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‘Jenks’ loves his cricket at Johnston
Steve Jenkins is one of many cricketers in the county who thoroughly enjoy playing for the team in their home town or village without any thought of winning silverware – and Steve has certainly shown his devotion to Johnston Cricket Club over more than two decades, with four years as captain of the 2nd XI when it was started and another 11 years as skipper of the first team up until today!
He is a member of that rare breed of left-arm over-the-wicket bowlers in the county and has earned a reputation for accuracy, with three seven-wicket hauls in his time – and a career best of 7 for 21 against Fishguard. He would readily admit that he isn’t quite the same in batting but he did have a top score of 43 against Llanddewi Velfrey on one of the rare occasions he batted as high as No 5 in the order!
Youth cricket at Tish
Known to all as ‘Jenks’ he started off in Milford Grammar School with Mr Martin Charles as games teacher, and since there was no youth teams in Johnston he joined school pals Karl Rhead, Richard Thorne, Andrew and Steve Williams, Dai Proctor, Damian Jenkins, Darren Hawkins and Warren Davies in the St Ishmaels’ youth team run by the late Eric Griffiths and Mel Williams. They won the under 15s league and the Ormond Youth Cup when they beat Haverfordwest in 1991. He also had a season with Tish 2nds where there were characters like Eric Griffiths, Ritchie Morgan, Gerald Llewellyn, big Phil Harts and Dai Allerton.
Call came from Johnston
But at 17 the call came from Johnston and he played in the first team alongside Steve and Richard James, Carl Griffiths, Gary Stephens, Mark Goodridge and Charlie Mapp, all footballers with Johnston and organised by Brian Morgan as an excellent secretary.
The cricket was played on the top part of the Glebelands Field in those days but great strides have been made since they switched to the bottom playing area and have worked really hard to produce a strip that is now recognised as a good one.
“Much of the credit for that goes to Steve James and Steve Mills, with help from Dai Goodridge. We have lost that ‘fear factor’ of not knowing where the ball would bounce and our young players can now play shots with confidence. We have built up the quality of our machinery, aided again by funds from Dai Goodridge’s excellent golf days at Milford Haven, and we now help the local community council with grass cutting in the village on a contract.”
Ask ‘Jenks’ about other improvements and he is quick to answer:
“We now have a range of junior players, thanks to the organisation of teams under the guidance of Mike Davies, who has done a great job, a strong committee where Delyth Summons is a brilliant treasurer – and she joins Grazia James, Linda Davies and Edwina Mills in supplying some of the best teas in the county! Gary Stephens has organised a couple of tours in the Herefordshire, Hay on Wye and Llandrindod Wells areas as a good way of rounding off seasons – where the highlight was a visit to the Bulmer’s Factory in Hereford.”
Other sports
Steve has always enjoyed a whole range of sports and played football for Johnston at every junior level from under 11 to 14 as a left back – and played for a very successful Milford Comprehensive School team that beat off all challengers in the county and reached the Welsh Schools’ Cup Final. He was also with Milford United as double winners with the likes of Karl Rhead, Dai Proctor, Paul Jones and Tom Carrington as the star players, and they won with Terry Scutt and Norman Morgan at the helm. He also enjoyed playing for Johnston 2nds with Mick Algieri as a great character but admits that the addition of a few pounds on the waist-line saw him stand down gracefully!
Pool and darts are other games he has enjoyed, playing both for the Railway Inn at Johnston with Ensor Hadfield running the darts and with Steve’s brother Derek, Alan and Roy Boswell in the darts’ team. When he moved to live in Haverfordwest he joined the Belle Vue pool team and plays alongside other sporting players in Gary James, Peter James; Tom Cross and Simon Williams.
Cricket captain
Back on the cricket front, ‘Jenks’ took over the captaincy of Johnston 2nds in 1991, with Steve James at the first team helm. It wasn’t always easy because he would lose players to the first team but he always tried to get his team to play good cricket and his main aim was to encourage young players to make a start in the game, ably assisted by Mike Davies. Then Steve took over the captaincy from the first team from Steve James – and has been tossing the coin and making decisions ever since. In the intervening seasons Johnston have reached the Alan Brown Cup Final once but lost to Herbrandston on what was a great club day out, nonetheless, and have been promoted and relegated a few times as well. There was even one heady season in Division One which ‘Jenks’ and Co enjoyed but they were back to the second division for the following campaign.
And finally
But Steve would say that he enjoyed every moment and he now finds himself as one of the senior players; along with John Summons, Chris Fitzpatrick, Ross Dewstowe, Simon Williams and Mike Davies. They are joined in the team by a new generation who are the sons of players and there is quality aplenty from Lee Summons, Gary, Nathan and Liam James, Richard Davies, Chris Goodridge and especially Steve Mills (Jnr).
“We have a useful side now and when the time comes to step down as captain I will be more than happy to rejoin the James brothers and Gary Stephens in the seconds. Playing for Johnston has been great and I wouldn’t have moved anywhere else for the world.”
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