page revision date : 12th December 2008
Bill is brill with county club cricket
Bill Marchant has served Pembrokeshire Cricket well for many years as Hon Secretary of Pembroke County Cricket Club – and this involvement earned him due recognition when he was chosen as the winner of the ‘Club Administrator of the Year’ award.
He received his engraved glass trophy from Ellen Parry of Radio Pembrokeshire after co-host John Deason had outlined some of his immense administrative work – but it is also worth mentioning that Bill played a lot of cricket as a wicket-keeper/batsman and was also an umpire who officiated at a Harrison-Allen Bowl Final, along with current County Club president Maurice Cole, when Pembroke beat Burton.
Bowl Final appearance – and slow scoring against Llangwm
Bill had previously played in a Bowl Final with Rosemarket after the club had lost in seven semi-finals, but there was no fairy-tale ending since they went down to defeat against Llangwm.
It was against the same club that Bill hit the headlines for a different reason when he batted the entire 40 overs for Rosie, including the first and final deliveries – and finished up on FOUR NOT OUT. Opposing bowlers Martin Charles and Peter Rees were less than delighted by his go-slow ands wicket-keeper Barry Jones tried to act as the peace-maker – but all three made very regular appeals for LBW which were turned down by an excellent umpire in the late Len Barrah.
Out lbw - on 99!
Yet Bill was given out ‘leg before’ on another occasion against Haverfordwest 2nds when he was on 99 not out – and still regrets the fact that he never managed to achieve the magic three figures as a batsman.
He had started out playing at Haverfordwest Grammar School as one of the younger members of a very good team before joining the Thomarians, a team which played on the Lower Racecourse, an a cinder tack with matting over it. Then they folded and he joined Rosemarket, a team full of characters and very good players like Jack Capon, Tommy Jones, Marcus and Nigel Soar, a young Rob Summons and the late Dai Griffiths and Rob Sutton.
‘Rosie’ finish – and Bill takes on secretary’s role
When ‘Rosie’ found themselves unable to continue in 1989 because they were without a pitch, Bill joined Hook for two seasons and finished off his playing days with a season at Haverfordwest – and by then he was already installed as Hon Secretary of Pembroke County Cricket Club. He took over from the late Jim Jones and remained in that office for 17 years before he decided to step down – and his considerable efforts were rewarded with a lovely gift from the county’s clubs. He was persuaded to stay on the committee, however, but his boots proved too big to fill so when the County Club found itself without a Hon Secretary he took over again on a temporary basis before being re-elected two years ago.
Tireless worker
In his time at the helm, Bill has worked tirelessly on obtaining sound sponsorship and has been a key worker in quadrupling the County Club’s financial assets, edited the 160-page county handbook, which is packed with useful info and adverts, and all the cup final programmes. Not content with that, he has helped take Pembrokeshire into being accepted as a region in its own right and organises the annual dinner, where the last three speakers have been Graham Gooch, Geoff Miller and Jonathan Agnew, all well-known former cricketers on the after-dinner speaking circuit. This gives but a brief outline of the work undertaken by him on Pembrokeshire Cricket’s behalf.
Tough times – and good times
There have also been a few times when the County Club has had to invoke its disciplinary procedures and Bill has had to be involved in the side of the game that no-one really wants to see but he has faced that with a quiet assurance and says that although it is regrettable there has to be a firm approach to making sure that cricket doesn’t follow some other sports in making umpire’s duties a misery or players don’t show respect to one another.
He would say that he has enjoyed it all and made many good friends along the road, both as player and administrator, and although Bill Marchant is quick to play down his involvement there is no doubt that he has really done a terrific job as the Hon Secretary of Pembroke County Cricket Club and fully deserved to be honoured by Sport Pembrokeshire as Club Organiser of the Year.
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