BOXING is not to everyone’s taste but it was the dominant theme at the Best of Darlington Awards on Friday night. As always, it was an honour to compere the awards, which highlight everything that’s good about the town and its people.

The highlight of the night was presenting the Citizen of the Year award to 70-year-old Lol Degnan, who has devoted the best part of 60 years to the sport – as a fighter himself but, far more importantly, as a coach at Darlington Amateur Boxing Club.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of boxing, imagine how many youngsters might otherwise have been hanging around on the streets without Lol’s guidance. Imagine how many have been taught about discipline and the importance of staying fit.

His contribution to grassroots sport in the North-East has been outstanding and he is a worthy Citizen of the Year.

Lol was joined on stage by Darlington’s boxing world champion Stuart Hall, who was the inevitable winner of the Performance in Sport category. To complete the boxing generations, another finalist on the night was 14-year-old Ben Marksby, who became British champion in his age group.

As far as I know, there is no collective noun for boxers. In Darlington’s case, perhaps it should be a “pride”.

  • Awards supplement – Wednesday

YOU might not believe this but it really is the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth...

There I was at Thirsk Community Primary School last week, giving a book reading and writing workshop.

I had Blacktoothed Ruth Black, my second book in the Monstrous Morals series, above, on an overhead screen and the children seemed to be enjoying the story about a girl who won’t brush her teeth.

When Ruth’s first rotten tooth falls out, the evil tooth devils come to collect it, instead of the toothfairy who normally leaves good children a reward under their pillow.

The Northern Echo:

Halfway through the story, there was a kerfuffle among the children sitting on the floor of the main hall, and a little boy called Liam Sargent had to be taken out by a teacher.

I carried on with the story-telling and it was only afterwards that I discovered what had happened.

Just as I’d got to the verse where Ruth’s tooth “wibbled and wobbled”, Liam’s tooth had fallen out.

“You couldn’t make it up,” said smiling headteacher Richard Wild.

I just hope Liam got a visit from the tooth fairy.

WE should never underestimate the importance of the comma.

For example, an advertisement last week included the surreal paragraph: “Guests can explore 230 acres of farmland and woodland, go fishing on three private ponds, watch birds and wildlife play pool and table tennis in the games room, or simply relax.”

I have this image in my mind of a squirrel with a cue under its arm, asking a heron whether it wants spots or stripes.

A FUNDRAISING football match took place last week between The Northern Echo’s finest athletes and Uncovered FC – a team made up of Darlington Football Club supporters.

Proceeds went to the appeal to support The Quakers’ return to Darlington.

Unbelievably, I wasn’t selected and The Northern Echo lost on penalties after embarrassing failures from the spot by Darlington chief reporter Andy Walker and deputy business editor Steve Hugill.

Player ratings were produced for the game, just as they are for Newcastle United, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Darlington matches.

Top of The Northern Echo’s ratings was sports editor Nick Loughlin with a “rock solid” eight out of ten. The compiler of the ratings was...Nick Loughlin.

The Northern Echo:

No mention was made of the fact that he had to be substituted after being warned by the referee that he was about to be sent off for dissent.

TORY chairman Grant Shapps may well find his number’s up in a future party reshuffle following his Budget day bingo gaffe.

His poster on Twitter, urging his followers to spread the word about cuts in bingo tax and beer duty “to help hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy” fuelled claims that the Conservatives are out of touch.

The Northern Echo:

I scanned the detail of the Budget and the lack of any tax relief on pigeon seed, cloth caps and whippet muzzles was a crushing disappointment for us hardworking Northern folk.

My favourite tweet in response came from John King, of Middlesbrough, who wrote: “From next week, you’ll only pay tax on bingo if you don’t have a Full House. Then they’ll charge you Bedroom Tax!”