This e mail from a friend who supports Linfield (who won the NI Championship on Saturday) sent me this.

"BTW, before we collected the Championship on Saturday, there was a parade of former Championship winning Captains. Alf McMichael, who played for Newcastle in the 1953 Cup Final, was the second oldest surviving on parade". Very poignant.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Answers

Dougal
Alf was a comforting figure at full back, along with the great Dick Keith (died on a building site) whose (Dick's) sliding tackles were fearsome to behold - usually took opposition player, peanut seller and several members of the constabulary with him.
In a brilliant tactical move Charlie Mitten(?) put wor Alf, the slowest left full back known to man, on the right wing for a couple of hilarious games.
Harry Hooper the Mackem right winger and habitue of the Sunderland Greyhound Stadium more or less finished Alf's career by exposing his lack of footballing ability and giving Cloughie two easy tap-ins (2-2)

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Fully endorse Trues remarks,gone are the days when full backs came as a package, never appeared to sustain injury, never ventured over the half way line, Bobby Cowell and Ron Batty, looked like pitman, were pitman and bloody well played like good aul Geordie pitman, tackity boots an all, Dick Keith and the venerable Alf have been covered and then we had another Northern Irish lad, David Craig partnering the one and only Frankie Clark, I did not rate Clarky in our school team, for the toon, good opeing bat for the Lintz mind you, but Cloughie thought the world of him. Probably the last of the buy one get one free duos would be Barton and Bez. Nice one Dougal for us golden oldies.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Buff,
Can't resist following up your mention of that almost defunct game cricket - or the variant played in the North West Durham League when I was but a lad and opening the booling (sic) for Felling (aka Heworth) before they got a pavilion, bar and groundsman (in that order). Travelling and playing in all the Pit Villages in the Tyne Valley was a joy - the wickets were perfect (all the Pits had groundsmen), the weather perfect for 7 card brag at constant intervals. Yes joyous apart from playing at Crook - this was a dangerous place full of brooding glooming menace - watered pitches, psychotic surly fast bowlers.
Happy days

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Excellent stuff. Priceless. Funny you should mention Frank Clark - Jonno started a glorious chant of "Frank Clark knows my father, my father knows Frank Clark" during the Semi weekend. Much more welcome than "Harry Roberts is our friend" which appeared and far more,er, serendipitous than the Dennis "He's a dwarf, a dwarf" Wise chant on Wembley Way - Softie pointed out that there was a real dwarf in a Chelsea strip in front of us. BLUSH!!!

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

True, I never played cricket at Crook but was at the tender age of 15 requested to sign on for them in the Northern League. They were a top amateur outfit, no payment of coin took place but one would find in their boot at various intervals a chitty to purchase articles of clothing in the town, probably call it sponsorship now!, I think they were trying to tell me something cos my first chitty was for a suit, big lad for 15 but I was still in corderuoy shorts hand me downs. Cricket for me as a lad was all about Burnopfield -v- Lintz Coll, I chose the Lintz, overs cricket, cheaper subs but at a very tender age I can remember running down to Burnopfield, and out of breath asking the gateman,"Has Jack Milburn been in yit", if he had we stayed outside and watched the game from the Banky Tops overlooking the ground, we did not mind paying if the Great Man had not batted. For those who do not know, think of his son Colin the Test Cricketer(RIP), add 4 inches height, 3 stone in weight, either a six or four, never ran singles, village entertainment at its best. Later on in life(1968) I visited the Brisbane Oval, main purpose was to deliver football pinks to Colin Milburn who was guesting for Western Australia and I had a enjoyable night out with Colin, Tony Lock and Wally Grout. Fav cricket ground True has to be Shotley Bridge on a summers night, the Derwent regurgitating in the background, the sound of ball against bat in a natural amphitheatre of woodland, all spoilt by the bloody migees!!, thats dougal country I think.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Canny craik felleas. Lots of memories there. Northumberland Senior was my lot, so not much exposure to Linnz, SB and the rest. But remember reading aboot them on the SS.

As for Milburn - last of the cavaliers (inc Botham). Thanks for the memories.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Screacher, Northumberland Senior League indeed, you upstart, embedded in my mind is the Sunday Sun Team Lines for local cricket, for instance in all other leagues I would be down as W Callaghan, now you and your oity toitys in the NSL were given the full monty ie Les I. H .A . P Battersby, why was this bonny lad?

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Speaking of cricket...

Why was Pollock made the new captain? Because Derek also crookes

Hansie joined the Rhema bible manufacturing class because he heard that bookmakers made a lot of money.

Hansie had to ring Ali Bacher at 3 a.m. yesterday because he couldn't lie straight in bed.

Hansie's wife: 'do you want anything from the shops? Hansie: 'yes please dear, fifteen thousand dollars from the New Deli!

Hansie's favourite films: 'For a few Dollars more', 'Mumbai vice', 'Pollywood', 'The Dirty Dozen', 'Hansie does Hyderabad', 'Passage to India'.

and, Hansie's favourite song??? 'Mumbai number 5' by 'the Betshop boys'

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2000

Aye, there were many interesting cricket grounds - the pit villages around Washington; Burnopfield ,wooden plank fencing aroond the ground miserably failing to keep the ball inside especially when I was booling. There was one cricket ground where we noted with some surprise the relatively large number of people watching; the reason became apparent as I chased a ball down to long leg and then disappeared doon a ditch full of nettles (about 6foot deep). This ditch circled the ground and could not be seen from the playing surface. Where was this? Swallwell? Prudhoe? Anyway I was out for the rest of the season!

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Oooh, the nostalgia of these place names..

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000

Benwell Juniors 76-79 Leg spinner and no 3 batsman on occasions. Highlights of my career. Two wickets in one over against the top of the league team of the time can't remember what they were called and 26 not out after facing 18 overs ( they did have everyone on the boundary all game)Ahhhh games of space invaders interupted by the bingo, pints of coke and five bags of pickled onion crisps. Them were the days.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2000