John was a very competetive man and loved most sports, playing them and watching them.

John was an avid rugby player and played for Cockermouth Grammar School and represented the Cumberland County team in the juniors.

John's love of rugby continued into the Navy and he played many games whilst serving his time. He also boxed for The Royal Navy winning several medals for his performances. A broken clavicle he received in a rugby match in 1956 ended his rugby career.

Once his active sport career ended, he set about on an easier life of much less strenuous hobbies such as snooker, dominoes or cards.

Of course this led him to enjoy the game of darts at which he soon grew an adept eye on the oche.

As he soon learnt he had quite a bit of talent in the game, then darts soon ecame his passion.

John had an avid passion for horseracing and loved to have a few pence on the odd nag.

He even bet on Foinavon in the 1967 Grand National at 100-1 and it came up trumps albeit by a few others falling at the 23rd fence. Well more than a fewothers actually, all of them leaving his underdog to canter home.

John also loved football and for some reason Sunderland held his heart.

Well, we cant all be perfect can we?

He also managed the Allonby football club from 1972 to 1978 with his son Kevin beign the bag boy.

His other son David was to follow him many years later to play for Allonby FC in the 1990's (and he was awesome may I add ).

One of greatest passions that I can remenber in his later life was his love of DIY, or as I would put it 'pottering'.

He was very good at most DIY, brickwork, woodwork, decorating, painting, tiling and would turn his hand to almost any job.

His garden would always be full of fresh veg growing and he always had a freshly mown green to sit in.

If he wasnt in the house then you would find him either in the garden or in the shed tinkering.

John liked lots of games, he would love a game of cards or dominoes and you would often enter the house to find a game of scrabble on the table between him and Sandra. He loved chess and taught David to play and there would often be a game of chess on the go which could last days.