ERIC Henderson, the first linesman to become president of the Football League Referees’ and Linesmen’s Association – and at 37, youngest holder of that high office – has died. He was 95.

He and Peggy were married two days after the Queen and Prince Philip, both brides allowed an extra 200 clothing coupons and, like the royals, would have toasted platinum in November.

Buckingham Palace sent them a rug, a royal gift from some foreign potentate, upon which for years they didn’t so much as lay a foot. Mahatma Gandhi had personally woven a tray cloth for the Palace wedding, which horrified Queen Mary because she thought it was his loin cloth.

History doesn’t record what happened to that one.

Eric, one of life’s gentlemen, was born in Blackhill, near Consett, became known (he insisted) as the black-haired so-and-so from Blackhill. “If anything I was too soft,” he said. “I only sent off three in 25 years.”

A Northern League referee, he was linesman in three internationals and a Football League Cup final, became chairman of Consett FC and of Leadgate Gleemen (a Consett concert party.) Iron and steel work took him in 1974 from Consett to Teesside – “I could see the writing on the wall for Consett,” he said – and to the home in Marske-by-the-Sea which he and Peggy shared for more than 40 happy years.

Faithful reader, occasional contributor, he once wrote to the Eating Owt column to report 50-mile round trips to the Number Four tea shop in Sedgefield – “the best steak pie ever,” Eric averred.

He was a member of Marske Cricket Club and of several operatic societies and choirs in which. As in 70 years’ marriage, he and Peggy frequently starred together. His funeral was held yesterday at St Mark’s church in Marske.

We also learn with much sadness of the death on Sunday of Dave Dale, chairman of South Bank FC in Northern League days and determined in time to return the club to those heights. Proud son of that former steelworks town on Teesside, he spent much time in the Midlands – from where letters home would be addressed to “The Enchanted City” followed by a postcode. They were always delivered safely. More next week on the delightful Davey Dale.

The column a few weeks back on the North Yorkshire and South Durham League’s 125th anniversary season recalled Herbert Trenholm’s near-50 years as league secretary, a post which he combined with being a Football League referee.

Trenholm it was who introduced a wartime rule that, in the event of an air raid siren, players were not to leave the field until danger actually threatened.

A piece in the Barnard Castle programme, home to Marton last Saturday, queried the slightly more pacific introduction of a circle of on-field discs, designed to keep a minimum of six bowling side members within limits.

Though it was a league committee decision, Barney aren’t happy. “A move,” says the programme, “that would provoke Herbert Trenholm, long-time despotic patriarch of the league, to turn in his grave.”

Brian Levison, whose masterwork Remarkable Cricket Grounds so spectacularly cowped its creels over Spout House – as, indeed, have many fielders at that vertiginous Valhalla of the Feversham League – reports that it’s been shortlisted in the illustrated book section of the Sports Book of the Year awards. Winner to be announced at a posh do at Lord’s on May 24.

Pavilion Books are already so impressed that they’ve commissioned a second volume, this one to concentrate wholly on the village game. He plans a North-East visit in the summer, seeks suggestions: we hope to introduce him to High Farndale, and to the Demon Donkey Dropper of Eryholme.

Playing Westerdale in the Langbaurgh League second division on Saturday, Hutton Rudby B managed just four, of which one was an extra. Westerdale knocked them off in four balls. Is this a record?

Nothing fish-and-chippy about this column, of course, but splendid nonetheless to have this image taken by Paul Dobson at Crook Town FC’s music festival a couple of weekends back.

Readers accustomed to playing on words will understand that the original Quadrophenia was a 1973 album by The Who and, six years later, the title of a Franc Roddam film.

Himself much wrapped up in the seventh annual Crookfest, football club chairman Vince Kirkup reports that it was the most successful yet (and definitely no scraps.) Sunderland fan that he is, Paul’s probably aware that Jermain Defoe’s current total of 15 of the club’s 28 goals puts him third in the list of the highest proportion scored by one player in a top-flight season. That’s something like 53 per cent. The record’s held by Dixie Dean of Everton with 58 per cent – but that was 60 out of 102.

….and finally

The two English test cricketers to score a century in their 100th test match (Backtrack, May 4) were Colin Cowdrey and Alec Stewart.

Gavin Ledwith in Durham today recalls the formation of the Premier League in 1992. Since then, and excluding combinations of Wimbledon, Milton Keynes and what-have-you, which five clubs have plummeted from the first tier to the fourth?

Top drawer as always, the column returns next week.