The clergymen of Durham have been dealt a body blow in their annual assault on the Church Times cricket cup - the star batsman has broken his neck in three places, whilst body surfing.

"It could have been worse, I could have been paralysed," says the Rev Peter Templeman, Vicar of Peterlee. "We have been very fortunate and very blessed."

Mr Templeman, former captain of the London diocesan cricket team and familiar on the surfing beaches of Cornwall, was at the end of a cricket and golfing holiday on Barbados when the accident happened on February 7. He has still not been able to resume full duties.

"There was an hour left of the holiday so my friend and I decided to have a last go in the sea. We got in but couldn't get out because it was so rough so I just reverted to form by trying to crest the top of a wave.

"It picked me up and threw me down head first into the sand. I staggered out but I knew I'd done something serious and lay on my back until help arrived."

After ten days in a Barbados hospital ("the medical facilities were excellent") he came home in a neck brace. The prognosis is for a full recovery.

The Church Times Cup, a recurring triumph of hope over experience, resumes on Thursday when the dioceses of Durham and Wakefield meet at Bedale.

"It'll be the usual pattern, start around noon, complete the game and retire to the Black Swan," says team captain the Rev David Meakin, Vicar of Ryhope, near Sunderland.

In Mr Templeman's unavoidable absence, he outs fresh faith in newcomers Duncan Johnson, the diocesan missioner, and David Keen, curate of Haughton-le-Skerne, Darlington.

"We had a practice match and he can certainly bowl. It was a pleasure to keep wicket to him," says the skipper.

Mr Templeman, whose wife is both head of Durham High School and a lay reader in his parish, hopes to be back in his whites next summer - "at the moment I'm encouraged to do no exercise other than walking."

And body surfing? "I'm afraid I've rather shocked my parishioners. I can't wait to get back into the sea."

Since Peter Shilton proved rather less able an after-dinner speaker than he was a goalkeeper, talk at Trimdon United Juniors' annual extravaganza on Friday turned to the intended chief guest's empty seat.

Former Middlesbrough and Great Britain captain George Hardwick, who was 82 in February, is in North Tees Hospital after a fall eight days ago at his home in Yarm.

"When nothing was found to be broken they allowed him home the same night, but the following day he became quite ill and had to be re-admitted," says Jennifer, his wife.

She hopes that the great man may be allowed home today - "but we have to be very careful now."

A fair while since Derek Rose and his pals were Trimdon juniors, but in those parts they talk about it still.

They talked of it, too, at a school reunion a couple of weeks back - "an absolutely fantastic night," says Derek. "We were scoring goals all over again."

It's exactly 50 years since Trimdon Grange Boys broke every record around - winners of the Kelloe and District Schools League without dropping a point, and of the Durham Hospital Cup, the Benevolent and Orphanage Cup and, for the third successive season, the National Orphanage Cup.

Since they played just three games in the National Orphanage Cup, and beat Wingate in the final, its appeal may not necessarily have been countrywide, however.

They scored 213 goals and conceded just 27, attracted a 1,000 crowd to the B&O final on the Northside ground, entertained 100 guests to a celebration party at the school.

Norman Wilson and George Robinson won county honours, Bobby Laverick top scored with 49, won England youth honours and played for Chelsea, Coventry, Everton and Brighton - now "somewhere in the Midlands" - Derek hit 30 and recalls that they lost just once, contentiously, the following season.

"It was at Cassop. We always said the referee was their teacher but then we discovered it wasn't, it was the caretaker."

The team picture, below, immaculately turned out, still hangs in his hall.

Back: Mr Hodgson, John Davison, George Anderson, Less Terrans, David Nichols, Thomas Readman, Norman Woods (who became the Shildon polliss), Mr Standish (headmaster).

Front: Derek Rose, Frank Evans, George Robinson, Norman Wilson, Bobby Laverick, John Durnall (who played for Whitby Town in the 1965 FA Amateur Cup final), Gordon Atkinson.

Len "the Leap" Watson, another legend among Trimdon sportsmen, has moved to a retirement home.

Now 87, Len competed into his 80s, held the world long jump record for his age and could still beat 17 seconds for the 100m.

Success and suppleness were alike attributed to the highly secret lubricant - external use only - concocted in his back kitchen.

"He's still quite canny for a lad of his age," says a friend, "but I don't think he'll be doing any more 100 metre dashes."

Scotland's predictably heavy defeat in South Korea on Thursday concealed a surprising double, points out Darlington fan Chris Willsden. Newcastle United's Gary Caldwell and Sunderland's debut making Kevin Kyle both made their first Nationwide League appearances in 2000-01 - for the Quakers.

Back from his 211th match of a rain interrupted season - Scotland, somewhere - the Hartlepool postman draws attention to a Sunday Times note on Arsenal's lowest ever gate.

It was May 6 1966, the glorious Gunners at home to Leeds in the old first division, Liverpool against Borussia Dortmund on television in the Cup Winners Cup final. Just 4,554 watched Leeds win 3-0 in Billy Wright's penultimate match as manager - not even John Dawson was there.

Elsewhere that wet May day, a hat-trick from "young" Dennis Wake of Crook Town ended Bishop Auckland's Northern League title hopes at Kingsway, finishing touches were being put to Darlington's first ten pin bowling alley, the Quakers had gone ten games unbeaten and godfearing Durham FA launched a "massive" campaign against players and referees in new fangled Sunday football.

"There is likely to be a thorough clear out," forecast. There wasn't. Times change.

Friday's note on how the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup final managed to get onto Sky Sports was wrongly informed about the middle man in it all.

The referee, also Sky Sports man in the North-East, was Dave Roberts not Bob Hunter. Bob was fourth official.

Next season, Dave's promoted to the "contributory" list of referees covering Unibond and Albany Northern League first division matches. A bit more television time, then? "I'm working on it," he says.

And finally...

The only FA Cup winning captain of the 1990s not to win full international honours was Steve Bruce of Manchester United, in 1995.

Brian Shaw (again) today seeks the identity of the player who has made most FA Cup appearances in his career - 88 between 1959-81.

We're back on stage again on Friday.

Published: 21/05/2002