page revision date: 28th August 2008

Kath enjoys playing in a man’s world

Kath Adams has played cricket for Bosherston & Stackpole in the Pembrokeshire League for over two decades as the only female in the team and is one of the few women to appear regularly as a useful medium pace bowler and occasional batsman.
She can also claim to be the only girl to have captained her club side in an Ormond Youth Cup Final and is rightly proud of the fact that she has represented her country in ladies cricket on a number of occasions, including a successful tour of Barbados.
Add the fact that she has also skippered her club’s second and third XIs, coaches cricket in her role as a teacher at Cosheston School and helps to coach the junior players at Stackpole and it is easy to see that Kath really does love her cricket. One of her former pupils, Molly Furnival-Doran, has already played for Wales and Kath would love to see others coming through the pipeline, especially for Stackpole.

That she should be involved in the summer sport is understandable because, as Kath says,
“My father Clive Huxley played for Merchant Taylors School Old Boys in Hertfordshire, and then Stackpole, whilst brother Ben plays for Burton after years at Stackpole – and when I was young I bowled to both in the back garden of the family home to give them batting practice.
“I played for Stackpole juniors and captained the youth team in 1989, when they reached the Ormond Cup Final, losing to Carew, but we really enjoyed the experience. My mother, Jill, has always been a great supporter whilst husband Ritchie Adams maintains the cricketing theme because he is this season’s captain of Narberth first team!”

Rubbish bin bowling!

Her mentor in junior cricket was her teacher at Stackpole School, Lyn Childs, who made her bowl at a rubbish bin to prove that she was up to playing cricket for the school team, and she showed her worth at junior level; when she grabbed 7 for 5 against Hundleton.
Her best-ever figures are 8 for 15 in a third team match at the army camp and she has also grabbed five-wicket hauls on many occasions in senior cricket during the 22 years she has been involved – even travelling home every summer weekend when she worked in England as proof of her dedication to the Stackpole cause.

She is often teased about her batting in the man’s game but she has a top score of 25 not out, which is not bad for a bowler, with one half century in ladies’ cricket and a 30 for Hook in last season’s final, which included her first six!

Kath played cricket for the first-ever Pembrokeshire Ladies team when they took on Carmarthenshire at Pontarddulais, under the guidance of Nick Evans, and hasn’t missed a game since. In the on that day was Hannah Lloyd, who played for England and Wales, whose father Barry played for Glamorgan, whilst Sam Rossiter and Jo Kerrison were in the Pembrokeshire team and still join Kath each week in the Hook team which won the Ladies Cup last season and was runner-up to Neyland in the league.

Kath gets capped

Kath first gained selection for Wales in 2002 after a series of friendlies to prove to the ECB that they were worthy of the status, and then holding their own against the likes of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, where Kath’s best haul has been a 3 for 25 haul against the latter.
Ask about her most memorable matches, however, and Kath would admit,
“I also travelled with Wales to Barbados where we beat the opposition 2-1 in a series of 50-over matches, and also went into the townships to play ‘tape ball’ games which were very enjoyable with a taped ball that had extra speed and bounce. It was also an experience to see life in the townships and the genuine friendliness of the locals, especially the children, who love cricket. You couldn’t help but be moved at the poor quality of their accommodation but their niceness despite not having material things.”

Future hopes

So what of the future? Kath still has her genuine enthusiasm for cricket and coached the club’s under 11 team this season as well as playing well Stackpole Seconds. Her performances have included 5 for 4 in the opening match against Lamphey 2nds, followed by 3 for 2 at Kilgetty and 3 for 0 versus Llanrhian, not bad going for a woman in a man’s world!
She is full of praise for the likes of Mansell Thomas, Dennis Alderman, Richard Gibby and Phil Tallett for all their work at Stackpole and says it is a pleasure to be involved. Ask anyone at Stackpole, however, and they would quickly nominate Kath as a key worker in the club and the members at Bosherston & Stackpole Cricket Club know they have a little gem in Kath Adams.