PHOTOS:
Adjudicator Dai Morris with man of the match Whitland's Jonathan Thomas
Chairman Tony Scourfield conducts the post final presentations.
Gary’s the Neyland glutton . . .
Neyland enjoyed a full breakfast in the Athletic Clubhouse curtesy of Brian Rotheroe, with veteran slow bowler Gary Lloyd showing that he might be the oldest in the team but can still out-eat the youngsters. After finishing his full plate he was actually caught stealing food off a pensioner when he took a sausage off scorer John Laugharne's plate.
Peter 'Jack' Davies tried to tell me that he'd been eating a small vegetarian breakfast but if you believe that then you'll believe anything.
. . . And Greg stars in posh Whitland breakfast!
Whitland were treated to a hearty breakfast by the smashing ladies of the club and I'm reliably informed that new recruit Greg Sleep marked his Bowl Final debut by being the star eater.
It turned out to be a star-studded event because there were two 'chains' in attendance. Bentley Evans, the mayor of Whitland, turned out to wish the team all the best and Colin John, 'le petit general' of Whitland Cricket Club, was also dressed in his chain as President of Whitland Week. Colin was unable to attend the final until late on because it was Whitland Carnival Day but I bet his thoughts were with the Whitland team at Cresselly!
Perfect Pitch!
The Cresselly pitch and outfield looked an absolute picture after the immense amount of work undertaken by the ground staff - and they worked like Trojans putting the covers on and off. So well done Glyn Cole, Denis Chiffi, Richard Arthur, Phil James, Simon Cole, Neal Williams and the rest!
Leighton still looks very sharp . . .
Leighton O'Connor might well be the oldest player to appear in the Bowl Final but showed that at 57 he can still bat, top scoring with 31 in the Whitland first innings. When Whitland went out to field he also looked sharp and produced one dive pass back to the bowler after a sharp pick up of the ball that would have done justice to his time as a well-known scrum half with Maesteg RFC!
. . . And Sean’s pretty quick too!
Sean Hannon, the Neyland wicket-keeper, also showed his willingness to prevent runs as he chased after a ball flicked towards the boundary - and after a 50-yard chase only just failed to prevent the ball rolling over the boundary rope. Hard lines Sean!
No 50s but some superb catches
The huge hitting didn’t come as expected, as there wasn’t a single half century to cheer – but there was some big hitting, with one six hitting a bus parked neatly in line for some target practice by a Whitland sharp shooter. There were also some excellent catches from players on both sides.
Disappointing crowd
The crowd was certainly down on other recent years, perhaps because spectators feared the worst with regard to the weather, but those in attendance were treated to the most tense of finales before the Hannon twins showed their all-round worth to Neyland.
Super Hero runs on with water bottles
We were also treated to a super-hero running (or was it flying?) on to the pitch with water for the Neyland fielders. His mask might have hid his identity but the double-chin makes me believe it might have been the popular skipper of the Neyland second team.
Umpires:
Umpires Les Hastings and John Williams are vastly experienced and conducted the final in their usual quiet but authoritative manner. Well done old timers!
Scorers:
The same can be said about scorers Janice Webb and John Laugharne, who used their wealth of experience to keep the electronic scoreboard ticking along whilst dealing with queries from outside sources, like the press. A real pair of scoring stars!
Announcer:
Paul Webb was not only the excellent announcer (assisted on the technical side by son Matthew) but looked the most sartorially splendid person in the crowd. Much better half Janice had kitted him out with a new grey suit (which got nicely wet when the rain swept in) and he topped off his attire with a neat titfer. But the prize for the poshest hat goes to that doyen of sports writers, David Gibbs, seated next to Paul and showing off his Tilley hat to good effect. Smart lads, the two of them.
Johnny a deserved winner of the ‘Man of the Match’ award
Man of the match adjudicators Richard Fanus and Dai Morris presented the John Cole Memorial Trophy to Whitland all-rounder Jonathan Thomas and it was a popular choice since he top scored in both innings with 31 and 28, claimed 1 for 34 and almost swung the match Whitland’s way with a 5 for 20 haul in the final innings of the day. Well done Johnny boy!
Welcome visitors:
Welcome visitors on the day were Hugh Harrison-Allen, whose family supplied the magnificent bowl for competition many years ago and still sponsors the teas, and Tom Scourfield, the talented young Carew wicket-keeper who represented the family business, Thomas Scourfield and Sons, which sponsors the Harrison-Allen Bowl competition.
They were joined by another very important sponsor in John Nicholas of Nicholas Insurance, who sponsor the Pembroke County Cricket Leagues.
Well said Gregg
At the post-match presentation Gregg Miller congratulated Whitland on their gritty performance and there was a moving moment when he dedicated the victory to late club stalwart Martin ‘Ceefax’ Rees.
There were plenty of lumps in throats because most people at the final would have known Martin and felt such a dedication was hugely appropriate so well done Gregg.
Well said Tony:
The man to have the last word at the final was County Club chairman Tony Scourfield, who conducted the presentations as well as he always does. He had the perfect final word when he said that this was how cricket in Pembrokeshire should be played – competitive, but always with a sense of what is right, and without unsportsmanlike behaviour. Well said Skerks!