Micky's Pembrokeshire
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Graham’s made his mark
at Burton Cricket Club
Graham Morris was a self-confessed late starter with Burton Cricket Club but now, almost two decades on, he is still bowling his heart out and claiming more than his share of wickets for the village side’s second or third strings.
In fact, Graham only took up the game when he was 33 because Burton started a third XI and he loaned them a three-acre field near Ashdale Lane from his Little Dumpledale Farm – but he was roped in to play by Cyril Venables, Brian Griffiths and Jim Phillips as they worked on developing a pitch there after he had rotivated an area where they could develop a couple of batting strips.
Up until that time Graham had always been too busy with growing potatoes but the spuds began to take second place to cricket once he started to bowl and really enjoy the involvement! His only previous participation was bowling to dad Duggie when Graham was about nine years old on the tennis court at home, when Duggie was a keen member of Burton United until they finished in 1965. When dad passed away the family presented the Pembroke County Cricket Club with the magnificent DR Morris Cup and the final is still played at Burton every season in memory of Duggie, and is an important date in the Pembrokeshire Cricketing calendar.
Bowling award and a huge win
To his surprise, Graham won the bowling award in his very first season, having claimed over 40 wickets, and in the next season took part in one of the most unusual games he competed in as Burton beat Pembroke Dock by almost 280 runs! The match took place on the newly-developed Oatfield Park, when they used the artificial pitch for its first season, and after losing Winston Griffiths for only four runs they finished up on a massive 285 for 1 as Simon Daley amassed 181 not out and WMB Griffiths finished on 96 after hardly facing a ball in the last five overs.
Then he and 14 year old Tim Haggar opened the bowling for Burton and the bemused Dock team was bowled out for only nine runs as Tim grabbed 4 for 5 and Graham picked up 5 for 4!
Memorable matches
Another memorable match, perhaps for the wrong reasons, came when Graham played for Burton 2nd XI in the Alec Colley Cup Final at Treleet against Cresselly. Not only did Burton lose but Graham broke his knee when he had a ball driven straight back at him and it caught him very firmly indeed. It was really sore but he carried on bowling five overs in the second innings, despite the pain, and only later found he had broken a small bone and had to have his leg placed in plaster.
Graham played in two winning Alec Colley Cup finals, one where he skippered the side, and they completed an amazing come-back after trailing by 48 runs at the tea interval.
He also took part in the unique Alec Colley Cup match against Lawrenny where they had three tied games on consecutive evenings and Burton won easily at the fourth attempt. There were massive odds against such a series of games happening and they hit the national news because of the unusual nature of the tie, which is hugely unlikely ever to be reproduced at any level!
Unusual hat-trick
Graham could also lay claim to the fact that he achieved arguably the most unusual hat-trick of all time because it took him nine months to complete. He played against Stackpole in the final match of a season and grabbed the last two wickets in successive balls – and in the very first match of the next campaign he claimed a wicket with his very first ball against Pembroke Dock at Imble Lane to secure his three-wickets in successive balls feat!
Ask Graham about his bowling and he would chuckle before saying he just tries to bowl slow and straight, but it clearly works because in his time at Burton he has won the bowling award more than ten times for the seconds or thirds. His best figures were 7 for 15 and he has also claimed his share of four and five-wicket hauls but is still trying to convince some of his younger team-mates that he can also score a few runs with the bat.
Rapid-fire runs
He scored 48 not out against Rosemarket many seasons ago and only missed out on a maiden half century because he went in late and didn’t realize just how close he was. But he more than made amends in a game against St Florence on Burton’s ‘Postage Stamp’ where martin Jones slammed a century and Graham gave excellent support with a lightning-quick 67 that comprised 12 fours, two big sixes and only seven singles as he only faced 30 deliveries!
And finally . . .
Graham was again captain of Burton Seconds last season but says that he has little idea about the complexities of placing the field, preferring to leave that aspect of being skipper to the likes of Chris Campbell and Andrew Cromwell.
“But I have still enjoyed being captain,” says Graham “and I will carry on playing for as long as the club needs me and I am not keeping a younger player from having a game every Saturday.”
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