Sport
Pembroke County Cricket Club AGM notice
By Jonathan Twigg
NOTIFICATION has been distributed by the Pembroke County Cricket Club giving notification of their Annual General Meeting at Haverfordwest Cricket Club on Wednesday (Feb 28).
In the notification it asks for notices of motions to be received by the Hon Secretary Steve Blowes by the end of January.
There is also a vacancy on the County Executive and Finance Committee for one new member as Andrew Miller [Neyland] has stood down, like Richard Harries [Cresselly] who has relinquished his position from the Senior Selection Committee.
The County Executive and Finance Committee is represented by 12 different Clubs, half of the number playing in the Pembrokeshie League next season.
President for the third year will be Nick Evans [Narberth], who joined the County Executive committee in 1991, two years after the oldest serving member of the committee and his predecessor as President, Dai Morris [unattached].
After Richard Scriven [Haverfordwest] was co-opted onto the committee mid season, Haverfordwest have three members Llechryd two, with representation from Cresselly, Pembroke Dock, Whitland, Kilgetty, Stackpole and Neyland.
The committee has on it three members with an association to the Pembrokeshire Junior Regional Council, whilst no fewer than ten have a link to the Pembrokeshire Association Cricket Umpires.
The Senior Selection committee is made up of the current President Nick Evans, former President Dai Morris, former Chairman Tony Scourfield [Carew] and current Vice Chairman Richard Merriman [Kilgetty].
Pembrokeshire cricket last season came into the limelight when a Disciplinary committee found Carew and their Captain Brian Hall guilty of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ following their controversial declaration on the last game of the season that allowed them to win the Pembroke league title.
Hall has been banned for 12 months, with a reprieve from the end of June and his Club relegated to Division 2 and fined £300.
Carew did not technically break any rules, but complaints were received and a four-man County Club disciplinary committee invoked the penalty. This opened a wide debate in the cricket fraternity and there is an expectation that rule changes will be proposed as a result of last seasons shenanigans.
There is also rumour that the rule on restricting players eligibility to participate in the Pembrokeshire League will be removed. It came into being in 2001 after Lamphey cricketer Dave served a writ against the County Cricket club as he deemed the judgement by a disciplinary committee, which banned him from playing as unfair. It turned out to be an unhallowed mess ending with Barristers in the High Court, that kept Pembrokeshire cricket in the news for all the wrong reasons.
The resultant change in rules not only put paid to professional cricketers gracing the fields of Pembrokeshire, it also undoubtedly lessened the standard within the local game. Lamphey, where Lovell played, were trail blazers in enticing ‘paid’ cricketers to their club with Drakes causing more than a storm in a tea cup as the village side from outside Pembrokeshire played him in Division 4 of the local league, against many second XI’s.
‘It’s just not cricket’ was the cry, but the games were played and with them the controversy ensued although Drakes was a gentleman, both on and off the pitch. He was paid to bowl quick, which he did for four seasons with the ‘Stags’ before playing first class cricket for Sussex, Warwickshire and Leicestershire as well as many International appearances.
After Drakes’ departure the Club was also fortunate to acquire the services of ‘imports’, West Indian [Tyrone Greenway], South African [Neil Warren] and Australians [Bret Johnson, Dave Lovell & Geoff Cullen] to represent the Club. One such player, Brendan Nash, who despite being born in Australia played for the international cricket for the West Indies, as it was his father’s birthplace.
Pembrokeshire’s finest again cried loudly that Lamphey ‘were spoiling local cricket’ or even ‘ruining the game for others’ and some women were even spotted waving wads of money in the direction of Lamphey players when hollering abuse. Pembroke County Cricket Club responded to the dislike of Lamphey and their foreign policy by changing their rules on ‘eligibility’ to play in the league’ preventing a Club or an individual paying them to play.
It was changed to stop Lamphey, a small village on the outskirts of Pembroke through their ‘Godfather’ John Green from ruffling the feathers. League winners of Division 4 in 1992, moving through Division 3 as champions the following year and taking three years to reach the top echelon.
Have times changed or is it just the club name which has now invoked the possibility of a rule change?
Sport
Preseli poses a challenge for novice crews
THE END of April will see the popular novice night rally organised by the Teifi Valley Motor Club being held in Pembrokeshire. On the weekend of 27th and 28th April, Rali Bro Preseli will see 75 novice crews tackling the winding and challenging roads that Pembrokeshire has to offer.
Clerks of the Course, father and son Richard and Jason Davies along with Aled Richards have a terrific route lined up for competitors. Starting as usual at the Crymych Mart, the route will appeal to all novice drivers and navigators.
“It will offer a bit of everything. It will be challenging but easy to follow with some whites thrown in the mix. Aled has designed the whole route and we’ve done the donkey work,” said Jason, now in his second year as Clerk of the Course.
As regular competitors, Jason and Richard wanted to give something back to the sport and they enjoy being on the organising side of the things.
Jason, who won the Bro Preseli with his father in 2013, explained: “We’ve competed in the Preseli on several occasions, and we decided to give something back to the sport and that’s why dad and I thought it would be a good idea to help.
“It’s interesting to see how it all comes together and the work involved, and there’s a lot of that,”
He also won the event with Tim Hand in 2016 and was fourth overall in 2019.
