Villagers left Coundon their trophies (From The Northern Echo)

Villagers left Coundon their trophies

10:51am Saturday 13th June 2009 in

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THE village of Coundon, it is soberly supposed, once had more pubs per head than anywhere else in the kingdom. After a couple, they insist that it used to be in the Guinness Book, After one or two more, they start naming them.

The Lord Stanley, the Wharton Arms, the Ox, the Duckett. The Duckett’s queried. Might that be the 17th century Catholic priest, the Blessed John Duckett, arrested near Tow Law and subsequently handed, drawn and quartered at Tyburn?

“Mebbe a different Duckett,” they concede.

The former pit village near Bishop Auckland may, in any case, have an altogether different claim to fame: two separate emails report that local football teams have won nine trophies between them this season.

Derek Brownbridge goes further. “Over the last 30 years it is my belief that Coundon and Leeholme (the adjoining, almost indivisible, community) have won more trophies than any other village of that size in England.”

On Wednesday evening we all gather at the Foresters, one of three pubs in a row.

The Simpsons are on television, a prelude to England’s World Cup qualifier with Andorra.

There are more cups than a church hall coffee morning.

Coundon and Leeholme Youth Club, ageless, have won the Durham Minor Cup, the Crook and District league first division, the Weardale Cup and the South Durham Bowl. The Conservative Club, FA Sunday Cup winners three seasons ago, bring along the Wear Valley Sunday League first division trophy and the Tommy Waggott Cup.

The Foresters themselves have won the Wear Valley second division and the Gary Walton Cup; the Durham Ox lifted the Invitation Cup.

“That’s nothing,” says someone in the Foresters, “a few years ago the village won fourteen.”

Legends form already. Durham Ox manager Gareth Harbottle, it’s said, sought a blessing the day before the Invitation Cup final from Fr Gary Nicholson, the village’s Anglican priest. There are those who swear they’ve seen a photograph.

It appears to have worked, anyway.

The photographer’s there, too, supposes the Durham Minor Cup to be something contested by colliers. In truth it’s major-minor, the big one if not quite the largest, and worth a small fortune.

Names around the base trace it back to 1952-53 – Primrose Hill FC, long gone to flowers – though it’s likely to have been fought over for many years previously.

Coundon Three Tuns are also engraved..

“Football’s something you’re brought up with in Coundon, a religion,”

says Michael McGowan of the Youth Club and down the years they reckon that St Joseph’s RC primary school have had some cracking teams, too.

It’s a gloomy night, the photographer obliged to use flash, even outside. “You could dazzle three rabbits with that flash,” someone says, but that’s reference to another popular sport in those parts, and had best be the last word on it.

ends Chiefly they use two local grounds, the curiously proportioned rec at Coundon Gate, nicknamed the Field of Dreams, and the old school field, known yet more extravagantly as the San Siro.

Next season there’ll be three Coundon teams in the Sunday League first division.

“I’ll tell you what,” says Cons Club team manager Paul Aldsworth, “there’s going to be some very canny Sunday dinner times.”

The Three Tuns may have kicked off the stream of successes, twice winners in the 1980s of the Durham Challenge Cup – in the 1987 final against the mighty Bishop Auckland. The side included Alan Shoulder, Coundon lad and very proud of it, who’d made a name at Blyth Spartans and at Newcastle United.

Charlie Wayman, 71 goals in 124 Magpies’ appearances, was a long-time Coundon resident, too. The late Trevor Atkinson, just 49 when he died in 1992, made 141 Darlington appearances and played also for Bradford PA, where once we heard him affectionately recalled as a “rart old yard dog.”

Around Coundon, where he’s simply remembered as a gentleman, they also talk of Bobby Charlton’s autobiography, in which a substantial chunk is said to be devoted to the World Cup winner’s chance holiday meeting with Trevor.

A Google search reveals nothing more than an irrelevant link to Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Readers may be able to help.

The Youth Club side, under 18s in those days, was formed following the murder in the year 2000 of Gary Walton, another Coundon lad who’d been on Newcastle United’s books.

“It was utterly tragic. He’d be playing for us still, with us now,” says football club chairman Billy “Boy” Lye. “When the lads passed 18 they just wanted to continue, really in memory of Gary.

“There’s rivalry but it’s friendly banter, that’s all. A lot of the lads who play for us on a Saturday will play for one of the other teams on a Sunday.”

Most seem just to be proud of Coundon, Billy Boy said regularly to wear a “God’s own country” T-shirt and with no room for doubt over which is the chosen land.

They’re thoroughly good lads, proud of their home, some a little more self-effacing.

“They say every village has its idiot,”

someone says. “In Coundon we could set a trip away.”

