A beer at Darlington Cricket Club where Jonny Barnes, one of the North-East game’s great all-rounders, has clicked over another decade and looks forward to playing for Durham County over 50s.

It’s not just cricket at which the old lad excels. It’s darts night, playing the Black Swan, Jonny second in the league ratings last season. “And you should see him on the snooker table,” someone says

It’s not cricket which draws us, either, but football. Malcolm Dunstone, 77-year-old former LibDem councillor and the region’s No 1 Watford fan, is having a dress rehearsal ahead of today’s FA Cup final.

Malcolm wears Hornet-yellow trousers and matching socks, Watford top, yellow shirt and, to head things off, a luminous yellow wig which may be visible from Hertfordshire.

It later transpires that his son has got them an executive package, three-course meal before kick-off. Whether the posh end dress code includes yellow trousers and matching wig remains sartorially to be seen.

Darlington Cricket Club’s annual report, upbeat in all areas, includes a page on the darts section written by J Barnes, aforesaid. They and he did well, too, though Jonny was beaten by a team-mate called Jeff in the quarter-final of the league knock-outs. “We’ve since kissed and made up,” he writes. “He enjoyed that more than I did.”

Though no stranger to Wembley – he was Tow Law Town’s energetic chairman at the time of the 1998 FA Vase final and may even have been there with his beloved Boro – retired solicitor John Flynn has other plans for Cup final day.

To help mark his recent 70th birthday, John will be abseiling from the Transporter Bridge to raise funds for the £1m chemotherapy unit appeal at the University Hospital of North Durham. Jenny, his wife, chairs the charitable funds committee for the local NHS Foundation Trust.

“I might have had a drink when I thought of that one,” says John, remembered for all manner of things but none more vividly than allowed FA chief executive Graham Kelly to play for Durham Buffs on Ushaw Moore cow field.

Donations to a greatly worthy cause, and a greatly worthy bloke, can be made through Justgiving.

Featured hereabouts two or three weeks ago, Crook lad and former Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan, 55, duly completed the Manchester marathon in four hours and six minutes.

Running with his daughter Caitlin, Stewart raised £4,200 for the Alzheimer’s Society – a tribute to his dad Steve, once the sergeant in charge of Durham Constabulary’s dog section, who’s in a care home near Crook.

Though he and Caitlin crossed the line together – “a very special moment” – cramp over the last two miles reduced him to a hobble and meant he narrowly missed the four hour target.

“I’ll just have to do it again,” says Stewart.

The piece on Darlington Travellers Rest FC (president: Backtrack) noted that their motto is Supare possomus, which translates into nothing much at all. Club secretary Alan Smith now reports that since Nathan Hurley – no known relation to King Charlie – was booked seven times in 2018-19 for dissent, they’re contemplating a change. The motto may change to “For heaven’s sake Nathan, shut up.”

Fast approaching 78, accustomed absence of fee, former World Cup referee George Courtney took charge of a charity match at Spennymoor Town’s Brewery Field a couple of weekends back.

“Peter Beardsley played the whole game but he’s not as quick as I am,” George reports.

A few days later, a large afternoon tea hamper – “sandwiches, lovely cakes, clotted cream, the lot” – was left without a message on his doorstep in nearby Middlestone Moor.

“My wife and I and a couple of workmen we had in wolfed the lot before anyone realised it had been delivered to the wrong house,” he says.

That evening there was an email from Marc Solan, for whose eponymous and highly successful cancer charity the match had been staged, hoping that he’d enjoyed his tea,

“I have to confess,” says George, “that I was rather relieved.”

Still enthusiastically officiating in the Over 40s, George’s former Premier League colleague Ken Redfern, 74, admits that he’s had cataract jobs on both eyes. “It’s brilliant, amazing how much better I can see,” says Ken. “If only they could so something about my knees.”

The piece on Berwick Rangers a fortnight back mentioned that the town’s rugby club, who also contest the Scottish leagues, were the same afternoon in the National Shield final at Murrayfield. We should also have said that, after trailing at half-time, they ran in 46 second-half points to beat Greenock Wanderers 57-37.

We’d also reported the hope of Ryton and Crawcrook Albion secretary and long-time Berwick fan Stevie Carter that Rangers might make a “Red Adair appointment” in time for the play-offs and after the Albion defeat they did indeed bring in former Hibs, Newcastle and Middlesbrough full back John Brownlie, 67, to fight a pretty threatening fire.

It appears out of control. Berwick lost Saturday’s first leg 4-0. The second’s this afternoon.

John Atkinson, Shildon FC’s ageless and indomitable president, reports that Jade, his granddaughter, is attracting enthusiastic audiences for the one-woman play which she wrote and in which she alone appears. It’s called Pricks – why’s that then, John? “She’s diabetic,” says John. “What else do you think?”

….and finally, the four grounds on which FA Vase finals were played while Wembley was being rebuilt (Backtrack, May 11) were Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Ham United and Spurs.

The more observant will have noticed that the Premier League’s golden boot was shared on Sunday between Aubameyang of Arsenal and Mane and Salah of Liverpool.

Readers are today invited to name the last player from outside of the big six to win it. The boot in again next Saturday.