CRICKET'S here; the incomparable Jack Chapman - "assistant secretary, statistics" - sends the Wellstream Nothumberland and Tyneside Senior League year book and, inevitably, sparks a debate. If ever there were a man to put flesh on bones, it is J G Chapman.

Benwell and Walbottle were 0- 1 in August last year when Indian pro Anirudh Singh came to the crease. When he left, 150- 9, he had scored 125 of his side's 150, the score on which the innings ended.

It was 83.33 per cent of the total. The next highest contribution was six. Had Anirudh not been farming the bowling near the end, reckons Benwell scorer Jim Gibb, he might have had another 12 runs.

Jim has also checked first class records and can find only one example of a higher percentage of the total - Glenn Turner's undefeated 141 representing 83.43 per cent of Worcestershire's 169 against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1977.

Jack Chapman, however, has been back in Tyneside Senior League records to 1909, discovering that in 1986 the late Wasim Raja hit 202 out of Shotley Bridge's 234-6 - 86.32 per cent - against Ryton.

"When Wasim took up the gauntlet, he enthralled even the birds around the sequestered Spa ground," writes Jack, lyrically.

David Smart of Seaton Burn is second, 77.91 per cent in 1984, and third is Bert Steward, 100 not out in Consett's 129 in 1953.

Bert may be even better remembered on the football field, Crook Town's left back in the victorious 1954 and 1959 Amateur Cup finals.

Readers anxious to continue the percentage game are invited to better Wasim Raja's share of the proceedings.

MORE holiday reading, a text message from Eric Smallwood in Middlesbrough notes not only that England's goalkeeper in last week's England U18 international against Austria at Hartlepool was Ben Amos of Manchester United but that one of the subs was Boro youth player Richie Smallwood. Neither seems to be any relation, though there is a long tradition of great goalkeepers in the Amos family. Just ask them at Bishop Auckland Grammar School.

AND more - Jeff Scott's photo essay of Sunderland's progress through 2006-07, the Championship winning season.

Jeff's Brighton based, his Sunderland allegiance filial, too. "Banter and Bustle" may be the only book in history to list the staff in the British Airways departure lounge at Newcastle airport among the credits, and just now BA needs all the plaudits it can get.

Hundreds of excellent photographs are of the build-up and the burger vans, the supporters, the stewards and the red and white barmy. That none is of the action, and few inside grounds, is because Jeff was "unaccredited" and was threatened with legal action if he used his pix. It also delayed the book.

"If the man from Del Monte likes to say Yes," he observes, "the man from the league likes to say No."

Some clubs refused even to allow the publication of "innocuous" shots inside the stadium. Sunderland agreed on condition that a donation from the sale of each book went to the SAFC Foundation.

The book's centrepiece is a series of match-by-match quotes - what might be termed a high-asterisk strategy - overheard during the game. It may not be said that words speak louder than action.

There's a nice line about Billy Davies's constant whistling while manager of Derby County - "It's like a sheep dog trial around here"

- a simple "Boo" when Cardiff police refused to return a confiscated inflatable sheep.

Mr Scott clearly feels it unnecessary to explain why Sunderland fans had taken an inflatable sheep to Wales in the first place.

Chiefly, however, the "Quotes" section is testament only to the average football fans infertile imagination, parrotlike predictability and fourletter fixation.

It's still a lovely book for those who like looking at pictures.

■ Cork Street Press, 256 pages, £9.99.

MICK Hume in last Friday's Times is reminded by the controversy over Olympic pollution (and other things) in Beijing of Steve Cram's response when asked if he could handle the 1984 smog in Los Angeles. "I'm from Sunderland," said Crammy (allegedly), "it seems very nice here."

LAST Wednesday evening to Llanberis v Pwhelli, played at the foot of snow-capped Snowdon and still cold enough for it down below. Almost everyone spoke in Welsh but swore in English.

Two nights later to Darlington RA v South Shields, a top coat colder, where Shields secretary Phil Reay was recalling the unexpected visit to the previous home game - against Norton - of Foreign Secretary and local MP David Miliband.

Though it was close to halftime, Miliband insisted on paying full whack, then indicated the three big fellers - "jackets bulging" - following him in.

"Charge them full as well,"

said the man tipped as a future Prime Minister. Without regard for their personal security, the bodyguards duly coughed up their four quids.

DULY, deservedly, Durham City were presented on Saturday with the Arngrove Northern League championship trophy they'd clinched with four games remaining - thus confounding team manager Lee Collings who'd sworn that it would go to the wire, and probably to the middle of July.

The admirable Mr Collings is somewhat superstitious.

"Mental," translates his wife, Elaine.

It is he who carries the same pocketful of pennies to every match, he who won't wash his training kit until after an unbeaten run ends - it's presently on 18 - he who declines to cut his toe nails during the same sequence.

"I won't let him into the bed," insists Elaine.

After the trophy presentation, however, the boss reckoned he might have to wash his kit since it was covered in champagne. Bubbles burst, he left with his wife, bearing the smile of a happy man. And so to pedicure.

THAT night to the 49th annual dinner of Newton Aycliffe rugby club, a survivor in a not-so-new town oft unenthused by sport.

The football club reached the Wearside League but quickly left again, the cricketers got so far as the Durham County league but also lowered their sights.

Operating with just one team, the rugby lads have had their problems, too - like when the nine men with whom they played Ponteland included Tommy Cooper, who retired last year at 54, and club chairman Peter Sheen, who was 59 when his knees finally demanded a declaration.

This season things have been better, much credit for the resurgence given to club secretary and sports injuries expert Sue Adams - "an absolute diamond," said the chairman.

Tommy Cooper echoed the admiration of a lady with more tattoos than Edinburgh Castle.

"Mind," he said, "I wouldn't like to fight her."

BACK where we began, to the predictably inclement start of the cricket season.

Most cancelled matches were simply listed "Match off: ground unfit" though one of the Sunday papers offered cliffhanging detail on the NYSD League game at Great Ayton.

"Match off: seagulls on pitch," it said.

NYSD secretary Stewart Clarke is perplexed. "I know that Great Ayton can be quite wet, but I thought that gulls coming inland was only a sign of bad weather at sea," he says.

No one from Great Ayton has been available. Strictly for the birds, we hope for an explanation by Friday.

...and finally

THE future England cricket captain born at Wolverhampton in 1939 (Backtrack, April 11) was the splendid Rachel Heyhoe-Flint. Several readers realised as much.

Today back to the Tyneside Senior League, in existence before amalgamation from 1904-99. In all that time, only one player scored a century and took all ten wickets in the same match and only one scored 1,000 runs and claimed 100 wickets in the same season.

They were West Indian brothers: readers are invited to name them. The column returns before scarcely another ball is bowled.

8:44am Tuesday 22nd April 2008

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