TALK in the last column before Christmas of ever-combative ex-Sunderland skipper Kevin Ball reminded former Durham prison governor Dave Thompson of the time that Bally was within those walls. Just visiting, of course, and in the company of team mates Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips.

Dave gave them the lowdown. “If any prisoner shouts at you from the window, just ignore them and keep walking.”

Sure enough, someone soon enough yelled “Toon Army” from his cell, to which Ball responded “Two-one, two-one.” There was “riotous uproar,” the governor recalls.

Shortly afterwards, he spotted Quinn walking towards the cell of a greatly notorious prisoner and made to head him off. The con protested. “I just wanted him to hear my Irish folk music,” he said.

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Kevin had been to Shildon, 20 years to the day since his memorable diving header in Sunderland’s 3-0 win over Chelsea – “Roker End, brilliant” he’d recalled and may partly have been mistaken.

“It was definitely at the Fulwell End, not the Roker, but he was right about the brilliant,” writes Andy Walker, then a 13-year-old in the main stand paddock.

The column may also have been in error to suppose that the fabled hard man hung up his boots in 1999. Lifelong Sunderland fan Paul Dobson recalls that he was sold to Fulham, made 18 appearances under Paul Bracewell and then moved to Burnley.

“My last memory of him playing was a televised derby against Blackburn when one of his tackles saw David Dunn knocked so high that he went off the top of the screen. Bally had walked off the field before Dunn landed.”

MARTIN BIRTLE, in Billingham, watches television with subtitles, much talk last Friday morning of hurricanes – on each occasion transcribed as Harry Kane. “Harry might be fast but I don’t recall him blowing away many of those pesky Icelanders,” he says.

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At Team Northumbria v Stockton Town on Monday evening, we bump into Anders, a Norwegian ground hopper with impeccable English who’s in the middle of a carefully scheduled UK tour, 28 games in 21 days.

Tomorrow evening, snow permitting, he’s at Caernarfon. On Saturday, 2pm kick off, he plans to take in Ripon City v Rothwell.

The odyssey, he explains, will begin on the 7 45am bus from Caernarfon to Bangor. “Train from Bangor to Chester, Chester to Manchester, Manchester to Leeds, Leeds to Harrogate and then bus to Ripon, arriving at 1 15pm.”

We hope next week to be able to report that he made it.

LAST week’s note on the death of colourful former Normanby Hall wicket keeper Dave Cook – England opener Geoff’s brother – stirred painful memories for NYSD League president Chris West of a match between Stokesley and Normanby Hall in 1991.

Dave was batting for Hall, Chris three yards away at short leg. “Our bowler thoughtfully delivered a juicy half volley on leg stump which Dave timed to perfection – straight onto my nose, which ended up resting on my right ear.”

Back then, says Chris, helmets were for motor cyclists.

“In the blood soaked carnage which followed, all I can remember is Dave wailing in the background because he thought he’d killed me and our bowler suggesting he might have caught it, had it not taken such a wicked deflection. An inch either way and it would have been the end.”

It resulted in the fourth nasal operation of his career. The other three, adds Chris, were from footbalk.

FRED BROWNLESS, for many years a formidable fast bowler for Shildon BR, died over Christmas. A lovely man and a great player,” says former team mate Ray Gowan.

Little is recorded, though the shady glades of the internet recall a League Cricket Conference Cup tie between the Durham County League and the Cumberland Senior League – May 19 1974, at Shildon – in which Fred played an improbable starring role with the bat.

The Durham side would stir many a memory – men like Joe Cushlow, John Baker, Roy Coates – who top scored with 52 – Harry Allen and Tom Kilcran.

Fred had taken 2-44, batted No 8 with his side in trouble and hit an undefeated 19 to take the County League to victory.

He was a Shildon man and a wagon works man. His funeral was held on Monday.

PETER BIRCH, in Saltburn, enjoyed last week’s column on Easington Secondary Modern school’s heroics in 1975-76, not least because he played – a few years earlier – for King Edward VII school in Coalville, with whom Easington shared the national trophy. Peter’s Coalville contemporaries included Steve Whitworth, a full back to be capped five times by England and the only ever-present in Sunderland’s 1979-80 promotion side. In 583 senior appearances, mostly for Leicester City, Whitworth never once scored from open play, though was finally entrusted with a couple of penalties. One small correction: the ground on which the schools final was played was Ibstock Penistone Rovers and not Ibstock Pennine Rovers as, disoriented, the column had supposed.

….AND finally, the three jump jockeys with most career wins (Backtrack, January 5) are Tony McCoy with 4,348, Richard Johnson (3,187) and Ruby Walsh (2,587). Peter Niven, 18th in the list with 1,004, formed a formidable partnership with Mary Reveley at Saltburn and was the first Scot to ride 1,000 winners.

Nigel Brierley, among those on the Mansfield trip, had set a quiz seeking the North-East towns in which 25 Wetherspoons pubs are located. Readers may care to fathom five – the Rohan Kanhai, the Harry Clasper, the Stanley Jefferson, the Thomas Sheraton and the William Wouldhave.

We raise a glass to that famous five next time.