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Sam’s a young star at Saundersfoot
Someone who is really looking forward to the 2010 cricket season is Sam Butler because, at just 14 years of age, he is likely to be opening the batting for Saundersfoot Cricket Club in the first division of the Antur Pembrokeshire League after the club gained promotion at the end of the last campaign.
Sam has only been playing cricket for about three years and made his debut in the first team in 2009 as Saundersfoot battled their way into promotion contention and he showed his considerable batting prowess with 392 runs during the season at an average of 35-plus, no mean feat when one considers his age and relative inexperience.
Garden start and a trip to Saundersfoot
Since there was no cricket team in his home town of Tenby, after playing quite a lot in the garden at home with brother Lewis (16), Sam travelled across to Saundersfoot at 11 years of age and took to it so quickly that by the time he was 13 he had a top score of 60 in junior cricket - and was playing for the club’s second string at senior level and getting loads of encouragement from Roger Stanford and Chris Hawkes.
Also a great help have been the likes of Dickie Parcell, Ian Poole, Paul Mansbridge, Steve Cole and especially Danny and James Caine, who as captain gave Sam his chance to open after batting at Number 7 in the opening match. Sam repaid him with a string of good performances where he scored 89 not out and 84 not out against Stackpole, plus 67 against Fishguard, as well as eight wickets with his bowling skills. It was in the first match against Stackpole where he was delighted to share a club record stand of 190 with Nick Cope, who completed a deserved century.
Other sports
Sam is also a very useful footballer, rugby and tennis player and clearly enjoys being involved in a range of sports. He started out in football as an eight year old with Tenby AFC and is now captain of Tenby under 15s, where he plays at the heart of the defence but still finds time to push forward at set pieces to score. So far he has found the net four times this season, including two headers, and the team is second in the table to Hakin United.
Sam also plays rugby for Greenhill School and for Tenby United juniors, who have not been playing together long but are beginning to take shape. In school he plays at inside centre under the watchful eye of Mr Matthew Davies and the other coaches – and he also plays rugby league for the Greenhill School team which reached the semi-final of the Welsh Schools’ competition in rugby league, scoring his fair share of tries in both codes.
Not content with that little lot, Sam was also a more than useful tennis player with Tom James and then John Deason as his coaches. He played to a good standard in county tournaments but then had to stop playing because it was clashing more and more with his football.
County cricket and indoor league
But cricket remains his favourite sport and Sam also played for the county under 15s and enjoyed useful innings of 68 and 50 for them but he was unable to go on tour with them -because he was on holiday in the USA. But there is no doubt that he learned a great deal last season and he is currently warming up his all-round skills by playing for Saundersfoot in the indoor league alongside other talented youngsters like Nick and Richard Cope, Simon Stanford, Yannick Parker and Sam Franklin, a side whose average age is under 20. They are in need of gaining some experience against top sides like Neyland, Whitland and Haverfordwest but Sam and Co are quick learners!
And finally . . .
Ask Sam about the future with regard to his cricket and he says he is happy to continue at Saundersfoot because the club is great to him. He has quickly adapted to being the youngster in the team and says that he is now even used to the humour supplied in the slip cordon by wicket-keeper Ian Poole, Dickie Parcell, Steve Cole and James Caine. Sam is already a good stroke-player with his ability to cut and pull balls to either boundary and there is no doubt that as he gets stronger and improves his technique he will be one to watch for the future – and PembrokeshireSport.co.uk will follow this likeable young man’s progress with great interest!
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