The Youth Club are based at the Cons Club, too, head back with their trophies before the England match kicks off. “You might as well leave them here,” says someone at the Foresters, “we’ll just be collecting them next year.”

It’s not forgotten, either, that the Youth Club has this season won twice as many trophies as the Cons themselves. “We do remind them, occasionally,” says Trevor Parsley.

The England match is about to start, the talk turns to other things like the (allegedly) diminishing size of Curly- Wurlies and, more predictably, the plight of Newcastle United.

Paul Aldsworth, known universally as Pele, tells about the chap walking down the road who discovers a St James’ Park season ticket nailed to a tree. “He kept it, you never know when you might need a good nail.”

England are 2-0 up by the time the bus comes, the Foresters pleased but not carried away. “Let’s be fair,” says Baz Munday, who’s wandered in, “I could pick a side out of Coundon which could probably beat Andorra.”

Being a Red Devil doesn’t open every door...

BOBBY Charlton, recalled for another reason in today’s main piece, also features in the latest FourFourTwo magazine.

Barry Fry, among football’s more colourful characters, recalls the younger of the Charlton brothers from his own time as a Manchester United apprentice.

Fry had several times failed his driving test.

“Baz, what you need to do is wear your United tie and blazer when you turn up for the next one,” advised the Ashington lad.

The apprentice, small Fry, did as he was advised.

Again he heard the familiar words.

“Well, Mr Fry, I’m afraid you’ve failed to meet the required standard.”

As the instructor got out of the car, he turned and smiled. “And by the way, I’m a City fan.”

DARK days for politicians, but Darlington LibDem councillor Malcolm Dunstone still enjoyed a memorable moment on a murky night at the town’s municipal golf club. Five years a golfer, Malcolm hit his first hole-inone on the 202-yard 11th. “I thought it had finished on the green but, to be honest, my eyesight isn’t that clever over 200 yards,” he says. Though he lost the game, Coun Dunstone still did the honourable thing. At the 19th there were drinks all round.

STILL on the golf course, the redoubtable Raye Wilkinson – formerly Racing Welfare’s long-serving northern organiser – plans his 26th charity golf day at Catterick on July 21.

Up to now he reckons to have raised around £100,000.

As well as the Injured Jockeys Fund, he hopes this year to help the Great North Air Ambulance, the Variety Club of Great Britain, Help for Heroes and one or two others.

Though many participants have racing connections, all are welcome. Raye would also welcome offers of auction prizes to add to the golf day for four at Woburn – worth around £1,200 – and a special souvenir signed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Entry, including dinner, is £200 for a team of four, though individual entries are also accepted.

Raye’s on 01969 624482. Entries now, money on the day.

ANOTHER step towards conquering the world, motor cycle trials rider Jonathan Richardson has won both events in the latest round – youth category – in Japan.

We wrote of him on May 26, a wholly focused 17-year-old who led the field in British, European and world championships and who practises near Ravensworth, off the A66 in North Yorkshire.

It’s Squire Botham country. “I just hope I can be as good at my chosen sport as he was,”

he said.

He lives at Skeeby, near Richmond, helps on the family farm, his father Gerald twice winner of the hugely demanding Scott Trial in Swaledale.

Though he wasn’t at home, Jonathan has four more rounds before the finishing line.

“He has a decent lead, but he’s taking absolutely nothing for granted,” said his mum.

The next two rounds are in Italy and that well known sports hotbed, Andorra.

FURTHER to Tuesday’s note on the Over 40s League, successful applications have now come from Esh Winning Cricket Club and, yet more improbably, the Ball Alley in Stanley. It’s a pub. The league which began with five clubs now has an all-time high 73.

And finally...

TUESDAY’S column sought the identity of Tonto’s horse – don’t ask –urged readers not to venture on-line and still produced a happy response. It was a palomino called Scout, as in honour.

Ken Orton in Ferryhill Station didn’t even have television back I n his Thornley childhood, obliged to squat at a friend’s in Thornlaw North. “The street no longer exists,” he adds, ruefully. “They razed it to build houses.”

David Wilson in Etherley asks if the punchline is Tonto Kowalski what the joke might be – it’s what’s called a framework joke, apparently – while another reader, his email simply headed “Tonto’s horse”, wonders if we knew that it was 15 years before the Lone Ranger realised that “Kemo Sabi” meant “Bugger off.” Urban legend, perhaps.

On the back of England’s effective qualification, Martin Birtle in Billingham today points out that the 2010 World Cup will be played during the South African winter – which, he asks, was the last host country to host winter finals?

Back in from the cold, the column returns on Tuesday.