Graham grabs his first British kick boxing title
Graham Brockway is rightly known as a hugely respected amateur boxing coach and owner of the Merlins Bridge ABC, but he was also a very powerful kick boxer once his own boxing days were ended by an accident – and eventually became a four-time world champion as he fought around the world. But in 1982 he was just starting out in this very physical sport and hit the headlines by becoming the first Pembrokeshire kick boxer to win a British title.
Graham Brockway became Pembrokeshire’s first-ever kick boxing champion last weekend when he won the light heavyweight title by beating the holder, Paul Duff, of Twickenham – and Brockway certainly did it the hard way because not only did the fight take place in Duff’s home territory but he was conceding an amazing SEVEN inches in height and over TWO STONE in weight!
Brockway is a natural middleweight but the champion at that weight wasn’t too eager to take him on so he made the considerable step up and used his boxing experience to good effect alongside a kicking technique coached by local exponent Mark Gravelle.
Graham was very fit and able to maintain the mandatory eight kicks per round and get inside Duff’s long reach to pin him against the ropes, especially in the second round when Duff was sent reeling.
Graham had old friend Bernie Edwards, his regular training partner, and Chris Sparkes of the Carmarthen Tai-Kondo Club, in his corner and they kept him focussed as a unanimous points decision was obvious before he was awarded the belt.
Brockway’s next fight is scheduled for May 27th when he tries to complete a double with a British Middleweight fight in Cardiff – and then hopefully a European title eliminator at Pembroke Leisure Centre against the Dutch champion!
Gwangie gets in a lather over plaster . . .
Ian ‘Gwangie’ Thomas has been manager of a local building supplies company for many years but is seems that the former Llangwm legend wasn’t quite as good with DIY at home as he was in advising others . . .Llangwm have enjoyed their best season for many years, with nine league wins as proof of progress under skipper Ian ‘Gwangie’ Thomas so it is good to report that the No 8 is already committed to another season alongside dynamic coach Peter Roberts.
But it seems that his building skills at home do not match his rugby, as his Llangwm team-mates Stanley Evans and Jeff Saies would attest after they turned up on a Sunday to help him do some plastering work in his new home in the village.
They asked him to mix some plaster for them, only to watch with amusement as he pulled out his cement mixer and started to put the plaster into it, instead of in a bucket.
What made them laugh most about this fundamental error was the fact that ‘Gwangie’ has been involved with a building firm for many years, selling such materials nationwide.
When I asked him about it he gave his usual chuckle and replied:
“I only sell the stuff – they’ve never shown me how to use it!”
. . . And another cement mix-up!
It must be the silly season for sportsman to have trouble with cement mixers because no sooner than I mentioned the above story I had another one from my mole in the family of a certain Mr Mackie Harts!Mackie Harts has always been able at DIY after his long-time of work with Pembrokeshire County Council but even the Lawrenny sporting all-rounder has had a ‘mad moment’ recently.
Mackie used his electric mishap before lunch before popping in to his Jeffreyston house for a nice lunch provided by wife Jackie. On his return he plugged the lead into the socket and turned it on but, try as he might, the darned thing wouldn’t start.
He spent 30 minutes checking the plug’s fuse and the other electrics on the mower on the mower and it was only when Jackie brought out a cup of tea that the eagle-eyed Mrs H solved his problem.
There was nothing serious involved with the mixer – he had actually pushed in the plug for the nearby vacuum cleaner, with the mixer plug resting nearby! Still, all’s well that ends well and I can report that Mackie has completed his DIY work – and Jackie is well pleased with his work!
‘Pickles’ pays up as Quarterdeck skipper
When the Esso Petroleum Club team stopped playing at their superb facility near the golf club in Hakin, now a big housing estate, a new team was eventually formed called The Quarterdeck which included a number of Milford Haven Rugby Club a little distance away.Some of them certainly had a flair for cricket in the lower divisions but I played in a Harrison-Allen Bowl first round match at Pembroke in the shortest game I’ve ever played in as we bowled them out for 11 and managed 12 without loss in two overs!
“My old cricketing pals at The Quarterdeck are back in action with a bang after gaining promotion to division five – but although they defied the weather to play their first game against Llanrhian 2nds they lost.
It seems that Paul ‘Pickles’ Nicholas and his merry men are again operating the fines system they initiated last season, which allowed them to have a really big booze-up after they received their trophy – and in that first match it was poor old Chris Thomas who suffered the most as he scored a duck and dropped three catches, whilst key batsman Steve Trueman was also fined for only scoring four runs.
‘Pickles’ was fined for his poor captaincy (a bit unfair that because he says he was let down by others!), whilst Nigel Gough, a speedy hooker on the rugby field, managed to run out two colleagues, one of them Mariners’ No 10 Alan McClelland, who was fined for being too slow!
As usual, there is never a dull moment with The Quarterdeck, and it looks as if their cash total for their fines this season could be even higher than it was last season!
Eligible bachelor baffles Stuart
Stuart Williams has served Haverfordwest Cricket Club as player, captain, chairman and now president, and watches at The Racecourse during the cricket seasons, but this story relates how when he had to go in for an operation he was a little envious of the young sportsman in the next bed, who enjoyed their chats about their various clubs.Stuart Williams, well-known cricketer at Haverfordwest and former rugby player with Llangwm, had to go into hospital with his painful arthritis, which necessitated having his leg broken and reset.
In the next bed was another sporting all-rounder from Narberth and so there were plenty of visitors back and fore to their room – but it took big Stu a little while to realise that whilst most of his were old fogies the bed opposite often had very attractive young ladies flocking to chat to their male friend.
So in a quiet moment he asked his new pal why he had such lively visitors and was told that being a bachelor might be one of the reasons!
Stuart says that he wasn’t in the least bit envious but I bet there must a tinge of wishing that he could have just a few of them to brighten his day!
Right place, wrong time!
When I was playing cricket for Pembroke, one of the places we sometimes lost our bearings getting to away matches was Llandigige Fawr, the picturesque home of Llanrhian – but it seems that some other clubs can find the venue – but on the wrong day . . .On the first Saturday of this season Cresselly Seconds were due to play Crymych on the Saturday and had another league fixture on the next Monday, which was a bank holiday.
The pitch looked superb for their opening match and skipper Phil ‘Spam’ James and his team were ready and waiting when three strangers turned up, asked if they could borrow a bat until their team mates turned up and started a bit of practice.
‘Spam’ asked them what the weather was like in Crymych before they left and the answer was, “We’re not from Crymych we play for Laugharne!”
The club secretary had told them their first match was at Cresselly but forgotten to tell them they had a Saturday bye so they needed to come back 48 hours later!
I daren’t tell you what they called him but it wasn’t pretty – but at least they were able to have a pint, watch the first few overs of the Crymych innings and make their long trek back to Dylan Thomas county to meet up with their Hon Secretary before returning to Cresselly on the Monday!
HAVE A GOOD NON-SPORTING WEEK!