Telling the story of the loveable rogue Watts

Founded in 1889, the competition’s based on South Bank, Teesside. The trophy’s magnificent, the 113th final – dedicated to those former players and especially to ex- England trainer Harold Shepherdson – is on Sunday August 8.

There’ve been teams like Portrack Shamrocks and Redcar Crusaders, like Middlesbrough St John’s and South Bank St Peter’s, like Grangetown Athletic and North Ormesby Institute.

There’ve been players like Clough, Revie and Hardwick, like Matt Busby – Portrack Shamrocks v Cargo Fleet Home Guard when a wartime company sergeant major – and like Geoff Cook, a South Bank lad who became a bit better known as a cricketer.

Future international referees like Jeff Winter and the late Kevin Howley also played in the Ellis, the latter refereeing the FA Cup and the Ellis Cup finals in the same season. He never did say which was the greater honour.

The pair’s research is meticulous, perhaps the most intriguing character of all Charlie Watts – no relation to the drummer boy – a goalkeeper who played for South Bank in 1891-92.

Described as “rather robust” he moved on to Boro and to Blackburn but was suspended by the Rovers after insulting and abusive – not to mention fairly characteristic – observations to the board.

In 1906 he transferred to Newcastle United, made over 100 appearances, so impeccably deferential to the directors that 12 years later he became trainer. One of United historian Paul Joannou’s many books – and thanks to Paul for the photograph – even describes him as “loveable.”

Watts was also known throughout the game as a racing tipster, said to have won and lost three fortunes including, in 1898, the thenhuge sum of £600 in a Sporting Chronicle competition.

Facing mounting gambling debts – £3,000 to one creditor, Joannou reckons – he committed suicide in November 1924 by cutting his throat in a back street behind his Scotswood home. A table knife was lying nearby; his 20- year-old son, also Charles, was found with critical head injuries in the house.

It made the front page the following morning. The Echo spoke of a “well known local turf adviser” who liked to refer to himself as Charlie Watts of Tattersall’s and who sold tips on the Quayside every Sunday morning. He was 49.

The inquest was held the following day, a “distressed”

Mary Watts reporting that her husband had been depressed because of financial difficulties. The coroner supposed his death “temporary insanity”; young Charles was progressing favourably.

■ The Ellis Cup final will be played on the Harcourt Road ground, South Bank, at 11am on August 8. Receipts will be donated to the Holistic Cancer care Centre at the James Cook hospital.

AFTER the millions of World Cup words, a football book with a rather more modest background lands, happily, on the desk. Village Voice is about the “semi-dramatic”

2009-10 exploits of Percy Main Amateurs.

Apropos of little, we used to have a long-journey game seeking to pick a football team from North-East place names which could also be people. Percy Main was always first choice, closely followed by Bill Quay.

Haydon Bridge was generally included, too; Hutton Henry only when desperate.

The club, on north Tyneside, plays in the Northern Alliance. Ian Cusack, the author, was a long-time Newcastle United season ticket holder until wearying in 2009 and moving down a league or two.

The Amateurs’ season, he says, was “sometimes nerveshredding, sometimes triumphant but always expletive strewn.”

Whatever they swore by, it worked. They not only gained promotion to the top division but Ian’s now assistant secretary and chief dishwasher. “Despite myself,” he says, “my love for Percy Main deepens by the day.”

■ Village Voice costs £10, including postage, from Ian at 52 River View, Tynemouth NE30 4AF – or, as they say, from all good bookshops.

THE Sunday Express’s friendly football results round-up last weekend embraced all the usual biggies, including the Magpies (aforesaid). Amid them all, spotted by John Carter in Darlington, an interloper appeared: Wolviston 0 Darlington RA 1.

STEWART Regan, about to move from chief executive at Yorkshire County Cricket Club to a similar role at the Scottish FA, is a Crook lad and former junior athletics champion.

We’d caught up with him in London in 2004, settling into a senior position with the Football League, assiduously trying to mind the gap with the Premiership.

One of the challenges, he said, was to get people to support their local team. “I hate seeing a kid walking down Bishop Auckland main street in a Manchester United shirt.”

His father was a police sergeant and dog training expert, his own dog recalcitrant. “My dad would have a fit,” he said.

He starts at the Scottish FA on October 5. A trip north may be in order soon afterwards.

TWO events tomorrow afternoon that we’re very happy to publicise. Marske United FC hold their annual charity match to support Mike Findley’s motor neurone disease fund – United against a Bernie Slaven XI expected to include the likes of Craig Hignett, Curtis Fleming, Mark Proctor, Terry Cochrane and Jim Platt.. Kick off 2pm, adults £2, youngsters £1 – fun for all the family, it says.

At Feethams, meanwhile, our friends from the Darlington and District Cricket league promise “Super Sunday” – the semifinals of the Eggleston Cup.

