Scott stars in a whole range of sports
If there is a more talented young all-round sportsman in the county than Scott Jones then we would like to meet him because the gifted Neyland under 11 has played cricket, football, rugby and tennis with a great deal of individual success.
But it is pleasing to report that Scott is also a very adept team player and natural leader since he captained teams and impressed coaches with his willingness to listen and put into practice what they ask of him, which, allied to his natural skill, certainly marks Scott as a player to watch out for in years to come – although it will be interesting to see which sport he finally focuses on when the time inevitably comes to specialise.
That he should be involved in sport is perfectly natural since dad Martin has served Neyland Cricket Club and the county cricket coaching set-up for many years and it was commonplace to see Martin, Scott’s mum Yvonne, plus older brothers John and Andrew, playing cricket or football in the family garden – and as the youngster in this quintet he certainly had to learn quickly!
Football start with the Villa
Scott first played competitive football at Prendergast Villa where he made good friends with Jake Davies and Patrick Pearce, receiving excellent coaching from Josh Arnold and Michael Davies nicknamed Glenys, as he played central midfield – and at eight years old was recommended for the Cardiff City AFC Development centre at Carmarthen. But his Prendergast coaches nominated Scott for a trial with Swansea City AFC and he has been there ever since, although it has not been without its interesting moments.
Cardiff fan in Swansea!
He marked his initial week of indoor trials at Llandarcy by showing what an avid Cardiff City supporter he is and wearing a Bluebirds’ kit to train in. Yvonne, who was watching from the viewing balcony, noticed that there were several players and coaches gathered around her son – and was a tad worried when the tannoy came on and asked her to go to the main hall. It was explained to mum that whilst they were impressed by Scott’s ability he should not wear Cardiff City colours whilst training with the Swans! Scott’s explanation was that other boys there were allowed to wear tops from Premier League clubs so why couldn’t he wear the top from his favourite club!
He got over that lively start, however, and for the past two seasons he has played a year up and his pace, strength and vision have meant that he coped well against older boys, setting up plenty of chances and also scoring his share of goals from his midfield berth.
Swansea City have allowed Scott to play for Pembrokeshire Schools over the past two seasons under the guidance of Angie Nicholls and Mark Hicks and he captains the team which is so far unbeaten this campaign after three matches - and although he loves the challenge of playing for Swansea against the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham he still loves representing his county and playing with his local friends.
Cricket success
When the summer comes along Scott discards his football kit and dons his cricketing whites because he is a talented young cricketer who plays his club cricket for Neyland. Last season saw him chosen to represent Wales under 11’s, despite being a year younger, as a top order batsman and leg-spin bowler, with a top score of 40 in a stand of 82 against Leicestershire.
He has scored a number of half centuries for the county under 10s, with a top score of 94 not out before he retired for the county under 11s against Cardiff and the Vale. At county level Scott has been coached by Richard Hayman, Richard Howell and Ray Kane, playing alongside his pals Kurtis Marsh, Alex Codd and George Williams. A little nearer to home he plays for Neyland at under 11 and under 13 levels and was part of the successful Neyland team that shared the under 11s league with Burton in 2007.
Rugby and tennis wins
Moving on to other sports that Scott plays, he captained Neyland under 8s in their tag team matches and led them to victory when they won the Pembrokeshire Cup in Crymych – but now that he is so involved in football he has had to stop playing the oval ball game and focus on the round ball. Scott has also played a lot of tennis and been county junior champion at the singles and doubles (with Tom Beasley) under the watchful eye of John Deason and John Royles.
Perhaps most pleasing amongst so much success is the fact that all Scott’s coaches have commented not only on his skills and superb attitude but also his nice sense of humour, his friendly manner and down to earth approach. He is also a natural leader with the ability to motivate and inspire others but all the above attributes will serve him equally well - and pembrokeshiresport.co.uk is highly confident that Scott Jones is a talented young sportsman who is going to make a name for himself in the not-too-distant future!
