere, and the one-time raggy arsed urchin from Sunderland had every reason to feel at home.

Gretna, the club he has transformed, were named Scotland's team of the year. Ace striker David Bingham became player of the year - "the only man to drop from the Premier League to the third division for a pay rise, " it was said - and Paul Barnett, signed from Sunderland two years ago, beat Hampden Park to the groundsman award.

Team boss Rowan Alexander was runner up as manager of the year - to North-East lad Tony Mowbray, formerly Middlesbrough's long serving centre half and now enjoying happy days at Hibs.

Gretna, Northern League members just 12 years ago, now seem certain for a second successive promotion. Brooks, boss of the Durham based Arngrove group, remains cautious.

"All I'll say about that is that we're not paying half as much as people seem to think."

THE queue exactly as long as the lunch hour, Sir Bobby Robson endlessly signed copies of his autobiography at Waterstone's in Darlington yesterday.

He sat amid the section marked "Popular psychology" (it does your 'ead in), "Mind, Body and Spirit" and "Pregnancy and Childbirth", as affable and as admirable as ever.

We'd reached page 25 by the time we reached Sir Bobby, tales of his 18 months as an apprentice electrician at Langley Park colliery, of the tin bath in front of the fire, of how his politics had been influenced by his browtins up. ("The Conservatives didn't understand.") The crowd was as big thereafter as it had been before. "I'll be here until Christmas, " he said. "I think someone had better tell Elsie."

PASSING reference a couple of weeks back to early 20th century cricketer Charles Kortright noted that he may have been the only fast bowler to go for six byes over the wicket keeper's head after the ball had pitched.

Ernie Guy in Chester-leStreet remembers the same thing happening in a 1960s match at North Durham between Durham and an International XI chiefly comprising Lancashire League professionals.

The bowler was Wes Hall, who was a bit quick, the wicket keeper Gary Sobers, who could bat a bit, too. Roy Gilchrist - "without doubt the quickest and nastiest, and that includes Frank Tyson" - also played.

Ernie's other memory - "what a treat for us locals" - was seeing Durham's Charlton Lamb claim John Rutherford, Bobby Simpson and Sobers in the same over. "Not a bad haul, " he suggests.

Lamb, also a county badminton player, scored 9,000 runs for Gateshead Fell but only took one competitive wicket for Durham. He'll be 69 later this month, lives in Surrey and still plays cricket for anyone who'll have him.

THOUGH not yet coining it, they've found an old shove ha'penny board at Browney Workmen's Club, south of Durham, and are anxious to get their elbows working again.

Trouble is, they haven't any discs. "We've tried 2p pieces but they just don't work, " reports Bert Tolley. Browney points for anyone who can help: Bert's on 0191-386-3066.

SINCE he hasn't been in the column for so long he swears they're sending out search parties, we looked in on Wednesday evening at Bulldog Billy Teesdale's latest cheque presentation to the Julie Kent Trust, raising funds for cystic fibrosis research.

Billy and friends have collected £3,200 in 18 months, mainly centred around Evenwood Cricket Club and the Bulldog's sponsored walks.

There was also a swear box, which for some reason only managed £23 - a swear box with deaf ears? - and other sources like charity cricket matches and pie and peas sales. Billy even donated his umpiring fees.

The Bulldog bares his soul, if not his teeth, because of the death of Julie Savage, his 29year-old daughter, from cystic fibrosis.

Mike and Marilyn Kent from Durham lost their own daughter Julie in 1992 and have been vigorously fund raising ever since.

They gathered in the White Swan at Evenwood, a convivial occasion. "People have been incredibly generous, " said Billy.

He still didn't get the beers in, though.

THE note on Stafford Place Cricket Club's presentation in Tuesday's column mentioned the Gjers Cup. He was Sigmund Gjers, says David Walsh in Redcar, a German industrialist who founded a steel works at Newport, Middlesbrough.

Whether he also opened the batting is unknown.

And finally...

TUESDAY'S column sought the identity of the international footballer who scored ten goals in his native country before a lengthy career with three Premiership clubs in which he scored just once. It was Peter Schmeichel, an early days forward in Denmark.

Fred Alderton in Peterlee today takes us back to Huddersfield Town v Arsenal, October 11 1924, in which Huddersfield's Billy Smith achieved a Football League first.

What was it? The answer on Tuesday.

Published: 02/12/2005