UNCLE Will was Uncle Ted but his whisky-fuelled nephew became confused. (From Warrington Guardian)

UNCLE Will was Uncle Ted but his whisky-fuelled nephew became confused.

With Mike Parsons

This is the tale of a former Warrington football team secretary whose eyes grew with the discovery of family riches - such as his uncle having a garden

shed bigger than the club's changing rooms.

I do not want to name and embarrass the man in question but the story can still be shared with you as, when in reflective mood, it is one that makes us

laugh on the sports desk. For the sake of this column, the football secretary shall be named Ben.

The away draw for a big cup match meant Ben's team having an overnight stay down south and he invited yours truly and a Warrington Guardian photographer to join them.

On arriving at the hotel, Ben quietly revealed out of earshot of the players that his Uncle Ted lives nearby and plans were in place to meet him for a relaxing

few beers at the local pub after the evening meal. Of course, the players were restricted to base and had to go to bed early in preparation for the next day's

important fixture.

Uncle Ted turned out to be a truly nice guy who offered to taxi Ben and chums to check out another of the local hostelries and after that he said 'You must come and meet the wife' and proceeded down leafy lanes to his majestic country home.

I don't think Ben had been to his uncle's place before and appeared to be taken aback by the wealth of a couple who were totally unassuming and generous beyond belief. The Jack Daniels came out to play and discussion

started to centre around the garden, which Ben highlighted, due to its size, as the possible venue for future football matches.

When Uncle Ted pointed out the garden shed, Ben, now showing signs of being worse for wear with the whisky, suggested the outbuilding would make a great dressing room facility for his team. Amazingly, Uncle Ted agreed and they chatted about exploring the possibility of transferring the shed to Ben's home town of Warrington!

Before long, and a few glass refills later, Ben started to have conversations with his Uncle Will.

This was the point where I was becoming confused and concerned as I could have sworn that earlier in the night the man I was introduced to was Uncle Ted. Was I losing my memory, was Ben having delusions or did Ben have an imaginary friend?

I worked it out a few minutes later. Ben, again with the help of the whisky, was lapping up the grandeur of his relatives' lifestyle to the point that in his mind he was thinking 'Am I in your will?'

The funny thing was that Uncle Ted never corrected him and I'm not even sure if he worked out where on earth 'Will' had come from - he certainly did not acknowledge so the following day when again he played the perfect host and gave his new friends a tour of the area followed by tea and scones on the lawn at his place.

Sadly, the team lost their match that afternoon and I don't think the shed ever did appear in Warrington.