Finishing off this week's sporting theme, Grafton Group chief executive Gavin Slark is a big sports fan, he told me, as we discussed its interim results on Wednesday. Football and cycling are his favourites.

He will have been horrified, however, that another daily newspaper described him yesterday as a Yorkshireman. Slark is, of course, a proud son of Sunderland, which is part of Tyne and Wear.

It was like calling a Dub a Corkman, in terms of the local rivalries.

Slark is a passionate Sunderland football supporter. He seems unsure about the Paolo Di Canio revolution currently underway on Wearside: "It won't be dull, that's for sure." Like all Black Cats, he appears pessimistic about his team's chances this season.

He also told me that Grafton is looking into the possibility of expanding its operations in the Sunderland area. The hometown boy made good.