‘Desmond’ does the business for Fishguard

Dave Haynes joined Fishguard and Goodwick Cricket Club a few seasons ago when his work as a teacher took him from Milford Haven to Fishguard and since then he has been the mainstay of their batting as a solid run-maker who again won the batsman of the year award last season after averaging 38 runs and scoring four half centuries on the trot.
The season before saw him score 683 runs at an average of 68.3 which included six half centuries, whilst his top score is 128 not out against Hundleton in Fishguard and 98 not out at Llechryd. Ask team captain Nigel Morgan and he would say that Dave’s runs helped them gain promotion from the third division, with the added bonus that he is great with the talented young players breaking into the first team.

Respectful youngsters

Dave would respond by saying how good youngsters like Matthew Morgan, Rhys Dalling, Vaughan Davies and Matthew Driver are in showing respect for him in school whilst enjoying their company at cricket on the weekends. Add Jonathan Strawbridge as another excellent teenager and Dave is convinced that the future at Fishguard is rosy! He went along to the Ormond Youth Cup in the 2008 Final so that he could cheer them on in the club’s first-ever final and is full of praise for the selfless work done by coaches Nigel Morgan, Russell Jones and Gary Strawbridge

New club – new nickname

He is known as ‘Desmond’ or ‘Dessie’ after the famous West Indian opening bat with the same surname, a nickname that derives from the first time he walked into the Neyland changing room and was introduced to the rest of the players by Phil Sutton.
“This is our new batsman and his name is Desmond Haynes,” said Phil, and the name has stuck ever since, much to Dave’s amusement!
When he arrived in Pembrokeshire at the start of his teaching career he had one game for Llangwm, where he was out for a duck as he was clean bowled by Tim Haggar, and was too embarrassed to go back. Danny Bower, one of his senior pupils, persuaded Dave to try his luck at Neyland and he made a more promising debut as he scored 68 not out, albeit for the third team. He was promoted to the firsts the following match, where he acquired the nickname ‘Desmond’ and made his top score of 78 not out on a return visit to Pill Parks when he played against Llangwm alongside some good players like wicket-keeper Andrew Milne, Andrew and Greg Miller, Gary Lloyd and some very talented youngsters. He had five very happy years at the Athletic Ground and received a league winners’ medal in the process after playing two league games in the season!
Travelling from Fishguard to play at Neyland became a real chore, however, and so Dave decided to play at The Moors in 2004 – and enjoyed himself ever since.

Sporting pastimes

But cricket hasn’t been his only leisure pastime because he took his Level One coaching badge with the WRU whilst at Swansea University and played a few games on the wing for Milford Haven but suffered a lot with pulled hamstrings and so decided it was time to play a little more golf, where he reduced his handicap to 18 and won a flag tournament at Milford Golf Club. Dave has also been heavily involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award after starting out with Candy Tamsett and the late Phil Taylor - and gained his gold award at the same time as several students after some strenuous outward bound stuff that earned him a memorable visit to St James’ Palace to receive the coveted gold badge from Prince Phillip.
He also played football as a nipper at Tremorfa United and they swept the board in junior’ football at the same time as Swansea City were flying high in the top echelon of English Football  under John Toshack, who presented Dave and his team-mates with several trophies at the Brangwyn Hall.

Cricket his sporting love

But cricket has always been Dave’s first sporting love after he started as a ten year old with Cadle Junior School, Swansea and played senior cricket with Morriston, where he was awarded his cap when he scored his maiden 50 for the second team on his 16th birthday. He also played for Ynystawe and Swansea University as an opening bat and then came to Pembrokeshire, where he has happily remained ever since.

I was there!

That brings us neatly around to Neyland again and having a club full of characters there was brought home to him as he was reading an interesting book about unusual events in cricket and found that a game he had played in was being described in front of his very eyes. It was a hot day and got even hotter when a group of fellers enjoying a stag party in the clubhouse peeled off their clothes and did a multiple ‘streak’ on the pitch. There must have been at least a dozen or perhaps more but they did no harm and were soon back in their clothes – but someone had reported it to the police and they arrived to flat denials from the stag party and the players that anything wrong had happened!

Happy ending

Ask Dave Haynes about his future cricket and he says that he is more than happy to just carry on enjoying every game at Fishguard because they are a club growing in stature – and there is no doubt that he has a major contribution to make to the club’s progress, not only on the pitch but off it because he provides the ideal example for young players about what local cricket is really all about!