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Nick can Cope with big hitting at Saundersfoot
Nick Cope is one of the new breed of stroke-makers in local cricket and he certainly showed his merit because in just a half season with Saundersfoot Cricket Club he scored a massive 500+ runs at an average of over 56, made his maiden league century and slammed an amazing 44 sixes!
Nick is just 21 years of age, a left-handed batsman and good fielder, with the ability to swing a match in his team’s favour with his big-hitting exploits.
Chance start and runs galore
That he was playing for that short period only came about by chance because he was recuperating from an injury where he snapped his ankle ligaments in two places and had originally planned to miss the whole season. But his parents Jill and Andrew were away on holiday, the leg felt OK and so he decided to give it a try after joining Saundersfoot from Carew. He marked his club debut with a duck for the second team in the fifth division bur recorded a half century for the first XI seven days later as he decided it was easier to hit boundaries, rather than run a lot on his injured leg, and the runs really flowed.
He smashed 86 not out from only 50 deliveries against Burton 2nds in the Alec Colley Cup during the midweek (and was still on the losing side!), scored 82 against Cresselly 2nds and then scored 104 against Stackpole as he shared a club record stand of 190 with Sam Butler. There was 51 against Fishguard and other scores in the 40s as Saundersfoot gained promotion and so Nick can now look forward to playing in the top echelon next season. Not content with that little lot, Nick also went on tour with the club and amassed a century that came from only 44 deliveries!
Football feats
It will come as no surprise that Nick is an all-round sportsman, playing football for Kilgetty Juniors from the time he was eight before playing for St Clears in the under 13s and under 14s because he was a member of the Carmarthen School of Excellence. Nick also played a couple of games for Cardiff City at junior level but sustained an injury which kept him out of action for a while.
Then it was back to Kilgetty for a while and then he played for Tenby under 16s, where Peter Wilson was coach, before playing senior football with Kilgetty, where his dad Andrew was coach before handing the job over this season to Bobby Bevan and Keegan James. In all that time Nick has played up front and he has been top scorer wherever he has been, with 38 goals as his seasonal best as a junior and 32 for the seniors.
Nick has also played at every level for the county, with Derek Roberts as one of his coaches, and when he was playing in midfield he was adjudged the Pembrokeshire under 11 player of the tournament in the Football Festival at Aberystwyth. He also helped Kilgetty win the double of 2nd Division League and Cup at senior level, beating Saundersfoot by 5-1 in the final at the Bridge Meadow Stadium and scoring two goals, which was doubly pleasing because his dad Andrew’s best friend Christopher Jenkins was manager of the opposition!
Other sports
Nick enjoyed tennis when he was in school and was ranked as Dyfed No 2 behind Luke Guymer, and this pair was ranked at No 1 in the doubles because they were good partners. He did well at several tournaments and also helped the school team reach the semi-final of the Welsh Cup before losing to a Cardiff school – but had to scale down his involvement because of his other sporting commitments.
Golf also played a big part in his sporting life at one stage and by the time he was 14 he had reduced his handicap to 11 – but again it had to take a back seat because of his cricket, although he is sure that he will return to action at some stage when he has a little more time.
Back to cricket
Back on the cricket front, Nick only started out in the game because his brother Richard had started at Kilgetty and the pair played there before they joined Carew together after being invited there by Gethin Evans. Nick scored a few runs and took a few wickets there but decided to join Saundersfoot because a number of his footballing pals were there – and he hasn’t looked back since.
He was made very welcome by the likes of Roger Stanford and Chris Parker before he moved into the first team and now enjoys the company of very experienced cricketers like Steve Cole, Ian Poole, Paul Mansbridge and Dickie Parcell, plus those nearer his own age, like James and Danny Caine.
And finally . . .
Nick has warmed up for the forthcoming season with a string of good performances in the indoor league and is relishing the challenge of a season in division one. He has a £10 bet with John Donnachie, one of Carew’s supporters and a family friend, that he will score a half century at that level and is looking forward to picking the cash up, especially if it happens at Carew!
So it’s all systems ago for this likeable young man and PembrokeshireSport.co.uk wouldn’t mind that sort of bet on Nick Cope either, because he is clearly a batsman with a big future!
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