Pembrokeshire Vikings Cricket win XL Wales Club Award – and now go on to Lord’s Long Room for a black-tie dinner!

The concept behind the Pembrokeshire Vikings’ Cricket Club initiated by Jonathan Willington, of Hook Cricket Club, was to provide talented 16 to 18 year old players with the opportunity to play together and against good opposition. Receiving this recognition from The XL (Forty) Club is justification in itself for a Youth team representing Pembrokeshire.

To be considered by the opposition as the best team of the season in matches across the length and breadth of Wales, based on sportsmanship, performance, individual skill and quality of the game itself, is a tremendous reflection on the players. This underlines just how much young talent exists across the county and why these players deserve a stage on which to perform.
 

Great game at Imble Lane

The game against The Forty Club at Imble Lane was one to savour with 458 runs scored in 80 action-packed overs. Against talented and experienced opposition, Josh Lewis (Cresselly CC) captained his team to a brilliant and thrilling last-ball victory; his cousin Morgan hitting the boundary rope to seal the victory.

Josh and Morgan were joined in that game by Archie Hillier-Wood, Iori Humphries, Seth Willington, Owen Phelps, Charlie Malloy, Joe Phillips, Will Nicholas, William Phillips and Dom Asson. Collectively these young men did Pembrokeshire proud, displaying tremendous talent but also playing the game in the right spirit; hard and competitive but fair.

Despite the Vikings not playing as much cricket as planned in 2022, it would be fair to say that these young men have most definitely put Pembrokeshire on the map as well as on the agenda at the home of cricket.
 

Special invitation to a special evening

As the Welsh XL regional winners they have now been invited to have a coach and player as guests to visit Lord’s, for a very special annual black-tie dinner held in the Long Room. It is a tribute to all the players, coaches and families.

There they will be in with a chance of winning the UK award, as they are judged against the other 11 regional award winners; and cricket lovers will wish them every success and congratulate them on their magnificent achievement so far as fine young ambassadors for our local cricket.