Norman Dinsdale was one of those characters who’d seen and done it all.

If you’d been to Tenerife, he’d been to Eleven rife !

He would sit in the snooker room at Cockfield club and watch the lads playing snooker, but never played himself. Duncan Sams once asked him if he fancied a game, but he said never played now since he won the World Billiard title back in the fifties ! Sadly, no such record exists.

The days of the ‘Leek Club’ at Cockfield are sadly, long gone.

In its heyday there were up to 100 members, all working hard to grow the best fruit, veg and flowers, especially Leeks, for the annual ‘Leek Show.

In those days, and for reasons that escape me, the ‘Prizes’ that could be won, were Furniture ! The stage was covered with chairs, settees, beds and wardrobes, it was one of the highlights of the club year.

When Norman was asked if he’d entered any veg in the show, he said it would be unfair to everyone else in club. Duncan asked him to explain.

‘I was down home looking out of my back door, and I couldn’t see my wheelbarrow down the garden’ says Norman. ‘I thought, those bloody kids have stolen it. Anyway, when I went upstairs to get ready, I looked out of the bedroom window, and there was my wheelbarrow, BEHIND ONE OF MY CABBAGES !’ On one occasion, Bernard Waldock was asked to present the prizes at the leek show, as a reward for 25 years loyal service to Cockfield Club.

He was handed a card with the winners name, and the prize they had won.

With great pride, Bernard announced that the winner of best in show was Mr Tommy Chapman, and he had won a ‘Diving Suit’.

Quickly grabbing the card off him, Reggie Wearmouth shouted ‘ Tommy’s won a DIVAN SUITE !’ Happy Days !