Barton play Coundon at 1pm, Middleton St George against Darlington RA at 4 30pm.

Admission’s free – and the bar’s open all day.

The night Bulldog Billy lost his tongue

,p> BULLDOG Billy Teesdale, bark generally worse than his bite, found himself uncharacteristically speechless the other night.

The Teesdales, it may be recalled are the backbone of Evenwood Cricket Club, out in force the other night when the under 15s played at Kimblesworth, north of Durham.

Holidays meant they were six players short. Since not even the Bulldog could pass off as 15 – he’s 60, and then there’s the gout – his sevenyear- old grandson Thomas was drafted in alongside four other Under-13 team members.

Kimblesworth were running away with it, just three or four needed when the skipper threw the ball to young Thomas.

In his only over, he took three wickets for one run before the hosts edged home.

“I look at him sideways.

He’s a natural because he has a proper action, it’s not just because he’s my grandson,” says Billy.

The Bulldog’s still a Durham County League umpire, still straining at the leash. “The way things are going in local cricket, someone will be offering him money next year,” he says.

“It’s ridiculous what’s happening, paying good money for very ordinary players. It’s going to kill the game.”

News of the bairn’s achievement came, not from Billy, but from his brother John, also at the match.

“Thomas bowled straight and full and deserved it.

Even the Kimblesworth crowd loved it,” he says.

“His proud uncle and even prouder granddad just stood and watched in admiration.”

FROM seven to seventy-odd, the extraordinary Arthur Puckrin has added anther world title to his burgeoning portfolio.

Around the roads of Chester last weekend, the Middlesbrough barrister took the Over 70s’ 24-hour cycling championship, covering 351 miles. He’s 72.

So how did he feel when finally out of the saddle?

“Delighted,” he says. “I’d stopped.”

The event began at 1pm; cue rain – “I suppose it kept me cool,” says Arthur. At 1am he took half an hour out for a coffee.

“The real problem was that the roads were terrible.

Like everyone else, they can’t afford to repair them. I think I did reasonably well, considering.”

Twenty-four hours around Chester is as naught, however, compared to the next big one – the doubledeca Iron Man championship in Mexico in November.

For those whose ironman filings may not be up-todate, the event embraces a 48-mile swim, 2,240 miles on the bike and, just to finish up, a 574-mile run.

“The organisers tell me that only three people have ever finished it,” says Arthur, buoyantly.

“I’m hopeful of making it four.”

Farewell to a true sporting local hero

JOHN Sinclair, a man whose lifelong dedication to teaching and to sport won a Leading Light shortlisting at last year’s Local Heroes awards, has died two days after his school retirement presentation.

He was 66, a Newcastle United season ticket holder and had also been a Football League linesman and Northern League referee.

Though he’d qualified in history and geography, John took PE at his first school, Brandon secondary, because no qualified teacher was available.

When Brandon closed he moved to Whiley Hill and, on amalgamation, to Durham Johnston school where he spent the rest of his career and helped the school win several FA awards.

An FA qualified coach for more than 40 years – “It proved quite useful,” he once said – his particular interest was in developing girls’ football. Last year the school’s Under 13s won the Girls Premier League tournament at Old Trafford, inevitably representing Newcastle United. John, too unwell to travel, kept in constant touch by telephone.

The team also won a Local Heroes award, pupils going one better than master and none prouder than he was.

“There was a huge celebration after Old Trafford,” recalls former head of PE Les Johnson.

“John had an amazing rapport with the kids. All they were bothered about was that they’d done it for Mr Sinclair.

“He still wasn’t officially a PE teacher, just did it for the love of it in his spare time.

You don’t get many teachers like that nowadays.”

Lesley, his widow, recalls a man who lived for football.

“If he wasn’t teaching or refereeing it, he was watching it on television. If there was no English football he’d watch American football.

“It was nothing for him to sit watching the Superbowl until three in the morning.”

John had also been chairman of the Durham Central School Athletics Association.

Fellow teacher Peter Malkin recalls him lining games at St James’ Park, despite his black and white allegiance.

“It didn’t matter. John was just scrupulously honest in everything he did. The kids absolutely loved him; he was the perfect teacher, totally committed.”

John lived in Durham. His funeral was held yesterday, the day after what would have been his 38th wedding anniversary

And finally...

THE only North-East cricket team to have won the National Village Cup (Backtrack, July 27) is Bomarsund, near Ashington in Northumberland, who beat Troon from Cornwall in 1974. The final was switched to Edgbaston after being rained off at Lord’s the previous week. First with the answer was Norman Robinson from Annfield Plain who in turn invites readers to name the North-East cricket team which won the first-ever indoor national six-a-side competition. After a trip to the seaside, the column.