" The Four Binkses "

   The 4 Binkses -from left to right -Chris and Martin Binks ( Arthington ) Chris and Mark Binks ( Doghouse )



Written by Steve Bindman

The annual Arthington Festival has been - to date - favoured with sunshine and good weather even as we reach October. This weekend Hawks beat Arthington on Saturday but Arthington did register their second win of the festival yesterday against  The Doghouse. Doghouse - though perhaps not as strong as usual - through openers Adam Fenby and Richard Hawthorn were going nicely as they reached 72 before loss and then it was 120 for two down but a huge collapse - partly self-inflicted and due to good bowling from Geoff Barker ( 4 for 19 ) and young Will Rich (2 for 11 ) and suddenly it was all out 146.

Arthington had a few big scares despite the intermittent fall of wickets as first Chris Binks with 40 and then James Lord with 37 took the home side close to victory.There was then a small scare as Hawthorn took two wickets in two balls but Geoff Barker and Trevor Lobley saw Arthington home by five wickets.

An interesting feature of the match was that each team had two players called Binks- in each case M.Binks father ( Martin for Arthington and Mark for Doghouse ) and son both Chris ( Christopher ) Binks ! There was also Paul and David Smith ( father and son ) in the Doghouse side. James Lord of Athington,s father, Dave  ( a recent player ) was present carrying drinks and operating the scoreboard and only Joe Nash was not there to accompany his father in the Arthington team.Not quite the family  affair- scorer ( yours truly )  quipped - when asked if  I'm a  father I always reply - ' nothing could be fa(r)ther from the truth '.

The match was hastily dedicated to the memory of Stephanie Hewitt , the sister-in-law of Arthington guest player Richard Wright , who had sadly lost her long battle against a cancerous brain tumour the day before.