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Gregg guides Neyland towards the top of the indoor cricket tree
Neyland Cricket Club have earned their reputation as one of the best indoor cricket teams in the county over the last decade and there is no doubt that a major contributor to that success has been the performances and commitment of their captain, Gregg Miller.
Gregg loves playing outdoors and is a useful rugby player with Neyland but it is in the indoor game that he has excelled because he is a natural run-getter, useful quickish bowler and certainly one of the top three fielders in the competition organised by Wendy Bradshaw for the Pembroke County Cricket Club during the winter months.
Indoor success, disappointment and silverware
At the time of writing Gregg and his young Neyland team had won all four of their games so far and were going into their final two matches against the other top sides, Haverfordwest and Whitland ‘A’ teams, knowing that two more wins would see them win the silverware.
It would be nice revenge for Gregg and Co because in the same position last season they easily beat Whitland after bowling them out for 40 but then didn’t play to their potential against Haverfordwest and lost to come second in the table, which isn’t what skipper Gregg was looking for from his Neyland team.
The Neyland team made an immediate impact when they joined the indoor league a decade ago and won the silverware at their first attempt with a cracking team that included quality players like Phil Sutton, wicket-keeper Andrew Milne, Ian Capon, Ian Charles and Gary Lloyd, all very competitive and able to stick together.
They won it again three years ago when captained a much younger team and he certainly played his part as he was only out on one occasion in two seasons, bowled miserly spells and fielded with the enthusiasm that is very much part of his make-up.
“Last year wasn’t quite as good because I was out twice in six starts,” he says with a chuckle, “but I hope to do better this season. We previously lost in the semi-final of the Welsh Indoor Cricket Competition and we have a strong squad this season that includes my brother Andrew, Paul Murray as wicket-keeper, Sean Hannon, who is a wicket-keeper in the summer but bowls really well indoors, Ashley Sutton, and Scott John. Lee Summons has been playing well but has just had an operation and Sean’s twin brother Patrick would be an asset but he is recovering from a shoulder problem.”
Strong cricketing connections
That Gregg should be so involved with cricket should come as no surprise because his dad Ian was a slow bowler with the old Esso Club and Gregg regularly played long sessions with brothers Andrew and Paul, the former leading Neyland for a number of summers and Paul beginning to make a name for himself as the youngster of the trio. Gregg played his first match for Neyland under 13s when he was eight years old and by the time he was 12 was playing for the third team alongside real characters like Kenny Platten, Alec Day and Lee Edwards.
After continuing his apprenticeship with the second team he finally made his first-team debut at 16 under the leadership of Phil Sutton but then found himself playing as a batsman, rather than an all-rounder, and didn’t bowl for a number of seasons, other than one match against Narberth where he was tossed the ball for the last over of the match when Narberth’s last pair of Wayne Howells and Nicky Evans needed three runs to win. They took a single off Greg’s first delivery but then he bowled five ‘dot’ balls to help his side gain a win as Mathew Williams achieved a run out from the final ball – but wasn’t asked to bowl again throughout the season!
Runs, wickets and catches
He was back bowling again last campaign, doing well in the limited overs cup competitions, but it is as a batsman he has made his name, with top scores of 94, 91 and 90 leaving him still seeking the coveted three figures – and looking back on the fact that all three dismissals came against fourth or fifth-placed bowlers against Pembroke and Llechryd. He is rightly regarded as an ace fielder who is risky to take singles to and who takes spectacular catches, like the one he claimed against James Venables, of Burton, where he flung himself into the air and took the ball one-handed as dived to his right.
Gregg was delighted to represent Pembrokeshire at senior level when he achieved top score of 62 against the Glamorgan Academy and took 4 for 40 in nine overs to show his bowling prowess. He also went with the county squad to Ireland and in the last game turned out for the opposition and removed Julian Arthur, Phil Kirkby and Rob Scourfield with his bowling!
Rugby runner
Outside of his cricket, Gregg is also a useful rugby player, starting at Sir Thomas Picton School where he played for the County Schools’ team alongside current Haverfordwest captain Steve Williams and since turning out for Neyland as a full back or winger who loves to run the ball back at the opposition. He represented the County under 21 s and whilst at the University of Glamorgan represented the Welsh Universities at rugby league.
Cricket hopes
As well as achieving a century in cricket, Gregg’s other unfulfilled ambition is to play in a Harrison-Allen Bowl Final with Neyland after appearing in five losing semi-finals. He picked up a winner’s medal in the Duggie Morris Cup Final as long ago as 1994, when a superb Phil Sutton innings saw them home against a Henderson Springer-inspired Haverfordwest over one innings at Burton. Neyland appeared again in the final against Harfat two seasons ago under the new two-innings formula but lost by a single run after looking hot favourites for victory. Gregg scored 26 and 16 but got out on both occasions when he looked set – and he rates it as his biggest disappointment in a cricket match.
So Gregg is anticipating a new season of cricket at the Athletic Ground in Neyland but in the meanwhile he has some unfinished business with regard to the indoor version of the game. He knows that victory over Haverfordwest and Whitland can only be achieved by his squad playing to their full potential – but is ready to lead by example in anticipation of being crowned as indoor league cricket champions of Pembrokeshire as reward for a great deal of effort by Gregg Miller and his merry men!
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