Wellock's World

In the light of Sir John Hall's ambitions it is sad to note that the reality has been somewhat different, with Gateshead Football Club the latest to be left in the lurch by Cameron Hall Developments.

The withdrawal of £60,000 sponsorship has left the club unable to pay their players, hard on the heels of Newcastle Jesters ice hockey club having similar problems.

Cameron Hall cannot be directly blamed for the Jesters' plight, but it was they who uprooted the much-loved Durham Wasps and tried to recreate their success as part of the ill-fated Newcastle Sporting Club.

It didn't work and now the future of top-level ice hockey in the region is in serious jeopardy, just as top-level rugby would have been had David Thompson not bailed out Newcastle Falcons.

Basketball, which was also part of the NSC, survives in the shape of the Eagles, but whatever happened to the plan to build three golf courses within Sir John's grounds at Wynyard Hall?

They built one, overlooked by new luxury houses owned by the likes of Kevin Keegan and at one time Alan Shearer.

But it was recently sold for an undisclosed sum, the buy-out being led by Gary Munro, the course manager throughout its four-year history.

"This is a complete break from the previous ownership," he emphasised in a press release.

In fairness to Sir John, now retired to Spain, he breathed new life into Newcastle United by bringing in Keegan, and he did the same for the struggling Newcastle Gosforth Rugby Club when they approached him cap-in-hand.

He wanted the best and he got Rob Andrew, who shared the dream and is still bringing it to fruition with the help of Thompson's money.

But Andrew can be pretty scathing about the way Cameron Hall pulled out and knows the whole thing could have gone belly-up had Thompson not come along.

Now Gateshead FC are seeking a new backer, although they would be happy with several small investors to match the £60,000 shortfall.

Following Gazza's generous gesture in giving them £10,000 it only needs five more Premiership players to cough up 2 days' pay.

IT occurred to me it was probably some time since the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award was presented to someone wearing earrings.

Princess Anne in 1971 perhaps? But no, there have, in fact, been several female winners since then - Mary Peters, Virginia Wade, Jayne Torvill, Fatima Whitbread and Liz McColgan.

The interesting thing is that, starting with Anita Lonsbrough in 1962, women won it ten times in 29 years. But they have drawn a blank since McColgan's triumph in 1991.

Why Damon Hill should have won it twice and Sally Gunnell not at all is beyond me, while others such as Denise Lewis had the misfortune to perform well in the same year as Steve Redgrave.

Still, at least intrepid yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur came second, no doubt helped by the BBC coverage of her achievements.

The award has always tended to go to people in individual sports. No rugby player has won it in its 47-year history and, other than Bobby Moore in 1966, it's only in the last 11 years that footballers have started to feature with Gazza, Michael Owen and now Becks walking off with the trophy.

This reflects the growing obsession with football, while things like ice dancing have melted away since John Curry, Robin Cousins and Torvill (with Dean) all won the award.

Some suggest the football bubble is about to burst because TV overkill will result in a big reduction in television money coming into the game.

I suspect it will be no more than a slow puncture, although our success or otherwise at the World Cup will have a big bearing.

If England win it, Becks will be back on his pedestal next year and they won't have to count the votes, they can weigh them. Or perhaps they do that anyway, because they never tell us the count.

HAVING witnessed Craig White's high quality maiden first-class century - 146 against Durham at Headingley in 1993 - I'm surprised it has taken him until now to score a Test hundred.

Like many others of his era he has been plagued by injuries and was also low on confidence until Duncan Fletcher gave him some self-belief.

Perhaps now both Fletcher and "Chalkie" himself will believe he's good enough to bat No 6 for England, rather than going in after Andrew Flintoff.

For the last two years the Lancastrian has been considered an under-achieving tub of lard, but suddenly he's good enough to bat at six and open the bowling.

Or perhaps not. He should have been allowed an uninterrupted winter in the national academy to find out what Rod Marsh could really make of him

Published: 14/12/01