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?