Aled Richards, Joint Clerk of the Course, knows the routes of Rali Bro Preseli like the back of his hand having only ever missed it once since its formation in 2003. He’s driven on four of them in 2005 – 2008 with the best result of a 4th place with Arwel Jenkins in the navigator seat.
Aled has been Chief Marshal on Rali Bro Preseli since 2013 before moving on to being Clerk of the Course this year and competitors can look forward to a great event.
Aled told the Herald: “This is the first time I’ve been Clerk of the Course, but we have a good team with Dylan Davies as Chief Marshal and Olwen Davies as Secretary.
“I live some 30 miles away from the actual route, but we’ve been around it twice and I’m confident it will be a good yet challenging night. Some of the whites are currently waterlogged but the farmers have been brilliant and offered to help clear the tracks before the event and we are very grateful.”
The rally, kindly sponsored by Arjay Factors and Home James Taxis, will have four official Spectator Points on the night and the locations will be available at signing on.
The Clerks of the Course and the Teifi Valley Motor Club would like to thank all those who have helped to organise the event – landowners, homes en route, petrol at Brian Llewellyn a’i Ferched, and the start and finish venues – Crymych Mart and the Teifi Waterside Hotel.
Sport
Herbrandston Clinch Promotion to Division One
Following a one all draw Tuesday night away to Narberth it confirmed Herbrandston’s promotion to the first division. An amazing achievement for Manger Leigh Galdo and his assistant Timmy Roberts. With a young team and after losing quality players over the summer it’s safe to say promotion wasn’t really ‘on the cards’ for Herbie in August.
On paper nobody would have expected Herbie to challenge at the top of the league. However they started the league as they meant to go on, with an outstanding unbeaten run, which made everyone quickly realise they were not to be underestimated. Galdo has done an excellent job in developing not only a young team, but the players as individuals who’ve matured as the season has developed. While they will enjoy promotion they won’t be relaxing too much as they still hope to lift the second division cup at Bridge Meadow.
Herbie’s boss however found some time in his busy schedule to reflect on promotion and the season to date.
‘Promotion wasn’t really on the radar when we sat down last summer and assessed the situation. With a mass exodus of first team starters, a full rebuild looked on the cards.
However the players we have in this years group are nothing if not resilient. A great start to the campaign meant we had put ourselves in contention early, 13 league games undefeated up to Xmas proved that we had enough to at least contend. There were certainly some tough test in the new year but all of them learning opportunities and a chance for this group of players to grow and mature as a team.
I’m a firm believer that through adversity, that’s where the real development can happen and it certainly seems that way with us at the moment with many of our young players now looking battle tested.
Humbled and armed with those lessons we’re looking now to finish the season strong. Back into the 1st Division has been the club’s ambition now for quite a few years and after finally achieving that after many close seasons in doing so we can turn our focus to trying to add some silverware in the 2nd Division cup.
A very tough task with the quality of teams left in the competition. But a challenge we embrace and look forward too. We’ll stay in the fight to the very end and see what destiny awaits us. ‘Up the Pickles’’
Congratulations to everyone involved in the club on promotion. A club that’s setup off the field and at junior level really deserves division one football. We also wish Herbie the best of luck for the cup too.
News
Micky Beckett, Pembrokeshire’s Olympic hopeful, wins big in Palma!
Micky Beckett, the pride of Solva and a stalwart of the British Sailing Team, once again etched his name in the annals of sailing history with a resounding victory at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma last week, marking his third consecutive triumph at this illustrious event. The 29-year-old maestro showcased his dominance in the men’s dinghy class amidst stiff competition from a formidable fleet of 193 boats, clinching the title with a day to spare.
His gold-medal feat spearheaded a triumphant campaign for the British contingent, as John Gimson and Anna Burnet secured bronze in the Nacra 17 category, while the rising star Matilda Nicholls clinched her debut senior-level medal, a bronze in the ILCA 6 class.
Entering the pivotal double points medal race, Beckett held an unassailable lead atop the leaderboard, a testament to his unparalleled skill and unwavering determination. Despite the comfort of his position, Beckett refused to relent, clinching a second-place finish in the decisive race and ultimately sealing victory with an imposing 44-point margin.
Reflecting on his remarkable achievement, Beckett humbly acknowledged the significance of his third consecutive triumph, stating, “I’ve been trying all week not to think about the fact that if I won this event it would be three in a row, but now it’s real and it’s pretty cool.” His sentiments echoed a blend of confidence and humility, underscoring the arduous journey that led to his triumph.
With his sights set on the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, Beckett exuded a mixture of confidence and determination, aware of the challenges that lie ahead. “All the top guys will be following their own plans to build up to this summer, but I have to say that beating them is a nice confidence boost,” Beckett remarked, encapsulating the competitive spirit that drives him towards excellence.
Despite his past setbacks in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Beckett remains undaunted, poised to make his mark on the global stage in Marseille, where he aims to transcend mere participation and carve his legacy amongst the world’s elite ILCA 7 sailors. With a European title in 2021 and a world silver in 2023 adorning his resume, Beckett’s journey is a testament to perseverance and unwavering dedication to his craft.
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