It’s Sunniside up as skilful Lol lands the world title

"I still think it's 90 per cent about what you pick up," he said and in so doing made the point for tournament supremo Charlie Donaghy, because in this event everyone picks up the same.

The finals were held on Friday evening at Tow Law Football Club, Wolverhampton v Sunderland a clubhouse counterattraction - big screen, minimal sound.

Also present was Sunderland fan and local skip hire boss Jim Mulligan, who'd sponsored the event. "Sunderland?" he said. "I'd rather watch you lot play dominoes."

In honour of the occasion, there was some proper grub, courtesy of Lee Cullen, described as an international chef. "I once worked at Fir Tree," he explained.

His pie was absolutely terrific.

From an entry of 32 - next year it'll be 64 - the eight finalists included former England amateur football international George Brown and, inexplicably, me.

Beaten in the qualifiers, outgoing champion and Crook bookie Kevin McCormack was offering odds on the outcome, profits to Children in Need. Yet more inexplicably, and with no regard to the time needed for acclimatisation in those parts, the column opened as favourite.

Right from the start it was disconcerting. "I play Cockfield dominoes, mind," said the feller on the opposite side of the board, a warning to strike terror into the heart of games men everywhere.

I'd a fiver on George, which was another mistake. On-line poker's his hand these days. "I'd have won the World Three Card Brag championships, an' all," he insisted.

Though the Skilful Domino world is necessarily circumscribed, it should not be imagined that all the players come, collars up, from Tow Law.

Lol's from wind-blown Sunniside, top of the ridge, which is a good mile and a half away.

His win was popular - not least with Honest Kev, because the smart money had been on Davey Turnbull, who came second. Lol remained modest in victory.

Four of the past five years he's been dominoes champion at the Moss Inn in Sunniside - "Two Tshirts, a tankard and a glass pint pot" - but reckoned that if his wife Elizabeth had been alive, he wouldn't have won a thing.

"When it comes to skilful dominoes," said the world champion a little contentiously, "you'll never beat the women."

RYTON v Easington Colliery, Durham Challenge Cup. The match ends 2-2 after extra time and goes to penalties.

Appropriately-named Ryton goalkeeper Jonny Hands parries a kick but the ball is caught by the strong wind and rolls slowly into the net.

The referee gives a goal; Ryton on the wall, all hell breaks loose.

"Probably no-one's ever seen it before," concedes Ryton manager Warren Teasdale.

"Our goalkeeper made a clear save. The ball only rolled back because of the wind. The referee's decision was astonishing."

Was the ref right? "Certainly,"

says former Football League ref Terry Farley, elderly secretary of the Bishop Auckland Referees' Society. "The ball's gone into the net without another player touching it; the wind was almost incidental."

"No goal," says long-serving former Referees' Association president Peter Willis, also a Football League man. "If he's completed the save and an act of nature has taken over, it shouldn't have stood."

Casting vote to former FIFA man George Courtney. "I'd have done the same as the match referee, no other party or obstacle touched the ball," he says, adding (a little pusillanimously) that in any case it's always wise to agree with Terry Farley.

Storm abated, the ref in turn blew for the end of the shoot-out, was urged to consult his assistants and realised the teams had only had four kicks apiece.

Easington won 3-2; something about an ill wind.

TERRY Farley, 73, is among those shortlisted in the "Unsung Hero"

category of this Thursday's Local Heroes awards. At the last count he had 63 guests, and clearly a lot of friends. "I've told them all that it's Mike Amos's round," he says.

AN invitation arrives for tomorrow evening's launch at Harvey Nic's in the Scottish capital of something called Luxury Edinburgh. Could it be the hand of former Hartlepool United chairman Garry Gibson, presently in property development up there?

It's not. Tomorrow night he'll be a guest of the Royal Bank of Scotland at Manchester United v Everton. "Up to now I've never had so much as a Christmas card from the bank, I must be doing something right," he says.

Hospitality includes everything except the bar - "They must have heard about me." So who'll he be shouting for? "The side that the bank manager does," he says.

FRIDAY'S column will have news of Trimdon lad Steve Chaytor's latest book, a sort of common man's tour of North-East sporting venues. It includes a visit to last season's FA Vase quarter-final tie between Crook and Bury Town at which he was surprised to find local MP, Cabinet minister and leading Methodist Hilary Armstrong in "generally rumbustious" form.

After spending several minutes reminding the referee of the error of his ways, Hilary - perhaps in the manner of her esteemed father - summed up her feelings.

"Bloody useless," she said. "I admired her for it," says Steven.

LAST Friday's piece on prolific former Darlington centre forward Bill Tulip - his career ended by spinal illness - at once caught the eye of Ron Greener, who made more Quakers appearances than anyone.

Born within a few months of one another, they'd been young uns together at Newcastle United, where Ron had three appearances at centre half but Bill never made the first team.

"I'd quite a few offers when United gave me a free," recalls Bill. "The only reason I came to Darlington was because Ron was my mate and he was there."

Until Friday they'd lost touch.

Ron, who made 490 Darlington appearances between 1955-66, had a knee replacement operation in May and is still getting used to it. "It still feels heavier than the last one I had,"

he says.

We've put the two old Quakers back in contact. Maybe not with their boots on, they plan to be back at Darlington soon.

AND FINALLY . . .

FRIDAY'S column sought the identity of 14 players who've scored 50 or more goals in the Premiership and whose surname ends with a vowel.

They are Cole, Yorke, Cantona, di Canio, Collymore, Deane, Zola, Saha, Beattie, Anelka, Yakubu, Viduka, Defoe and Keane.

Brian Shaw in Shildon today recalls that it was 1967 before the first all-London FA Cup final of the 20th century - and 1975 before the second. Which player appeared in both, asks Brian - and for two different sides.

More capital investment when the column returns on Friday.