WHEN Dennis Foulkes was just 15 he was put in charge of his first rounders’ match – creating a record that is currently unbeaten and unlikely to be.

Now on the eve of his 80th birthday Dennis – who lives in Ladybridge, Bolton – is still refereeing after 65 years on the rounders’ pitch.

It was probably no surprise that young Dennis became a rounders’ referee as his father, Harold, was a referee in the old Bolton Sunday Schools’ Rounders’ League and his mother, Rachel, met him when she played for Hollands School in Farnworth. Then, all the rounders referees were male.

Dennis was born in Little Hulton but the family moved to Bolton when he was seven. Both he and his sister, Dorothy, were sporty: Dennis was taught to play table tennis by his dad and Dorothy naturally played rounders.

Harold ran the team at Deane Methodist Church and one of Dennis’s earliest memories was of helping him mark out the pitch before the match.

“I always loved rounders and wanted to play myself,” he recalled, but he settled for the next best thing which was refereeing.

“They wouldn’t let me referee until I was 15, though – the league even had a special meeting about it,” he stated.

So how did the players treat this young man in charge?

“They were wonderful to me – and have been ever since.”

Dennis went to Pikes Lane Primary School and then Whitebank Secondary School, leaving at 15 to work in a local weaving mill. Bright and ambitious, he attended evening classes in Salford, getting there by public transport three times a week. He gained his City and Guilds and at 17 became one of the youngest apprentice overlookers around.

He had, however, already seen that the textile industry in the town was dying so,at 24, he decided to join Bolton Borough Police at the princely sum of £9 a week – a reduction from his mill job. He had a lengthy and enjoyable career in the police, retiring when he was 51.

Here, however, he also continued his sporting interests. By now, he was a demon table tennis player and played in several local leagues as well as representing the town.

In the meantime, he had not only met his future wife, Eileen, at Bolton Palais, but also continued the family’s rounders tradition. He refereed matches each week and began running teams including one at Deane Methodists and another called Corinthians which all played in the top divisions of the now Bolton Ladies’ Rounders League.

The teams fared well in the league, even reaching the rounders’ equivalent of football’s Cup Final, the Chadwick Cup, but lost out. Dennis also, inevitably, became involved in helping run the rounders’ league and held positions including results’ secretary and referees’ secretary as well as regularly writing a rounders column for the Bolton Evening News.

Dennis, who still referees a couple of times a week, forged a reputation as an even-tempered official with fair judgement. In 1999, the league presented him with the Crystal Award for his contribution to rounders which included managing the senior interleague team.

The town honoured him by including his image on the Spirit of Sport monument by the Macron Stadium, immortalising his contribution to sport in the town.

When Dennis first began his refereeing career, the players wore long gymslips and thick tights, but he believes that many of the skills were the same then as now.

“The game is faster now, though,” he explained, “and the girls are probably more athletic. But I still enjoy a competitive match and the players are usually fine with me.”

Five years ago, the league approved a tournament in his name and on Sunday, July 15, 16 teams will take to the field at Bolton Cricket Club to compete in the Dennis Foulkes Tournament. He will have celebrated his 80th birthday the previous day.

“I won’t be refereeing then,” stated Dennis, “but I will be watching – and I’ll be really enjoying the match as I always do.”