FOR today's #ThrowbackThursday we have this image of former Saints skipper Chris Arkwright behind the bar of the Boilermakers Arms in Sutton taken in the early 90s.

The Boilermakers at that time was the only Walkers pub in the town.

Arkwright was outstanding servant for Saints in often tough transition times for the club.

He came from good rugby league stock with his dad John and granddad Jack playing in the pack for the club in the 60s and inter-war years respectively.

But Chris, (Heritage Number 931) made his own mark after graduating from the Saints Colts in 1978.  

Between October 1978 and May 1990 Arkwright played 273 for his hometown team - starting off in the centres, before switching to stand off and then loose forward.

At the back end of his career at Knowsley Road he finished up at prop.

Tough as teak, but classy with it, Arkwright was a fine reader of the game and a decent finisher.

Knee trouble looked as though it was going to derail his career, but he bounced back to become a key figure in the team that had gone through some transition.

Arkwright was desperately unlucky not to tour Australia in 1984, after being selected in the initial squad.

But he was in his element in the 1984 campaign - playing stand off in the club's first silverware for seven seasons when they won the Lancashire Cup and Premiership Trophy.

St Helens Star:

The following year Arkwright made the Great Britain team for the brutal series against New Zealand.

When Harry Pinner went to Widnes, Arkwright moved up to take his number 13 jersey and armband.

He skippered the side to Wembley in 1987, but alas Saints were pipped by a point against champions Halifax.

The back end of his spell at Saints was again disrupted by injury - but when he played the opposition knew about it. A fierce competitor, Arkwright always put plenty of venom into his tackling.

He had scored 90 tries in the red vee before he moved on to join Highfield, then based at St Helens Town's Hoghton Road ground in his Sutton backyard.