Today we end our popular series about the scorers who play such a vital role in our local cricket – what would we do without them?! If there any we have missed out we apologize – and just call us so we can make amends!

As one moves in to Division Two there are yet more expert scorers, although sadly one or two are unable to find someone with the commitment needed to devour all their Saturday afternoons to a commitment to a club - but others have really expert scorers - whilst a few had more than one umpire with that sort of commitment!

It is also worth noting that some of them will be switching sections, either through promotion or relegation - so a couple we will miss whilst hopefully others will take their places via promotion from division three.


 

Janice stays cool at Burton

Burton were champions of Division Two so we will still have regular chats with Janice Webb, who is hugely respected there after many years in the same role at Whitland when hubbie Paul Webb was an excellent skipper there - and now plays for Wales Seniors and Janice doubles up her scoring there!

She is an expert at using the ‘Play Cricket’ app and joined Burton when her sons started playing at Oatfield Park and roped her in to help. As well as being adept on her I-pad she is equally able at keeping a scorebook, using coloured pens, that really is a work of art.

Jan is naturally cool. calm and collected under pressure and so deals with our nuisance requests for scoring updates at inopportune times, but always with her dry sense of humour to the fore - and I’m reliably informed that she is held in very high esteem with the Welsh Seniors too!

 

Emma and Clarissa are excellent scorers at Herbie

Also making a move into the top echelon with her club Herbrandston is Emma Hood, who is a relative newcomer to the role and took it on when husband Robbie became captain last season and she stepped in.

Emma hails from a cricketing family because her father Nigel Banner played and her late grandfather Glyn was one of the most popular and respected cricketers of his time when Herbie had a heck of a team! Big brother Nathan also plays for Neyland when work commitments allow.

Emma did a great job and it is to be hoped that this same husband and wife pair will be involved next campaign with Herbie as they facade again the challenges of first division cricket!

Herbrandston are also lucky that if Emma is unavailable then Clarissa Lewis can step in to job she did so well before standing down to score for the seconds since son Dillon and Johnny are involved.

She is another who is something of an expert on ‘Play Cricket’ but, like Emma, keeps a fantastically neat scorebook!

 

Hook blessed with Joy & Chris

Another club blessed with two excellent scorers is Hook CC, where for many years Joy James has scored as husband Keith starred for the first team - but now he’s decided he’s too old both can watch son Callum as a key player in the firsts.

Joy still keeps her hand in, however, in the same amazingly neat and accurate way she has done for so long, and is always ready to provide us with details at tea-time and after the game has finished.

If Joy is unavailable then Chris Holder is happy to do the same the same job for the seconds, but is ever-ready to step in because it means he is able to watch younger brother Matthew and nephew Charlie play for the firsts.

Chris could still be playing but prefers to serve Hook in this other way now, and always with a willingness to help us, which is great. We believe the ‘Growler’ is one of the nicest people we know in Pembrokeshire Cricket and it is nice to be able to state that fact in this article!

Pembs Sport is sad that Helen moves down a division

Sadly moving out of the section with her club Lamphey is Helen Hodges, one of the most knowledgeable, loyal and helpful scorers we have ever come across.

Helen has a whole range of other activities she loves, especially with regard to music, drama and Young Farmers’ Club where she has been county president for many a year.

But she is without doubt a top scorer whose knowledge is wide-ranging and she can always be relied upon to find an interesting fact or two from the game, when we speak to her afterwards.

So thanks Helen - sorry we simply don’t have the man-power to cover division three - and tell your players to get back soon so we can chat to you!

 

. . . And so will be Nichola and Rachel!

Also moving down are Pembroke Dock Cricket Club so we will be missing Nicola Murray from our list to chat to on Saturday afternoons for the same sad reason.

Nicola is ultra reliable and a smashing lady who also plays for the ladies’ team at Imble Lane and in recent times has been roped in to play for the club’s second team - which means we are then minus someone to phone for scores - although whenever Rachel Sander is at the games she’s is another who gives us all the detail we need because she really knows her cricket!

 

Johnston have THREE supportive scorers!

Johnston are able to call on THREE scorers who are ready to help when other commitments allow them to do so, with Steve Mills Snr sometimes having to baby sit so that his son, Steve Jnr; is able to play in the top echelon with Llangwm but as well as helping Steve James with the pitch at Glebelands can step in if Johnston are struggling.

Then there’s the outstanding family duo of Delyth and Emma Summons who manage to look after the nippers in the family and also help out. Daughter Emma actually played whilst pregnant with her and Gino Cleal’s second baby and was still scoring when she was eight months pregnant!

A very talented all-round sportswoman, Emma is very calm in the scoring role and is always ready to give us the score - and even finds time to make us a cup of tea if we arrive a bit on the thirsty side, even if it is a bit strong for my elderly tastes (but is ever ready to dilute it with more milk!

Then there’s mum Delyth, who was a regular a scorer until the grandchildren came along and is always there to help with teas as a bonus. Del is the Hon Treasurer at Haverfordwest RFC and is now the District H representative on the Welsh Rugby Union and has already created an important niche for herself there. All three Johnston scorers are great club people and the Glebelands gang are lucky to have them!

 

Jason does a great job at Llanrhian

Jason Cole is another reliable scorer but he shares his skills between the first and second teams at Llanrhian Cricket Club, with much depending where his pal (and ours) Fraser Watson is playing. Fraser would say that Jason does a great job for Llanrhian and we can only agree with him - and as a fellow Liverpool supporter we can only say we agree. Well done Jason!

Mike loves it in the lower divisions

And finally, Mike Price hails from Derbyshire and supported Walsall FC. He likes following cricket teams in the lower divisions and so he became Hundleton Cricket Club’s scorer over 20 years ago when he bought a new abacus!

He had moved to this county with work and married Avice Lewis from Hundleton and they have been married for 52 years. He played in goal for the village club for a number of years with characters like Peter Thomas, Mike Hughes and Dai Fisher – and apart from family and sport, his other love is model railways!