If anyone wanted to find an example in cricketing circles of dedication to a club then they need look no further than Malcolm Thomas, who has been Lawrenny Cricket Club’s hon treasurer for an amazing 50 years, and been doing the same job for the social side since it opened 40 years ago – and he took on the role of first-team scorer 38 years ago.There were no official courses for scorers in those days, are there are now, but the club needed a scorer for league matches, and they needed to look no further than our Malcolm, who is rightly held in huge regard by everyone at the club, other scorers and opposing cricketers.
Involved in all Lawrenny does
Oh yes – and before we go any further.
Perhaps we ought to mention that Mr T also looks after the pitch at Lawrenny’s picturesque ground, assisted by Chris Williams and Les Jones, and anything else that he can help with. When we finally caught up with Malcolm he was at the club, doing some painting with his old pal Chris!
“I only live just down the road so it’s easy for me,” is Malcolm’s stock answer but ask the current batch of players and the fact is that he is very much appreciated for all he does as an unsung hero.
“Malcolm is always ready to help in anything we have going on,” said Rob Williams, one of the key players, “and as well as scoring he does loads of work on the pitch – and we couldn’t do without him.”
Early start as a player and club official
Malcolm began his involvement with the village’s cricket as a youngster of 13 but ironically his first match was against them as he went up the field to watch, discovered the opposition were a man short – and he was in!He was still a teenager at the old Haverfordwest Boys’ Grammar School when he joined the committee as Hon Treasurer, with dad Elliot as Hon Secretary, and since there was no clubhouse at the pitch they used to hold their committee meetings at the pub in Cresswell Quay.
“We only had one team then and I had a few games in my teens but, to be honest, it was a case of having tea and fielding out – although when Colin Soar was captain he would call me up to bowl in the hope that I might get a wicket with what everyone called my ‘slow pies’ lobbed up in the air!”
But shift work prevented much involvement as Elliot was a club umpire and officiated once at a Harrison-Allen Bowl final, and mother Evelyn did some scoring.
“But when the seconds started up I played for a while until a lot of good youngsters came in and since they didn’t have a scorer I stepped into that job – and took over for the first team when they needed one on a regular basis.”
Undoubted highlights
Ask Malcolm about highlights and he would be sure to nominate the four occasions when Lawrenny have reached the Harrison-Allen Bowl Final just down the road at Cresselly.“In 1997 we lost to Kilgetty but four years later we were back to beat Cresselly – and no-one involved for us will ever forget that fantastic day – or the night’s celebrations afterwards!
Since then they have been in the final in 2017 and 2018 but missed out to Cresselly and Haverfordwest – with Malcolm collecting his medals as scorer, alongside one in the Duggie Morris Cup from 2004, when they also lost to Haverfordwest.
And finally . . .
But it’s not all about winning trophies at Lawrenny because it is a club that encourages loyalty and off the field they have a string of hard workers too many to mention – but ask any of those involved and they would highlight Mr Thomas’s participation.
Chris Williams, is rightly regarded as ‘Mr Lawrenny Cricket’ and he told us,
“Malcolm is the top man and I couldn’t put into words all the amazing things he does here for the club. As well as his scoring and 50 years as Treasurer he is here every day doing things like painting inside and outside of the club right through to putting the bins out every week.”
Now that is powerful praise indeed from someone who is highly rated by all involved in cricket in our county – and we share his sentiments because Malcolm Thomas really is a smashing feller!
