Brian Griff is Burton through and through
Brian Griffiths has been playing and coaching cricket at Burton for an amazing 57 years and at 68 he is still going strong on both fronts, as well as looking after both the club’s pitches at Oatfield Park and ‘The Postage Stamp’!
He can still recall his debut as an eager 11 year old as he played at the Vilders Field in Haverfordwest for what was then known as Burton Village, and strode out to bat with his team in dire straits at 20 for 9. He joined experienced batsman Cyril Venables at the crease and was still there when Cyril was eventually run out with a half century to his name and the score having soared to 86 all out. Brian’s contribution was a princely 1 not out but he helped Burton snatch an unlikely victory from the jaws of defeat as Haverfordwest were shot out for 68 runs!
Still going strong!
Now, 57 years further down his cricketing road, Brian is still as keen as ever and when Burton first team found themselves a man short for their opening match against Carew 2nds in Division Two he readily agreed to help out – and top scored with 21 not out to confirm that there is still cricketing life left in the old dog!
Promising youngster
When he first joined the club, Burton played on a pitch near the village church and he confirmed his early potential as a bowler with a distinctive whirlwind action by grabbing 8 for 6 against Trecwn, and was later involved in the county youth set-up where Maurice Cole was the over-age captain, something that happened in those days. Brian claimed his share of the wickets for Pembrokeshire Youth and his best performance was a 5 for 25 haul at the old Cardiff Arms Park against Cardiff Youth – and he also played against Maesteg Celtic where Chico Hopkins, who went on to become a Welsh international scrum half, and Eifion Jones, who eventually became a top wicket-keeper with Glamorgan, were playing for the opposition.
County honours – and top club performances
His county connection continued at senior level when he played six or so times for Pembrokeshire, including a tour of Ireland where he bowled well. He also played at Pontarddulais when Tony Lewis and Tony Cordle were in the opposition team, with Lewis scoring just four runs and Brian not seeing Cordle’s first ball but managing to smash him for two boundaries before getting out!
Back with Burton, Brian has a top score of 124 against Llechryd, on ‘The Postage Stamp’, his only century scored in a match which Burton still lost. On the bowling front he has taken a few eight-wicket hauls but says that his most enjoyable time in cricket was perhaps in recent years when he and WMB Griffiths, and more recently Robert Ridge, have looked after the developing young players, and seen many very good players force their way into the reckoning.
Coaching talent
He has always had a talent for coaching and has been a member of the Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Coaches for almost all of its 30 years, with Ray Kane as the major influence and with the late Tom Cartwright as a major inspiration when he first took the coaching course. In the meanwhile he has seen players of the calibre of Phil Kirkby and Huw Scriven (Haverfordwest), Steve Williams (St Ishmaels), Ross Martin (Hook), Simon Cole and Damian Arthur (Cresselly) and Ian Hughes (Narberth), plus others like George Thomas and Tim Haggar, who sadly no longer play.
At the moment, Brian joins Peter Mogg as coaches of the under 15s county team, having been involved with them at the two previous age groups and with players like Matthew Morgan (Fishguard), David Dunfee (Pembroke Dock), Ryan Davies (Herbrandston) and Daniel James (Whitland) already playing for their clubs at senior level. Brian says that he still enjoys his coaching and will carry on for as long as that remains the case!
Groundsman – and ladies’ umpire!
Not content with that little lot, Brian is also groundsman at Burton, having taken over the reins from Jim Phillips and tending both the club’s pitches, which means a great deal of mowing the outfield, cutting and rolling the pitch, plus the many other jobs that need doing as he prepares pitches for three senior teams, the juniors and the ladies, whom he also umpires at home matches!
Top players and a real family connection
Ask Brian about top players and characters he has played with and against and he would reel off the names of Dai Griffiths, Cyril and Dennis Venables, Tommy Williams, Steve Jones and Richard Harris at Burton, plus the likes of Peter Hall, Barry Wood, Jack Capon and Tommy Jones as opponents he always enjoyed meeting up with, even though it was often when he was on the losing side!
He can also lay claim to the fact that all four of his sons have played for Burton, with Phillips taking a rest from his recent involvement at Hook nut with Robert, John and Mark still turning out at the club, with wife Jean as a great supporter and still a dab hand at making teas after so many years. Brian and the boys have occasionally all played in the same team and he is rightly proud of their contribution to Burton Cricket Club.
Final word
Chat with Brian about trophies and he would chuckle because in almost six decades he has played in his share of cup competitions but has just one medal – when he was part of a Burton 2nds team which lost in the final of the Alec Colley Cup. But he would say that he has had far more out of cricket than he ever put into the game, especially with regard to his coaching and involvement with PACC, for whom we let Ray Kane have the final word.
“Brian Griffiths has been an exemplary coach at club and county level. If all the lads he had helped at Burton were still there now they would be top of the league and across the county there is a huge number of cricketers who have been influenced for the better by him.”
