FIRSTLY a bit of good news, for there has been too much of the other sort of late. Kenny Chaytor, for 17 years the Football League’s youngest hat-trick scorer, will be 80 on Saturday.

Once known as the Durham Wonder Boy, now back in his native Trimdon, Kenny was barely out of St William’s school team before signing for Oldham Athletic. Just three months after his 17th birthday he hit three against Mansfield, might have had a fourth but was told he was too inexperienced to take the penalty after he himself had been brought down. Trevor Francis finally took his record.

His son Steven, author of the splendid One Dead Ref and a Box of Kippers, reports that both Ken and his wife June are well. A very happy birthday, old friend.

BISHOP Auckland Golf Club teed off in 1894. They’ve just had their most successful season ever – 11 county or Teesside Union titles.

“It’s been fantastic. All the best players in the county now want to come to Bishop Auckland,” says club captain Terry Stansfield over a convivial Coke in the clubhouse.

We’re joined by men’s team manager Alan Barker, by women’s manager and multiple champion Angela Simpson and by the column’s old friend Baz Mundy, captain in 2016.

“Last year we couldn’t so much as win a game, never mind a trophy,” says Baz.

Much of the success is attributed to the team spirit around the place – “it’s like footballers having a good dressing room, the team spirit has won us extra points throughout the season,” says Alan – and to the course improvements since the arrival as head greenkeeper of David Jobey.

“I’ve not heard a single complaint about the course,” says Alan. “If the course improves, the golf improves.”

The club now has 27 Class I members – those with a handicap of five or fewer – and particularly are excited about the future for Briony Bayles and Jessica Hall, 17 and 18, both in the England elite squad and both expected to travel to the US on golf scholarships in 2018.

Success has been toasted at presentation evenings earlier this month. “Usually they’re pretty brief affairs,” says Baz. “This year we’ve just gone mad.”

The Bishop Auckland winners were: second division champion, David Elliott; third division champion David Collinson; Durham County mixed champions: Jamie Birkbeck and Jess Hall; Autumn trophy (seniors) Michael Price; County ladies champion: Briony Bayles; Elizabeth Embroidery: Craig Wren; Mid Amateur: Stephen Riley; Tomlinson Cup: Briony Bayles, Angela Simpson, Jess Hall and Jackie Price; Ravensworth Bowl: James Glenn. A nine-member team won the Teesside Golf Union first division.

PERCHANCE we bump into David Bayles – Briony’s dad, familiar former Northern League player and manager and himself an enthusiastic golfer – at a night match at Tow Law. Davey’s looking a bit brassed off. “My wife put all my golf jumpers in the wash, must have had the wrong setting and they’ve all completely shrunk,” he laments. “They wouldn’t even fit Briony now.”

Further coincidence, Martin Birtle was watching the racing on Saturday when the winner of the big one was ridden by a lass called Briony. The sub-titles identified her as Brian E. “I think they’re misogynists,” says Martin.

A FUNERAL service for Jimmy McMillan, the only man to have four times been on an FA Amateur Cup winning side – Crook Town every time, 1954-64 – was held at Kibblesworth Methodist Church on Monday.

“Probably the finest player ever to wear a Crook Town shirt,” said the Rev Huw Sperring, the minister, and none present could have gainsayed him.

Kibblesworth’s the former pit village near Gateshead where Jim spent all his life and where he’d been a devoted chapel member. As a youth he’d even signed the pledge, though the minister recalled that he made a very acceptable ginger wine.

He turned down pro offers from Newcastle and from Sunderland, studied instead to become a planning officer, was never so much as booked in 20 years of football.

Among mourners were 85-year-old Ray Snowball, goalkeeper in three of those winning finals who in his 34th year had also made 13 Football League appearances for Darlington. “Jimmy Mac,” he said, “was not just a very fine footballer but a very fine gentleman.”

Also there were Alan Brown, who’d played in the last two finals, and Danny McCourt, right back in the 1964 win against Enfield.

Both Crook Town and the Durham Amateur Football Trust, of which he was president, were out in force. The finest ever? “I’ve no doubt,” said Crook historian Michael Manuel, “that the minister was quite right.”

...AND finally, the unusual thing about the Stoke City v Leicester match 11 days ago (Backtrack, November 9) was that it was the first time in 957 matches that the ref had retired hurt. Peter Birch in Saltburn, first with answer, was particularly amused that fans sang “You’re not fit to referee” as poor Bobby Madley hirpled off.

Back to Amateur Cup days, readers are today invited to suggest what was physically unusual about Alf Bond, who refereed the first of Jimmy McMillan’s winning finals – against Bishop Auckland in 1954.

Word and Bond, the column returns next week.