ASK Tom Hudson what judo means to him and he would tell you that he would literally die for the sport he so clearly loves.

For the 73-year-old black belt third dan can't bring himself to contemplate the day when he finally has to give it all up.

He would prefer to 'snuff it' on the mat rather than walk away -- in his words, he wants to do a 'Bing Crosby'.

"I always remember what happened to Bing Crosby. He loved golf and died on the golf course. I have always joked that I would love to do the same and snuff it on the mat.

"That would be the perfect way to go."

It may be tongue-in-cheek but there is no denying what judo means to a man who took it up while growing up in Bolton.

Back then, Tom and his mates could not afford judo equipment and there were no facilities available.

"I was in to boxing at the time when a group of us decided to have a shot at judo," said Tom who has made Mill Hill in Blackburn his home for the last 50 years.

"The problem was we couldn't afford the judo gear we had seen.

"So we went on to Leigh market where you can buy second hand clothes and we bought coats that were way too big, wrapped them around us and tied them together with a piece of string.

"

He added: "Another problem was that we weren't allowed to do judo in the boxing club so we had to sneak in after dark."

Despite his interest in judo, boxing was the sport Tom started off in and it proved to be a good way to supplement his income as an apprentice blacksmith.

"I had a few fights for money because that was the sort of thing you did in those days. My wage was only 30 bob a week so if you could get £10 for a fight under a fictitious name you would take it.

"

There was no such thing as weight categories -- you just fought who was put in front of you.

"Sometimes they were bigger but they were never smalle than you,"

added Tom.

He had a pretty impressive record but rule changes forced him to give up when he was 19.

"I never got knocked out and the fights I won, I usually did within three or four rounds. But when the stricter boxing rules came in they found out I was deaf in one ear and that was that."

That was when boxing made way for judo.

He got his yellow belt at the age of 22 but had to wait another 11 years before he got his black belt.

Tom was 33 when finally achieved his black belt -- a day he says is the highlight of his career.

"That is definitely the high point, "recalls Tom. "I was training five nights a week leading up to the examination. When I got my black belt, I got my first dan, senior coach and referee's certificate all on the same day."

Tom moved to Blackburn and in 1964 opened his first club in the area on Simmonds Street.

"It was a good idea at the time but as time went on it became a bad idea. I had to take a 20 year lease on the building and that was something around my neck. However the building had to come down so it was a bit of a God send for me."

Tom then moved his club to Mill Community Centre thanks to the help of warden, May Chadwick. Once again, that building was brought down but once again May came to the rescue.

"She was a smashing lady and was very helpful to me on a number of occasions."

May helped Tom find the club's next home, lodging at the Blind Society.

"To be honest, the warden wasn't that happy but we moved in with out mats and she had to accept it."

It proved to be another memorable moment for Tom.

"As a peace offering, I asked the warden if some of the people wanted to get involved and that was a nice experience. Some of them were disabled so we would help them move about and you could feel that they were loving it."

Tom moved the club out and in to the newly built Mill Hill Community Club which has now been home for the last 20 years.

There he works with fellow instructor Bill Chew.

"Bill is brilliant," said Tom "He's been with me since he started as an 18-year-old and he's in his 50s now. When I see him coaching I know exactly what he is going to do next. He's my golden boy, apart from my son Mark."

Tom takes great pride in getting his son to second dan, although he admits he didn't like it.

"He enjoying doing it but hated the pressure of fighting. So I would go up to other lads his age and tell them to fight Mark." His daughter, Sharon, was a green belt.

Judo has taken its toil on Tom who has the aches and pains to prove it.

"I've had a dislocated shoulder, busted ribs and I have had to have had me knee replaced. I've also broken my ankles, toes and fingers. But I've been quite lucky really."

While Tom is under medication for the arthritis the injuries have brought on, the greatest medicine of all is the mat. itself.

"As soon as I step on to that mat a lot of my pain disappears. It's just amazing what it does. I am in a different world but I suffer the day after!"

Despite the pain, you can't keep Tom away from the mat.

He has 30 youngsters on the books -- including 16-year-old Andrew Pratt who has recently achieved his brown belt -- and a number of adults.

"Some of the kids come and go but when they stay and their parents watch them, that makes it all worth it."

It's moments like that make life worth living for Tom -- that's until he does a 'Bing Crosby'!