page revision date: 11th September 2008
St Ishmaels seamer James has plenty of pace galore
If you were to ask cricketers in the first division of the Pembrokeshire League who they regarded as the top fast bowlers in the county and it is a fair bet that the name of James Salter would appear quite high on everyone’s list.
James is a regular with St Ishmaels and what makes his rise to that top echelon more remarkable is the fact that a couple of seasons ago he was sidelined with a series of injuries but came back stronger, fitter and ready to help propel Tish to the top of the table.
It certainly paid off because James, who is now 18, was part of a very young side which played really well for each other last campaign and caused quite a stir when they won the first division title for the first time in Tish’s long history and created a memorable double by beating Carew in the Harrison-Allen Bowl Final.
No mean feat
That was no mean feat since they had to play well on two occasions because they were ahead in the first match but fell victim to rain – and had to repeat their performance a week later to take the coveted Bowl back to Tish for the first time amidst real rejoicing.
James was a vital member of the team with his ability to put early batsmen under pressure and he grabbed a wicket in each innings as well as keeping the run-rate down early on and then returning to bowl the vital late overs economically.
Back-breaking stuff
He also played really well in a key earlier round at Whitland where he bowled at such pace that wicket-keeper and skipper Peter Bradshaw pouched four catches off him and said afterwards it was the fastest-ever piece of bowling he had kept wicket to. In that spell James shifted left-handers Paul Webb and Paul Davies, David Lee and Matthew Davies to break the back of the Whitland innings and set Tish well on the way to victory.
That was a long way from the awful time when he was starting out as a nipper in second team cricket and broke his arm playing football with a couple of mates. He was just back to fitness when he damaged his knee ligaments and was again out for some time. It seemed ages since he had played cricket but he was eventually back in action and hasn’t looked back since!
Dragon One success
He started out doing the Dragon One awards under the watchful eye of Nigel Arthur, who spotted his potential and soon had him settled into the county juniors at under 11 level, taking James through the various age groups after that. Ask James about those who have been a great help and as well as parents Graham and Irene he has always enjoyed a great rapport with younger brother Andrew and the rest of the Tish team which is lead by Peter Bradshaw and has other experienced players like Andrew Williams and Jonathan Pawlett ready to help him. Then there is Nigel Arthur at county level and Mel Williams in Tish who brought him through the age groups, and again ever-ready to proffer advice.
Batting skills and county selection
As well as his fast bowling prowess, it is worth mentioning that James is also a more than useful batsman who has a top score of 95 not out and another of 72 in junior cricket. But Tish have a strong batting line-up which means he doesn’t always get a chance to show his skills but laughingly says there is plenty of time to move up the batting order yet!
James has also represented the county at senior level this campaign under the leadership of Nick Dyer and enjoyed the company of good players like Phil Kirkby, Huw Scriven, Steve Lewis and the others who beat the South Wales League on two occasions, firstly at Pembroke Dock and then at Pwll, Near Llanelli. He claimed a couple of wickets and is eager for more action with the county senior side next season.
Loves to play for Tish
Ask James about ambitions and he would say that he simply wants to enjoy his game at the highest level he can achieve. He loves playing for St Ishmaels and at present has no thoughts of doing anything else on summer Saturday afternoons. He is already looking forward to next season and Pembrokeshire Sport is confident that we will hear a great deal more about this unassuming young cricketer over many years to come!
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