DONALD Frederick Arthur Keighly, who spent most of his life in North Wiltshire and played for numerous local cricket clubs, died on July 8, aged 85.

He was born on 15th November 1933 in Kemp Town, near Brighton, Sussex, the eldest son of Donald and Rose Keighly.

In 1940, at the age of six, Donald and his two year old brother Michael were evacuated to Hebdon Bridge, West Yorkshire, where they stayed for three years before returning home.

In 1949 he applied to join the RAF Boy entrants, and trained at RAF Locking. The following he was transferred to RAF Cosford. Passing-out in 1951, Donald was posted to RAF Lyneham as an Airframe Fitter.

He met Rita Hart in 1952 in Chippenham, and they married in 1957, a marriage which lasted 56 years until her death in 2013. There were no children.

On his demob in October 1959 Donald moved with Rita to rented accommodation in Chippenham, until in 1964 they moved to a new bungalow in Calne, where they remained for the rest of their lives.

Donald worked for various companies, including a factory that made rubber bands, and another that made trolls. In 1979 he joined the new butter factory being built in Blagrove, Swindon by Anchor Foods as Office Manager. When the main office was officially opened in June 1980 Donald was appointed Company Secretary, reporting to the New Zealand Board.

After nearly 20 years in administration, paying particular interest to payroll, budgets, pensions and purchasing for the Company, Donald was due to retire in November 1998, but was asked to remain as pensions supremo until December 1999 when he finally stepped down.

Donald had two recreational passions. Out of season he was a genealogist, a pursuit which played a big part in his retirement, and he successfully managed to trace his line back hundreds of years.

But it was cricket that consumed his summer months. At the time of his marriage he was playing for Langley Burrell CC. He always maintained that his wedding day was the only Saturday in August when there was not match. He also played for Derry Hill, Chippenham 2nds, Savernake Forest (which became Marlborough CC), Kington Langley, and finally, in 1990, Biddestone 2nds.

When Biddestone won the Wiltshire League, Division 1 in 2003, resulting in promotion to the WEPL, he decided to retire. As he was an umpire he had wanted to resume officiating, but decided to take up scoring instead, being accepted as a Level 2 umpire and Scorer by the English Cricket Board.

After finally retiring in 2013 from scoring, the club elected him as an Honorary Life Member, and he supported them at every match.