Bill Kitchingham lived on Keycol Hill (in the house next to the old hospital) and who’s to say the M Hales is not related to Derek, Richard and Ray, who are better known in Upchurch but who did have a few games for us in the 70s.

There is a recorded victory over Rainham, in 1907, in which AS Webb scored 36 of the 84 total and then took 4-20. Kitchingham also took four wickets and Newington won by 19 runs.

The club thrived until the First World War and it reformed (after the war) in 1921. There’s a picture taken some time between 1921 and 1923, which includes Ernie Brittenden and Frank Benton, who’s another name I recognise from my younger days.

Old newspaper cuttings from the early part of the 20th century describe the club as one of the strongest in the area. It even had a colts team, although reports were rarely published and old records have been impossible to come by.

In the mid 1920s a piece of ground alongside the old Brickworks (along London Road) became a sports ground administered by the cricket club, football club, working men’s club and women’s institute.

Picture from 1932 includes Vic Phipps (father of Tim Phipps who played in the 60s), Ernie Brittenden (still), but it was after the Second World War that my family became involved.

My parents moved to the village in 1950 and we lived in the old Airey houses in Playstool Road. The recreation ground was prepared for cricket and football and an old wooden pavilion constructed. It housed all the machinery needed to cut and prepare the outfield and tracks and also had a couple of changing rooms.

Well, rickety old wooden things which were hardly salubrious but which did their jon adequately enough.

To be fair, you never had vandalism then. Probably because most of the kids were either in the youth club or scouts which were both organised and run by my dad, Mick.

There’s another picture on the page, taken in 1965 and containing people I knew and gre up with.

John Gamble was a photographer with the East Kent Gazette, Tom Ledger a farmer’s son, rex Clout worked for the council, my brother Piers was also a photographer with the EKG, Chris Lane’s family lived in a big house in Bull Lane, Graham Sidders (known as Cabbage for some reason of the other) was one of a family from the bottom of Church Lane who provided members of the cricket team for years.

There was Tony, a stylish batsmen, fast bowler Graham – who formed a feared partnership with Dave Neat in the early 60s – younger brother Clive (Dougal) a lover of speedway who became a wicket-keeper and Roland (known as Winkle) who was a medium fast left arm bowler and a pretty useful batsman. He’s the only one I know who has taken nine wickets in an innings for the club.

Also in that team were EKG editor Gerald Hinks, butcher Alan Johnson, my old feller, window cleaner Fred Brown and Robert Branchett, who was known as Dumbo for goodness only knows what reason.

I started playing the year after (1966) at a place called Kilndown, near Goudhurst, in an all-day Bank Holiday match. Always went by coach to that and the August Bank Holiday match in Ramsgate. Filled with villagers, that coach, and the games were always a social occasion.

As it happens, that 1966 match was probably the reason my family’s involvement lessened considerably.

My father chose me to play when someone dropped out, others in the club disagreed and when we went on holiday that year they voted him out of captaincy, suggesting he had too much to say.

He never really forgave many of them and he, my brother and the chap who helped prepare the ground, Rodney Hunt, all quit.

Newington Cricket Club