Bookmaker Kevin proves spot on in Tow Law's only world championship

Second seeded, the draw for the other World Cup passed silently on the big screen. A mute point, as it were.

The championships had been Charlie Donaghy's baby, conceived after he'd won a record number of successive games in the Lawyers' clubhouse by the fairly rudimentary tactic of getting rid of the biggest first.

"It's the only way I knew how to play," said Charlie. "I thought there must be more skill to dominoes than that."

After hours consulting his computer, he devised a format which (he said) removed the element of luck as surely and as surgically as a consultant excising a troublesome appendix.

He'd also found a generous sponsor in Mulligan Skip Hire. "I told Jim Mulligan it was the only world championship there'd ever been in Tow Law," he said, inarguably.

Two qualifying nights had been held, the eight survivors from as far away as Crook and Spennymoor and, in the column's case, yet further back down the A68.

The favourite, however, was club treasurer and local bookmaker Kevin McCormick, and not just because he was also cooking a very enjoyable supper.

We had sausages, chips, mince cobbler and onion rings. "That looks pretty eclectic," someone said. It's not a word you hear often in Tow Law.

Kevin, as bookies do, was laying off the bets. "It's no good me winning," he said. "The committee will just want the money back, anyway."

Everyone in the same half of the draw plays with the same dominoes and has the same number of downs, 14 dominoes still sleeping.

By virtue of never losing a down but never winning an opponent's the column made an early exit, as did former England amateur football international George Brown - "I'm only here for Kevin's chips," he said - and Carol Hindmoor the only female finalist.

The men gripped several dominoes in each practised hand; Carol stood hers on end, like a poor man's Terracotta Army.

The final was played between four players on a round robin basis, tensions so high that Steve Moralee, the Ferryhill polliss, had been persuaded to chalk up the scores.

Sweaty palm time? "Sweaty palms is when someone has a Yankee going with three 20-1 winners, not playing dominoes at Tow Law," said Kevin, sagely.

His suitcase had been packed, nonetheless, lest world glory mean global travel.

Perhaps on the grounds that you'll never beat the bookie, he won the trophy and £150 first prize and after generously standing a round gave the rest back to the football club.

Skill factor, or what? "Luck," insisted the new world champion. "If you play dominoes skilfully, you lose."

Charlie winced. If not back to the domino board, back to the drawing board, anyway.

Keith Jackson had fired up a search engine with the terms "Tow Law Town AFC". It offered him an Argentinian site about Temperley, a thriving town near Buenos Aires.

Joseph William Temperley captained Tow Law in 1895-96, his whiskery picture with the Durham Challenge Cup framed on the clubhouse wall. Had the honest Lawyer founded a prosperous suburb in Argentina?

Further research suggests it may have been named after George Temperley, born in Newcastle in 1823, though something may be lost in the translation.

"In 1851," says the English version, "it (George Temperley) contracted second nuptials with its Caroline sister-in-law."

Athletic Club Temperley has a handsome 19,000 capacity stadium and a "sink of swimming". Tow Law had one of those when the Great Hole appeared last year.

Keith's now proposing that, in the former skipper's honour, the second dominoes championship should be held in Temperley. Today Tow Law, tomorrow the world.

Former Darlington player in World Cup shock: Jose Quitongo will be named in Angola's squad for the finals in Germany.

Even the staunchest Quakers fan may be pushed to remember much about him, however.

Described as Portuguese when he signed in September 1995, Quitongo had left Angola at the age of ten when Benfica offered him a scholarship.

At Darlington, however, he made just one appearance and was subbed in the 1-1 draw at Barnet, before a crowd of just 1,923. Gary Bannister scored.

John Burridge, 44, was the goalkeeper, David Hodgson the manager. Steve Morgon, the general manager, was promising to turn Feethams into a stadium fit for the 21st century.

Having played for half the teams in Scotland, Quitongo, 32, is presently at Alloa. It's probably as near to Angola as he can get.

Did under-employed Bishop Auckland goalkeeper Harry Sharratt really build a snowman on the goal line, and get booked for his enterprise? Yes, said Arnold Alton in Friday's column - at Shildon, one Boxing Day.

"No," insists Fred Edwards, from Shildon. "I think it was a legend thought up by some fervid Bishops supporter. I was always there; Hans Christian Andersen must have been there, too."

Nigel Dowson, man about Cockfield and hairdresser to Darlington's elite, rings seeking enlightenment.

"We've had three days non-stop debate in here," says Nigel. "Why do they call it a hat-trick?"

Cap in hand, we turn to John Briggs. "It's originally from cricket, around 1877," he says.

"Taking three wickets in three balls allegedly entitled the bowler to receive a hat from the club to commemorate his feat."

By the early 20th century, the term had spread to many other sports. Three of a kind.

Steve Leonard drops in the programme from the March 1934 North Riding Amateur Cup final, South Bank St Peter's v Portrack Shamrocks (from Stockton, Co Durham) at Ayresome Park.

Amid the news of the day, there's a note about a team in Yarmouth which lost successive games 42-0 and 31-0 - "surely a record?" - and another that "nine of the Hartlepools United players are non-smokers."

Thus purified, they finished 11th in the Third Division North.

And finally...

Friday's column sought the identity of three Premiership or Football League clubs with the letters of "goal" in their name. The easy one was Darlington, though it proved much too difficult for Quakers' fan Terry Garnett in the Britannia. The others were Brighton and Hove Albion and Plymouth Argyle.

Brian Shaw in Shildon today recalls childhood days of colouring in the enclosed bits of letters - so which is the only one of the 92 English clubs, he asks, which has no letters which can be coloured in?

Another colour piece on Friday.

Published: 13/12/2005