Cricket News . . . from PembrokeshireSport.co.uk

Peter’s a Narberth sportsman through and through 

Peter Hughes has been heavily involved with football and cricket at Narberth for as long as he can recall – and is still going strong today as part of the Hughes’ family dynasty which has served both sports so well.

His father, David Hughes, played cricket and rugby for Narberth and was in Narberth’s team when they first won the Harrison-Allen Bowl in 1948.  Peter’s two sons Ian and Marc, his brother Gary, plus nephews Daniel and Ben, can all play a bit so it must be in the genes!

Peter has played all his sport for Narberth, turning out in football and cricket at every level. His first competitive games were the Ormond Cup (cricket) and Junior League (football) – run throughout the sixties by Ivor Badham and Noel Seabourne, two great characters sorely missed by Narberth Football Club.

Early days

Whilst at Whitland Grammar School Peter played flanker in the school rugby 1 st XV and opened the batting for the school cricket 1 st XI - Dai Cherry was the star performer there and his son Daniel later played for Glamorgan CC.  On many occasions Peter had a hard game of school rugby in the morning followed by playing football for the Narberth 1 st team in the afternoon, but he admits that he enjoyed every minute of it!

He played in the Wiltshire Cup Final 1969/70 season, with Narberth losing to Fishguard 3-0 – where Arwyn Howells, his county youth colleague, scored the hat-trick.  Peter also played for the County Youth and got selected for West Wales youth to play against East Wales, but got injured a couple of days before that game took place, playing for Narberth 1 st team in the Pembroke Borough Sportsman Cup, which used to take place at that time.

Starting out in senior sport

Peter was a regular in the Narberth football and cricket first teams when he was just sixteen.  Initially Narberth entered their 2 nd XI in the newly formed cricket leagues (late 60s) – the 1 st XI had long standing commitments with South Wales teams, but when league cricket became the norm, the 1 st XI went into Division 3 (South) with a strong side – the likes of Roger Price and Bobby Simons – someone who has done an immeasurable amount of work for Narberth Cricket Club over a long period of time.

In the first season in Division 3, Narberth were champions and then Second Division champions the following year. In their first season in Division 1 under the captaincy of Mike Evans, they came joint top with Cresselly – a play-off took place on the first Saturday in September, but unfortunately Narberth’s opening bowlers John Evans and Fred Thomas, who had skittled teams out all season, decided they had to play football that day and Cresselly won! 

Football memories

Not long after Fred Thomas tragically died and to raise money for his young family the Narberth football committee arranged for an all star team of former Welsh internationals to play football against a joint Narberth/Kilgetty side.  The Welsh team included John and Mel Charles, Mel Nurse and Len Allchurch.  Although a sad occasion it’s not every day you play against John Charles, one of the greatest footballers that ever lived, as Peter did!

Peter also played for the Narberth football 1 st team throughout the 1970s - as club captain in the 1978/79 season. He also played in two senior cup semi-finals in 1974 and 1980, but failed to get to a final.  The main players in the team at that time included Mike Johns, Peter Johnson, Gary Hughes, Dai Jones and latterly Philip Scourfield and Keith Young.

Back to cricket

A serious knee injury cut short Peter’s football career and he returned to his second love of cricket in 1987, which he had retired from ten years earlier due to a combination of work commitments, his total commitment to football in Narberth and coping with two hyperactive children – his sons Ian and Marc! 

He then opened the batting for Narberth 2 nd XI for the next twenty years and under the captaincy of John Owen they won the Alec Colley Cup in 1994, playing against Neyland when together with Mike Johns they passed 126 in the final innings without losing a wicket.  The following season saw Narberth winning the 4 th Division under the captaincy of Richard Howell.  Peter also played in another Alec Colley final in 2002, losing to a strong Haverfordwest side. 

The boys do well

Later he played in the same team as Ian and Marc, watching them develop into excellent cricketers and he had great pleasure watching them play county cricket at all youth levels, well run at that time by Dai Williams and Ray Kane. 

Ian later turned out for the full county side with Marc also playing county youth football.  Both boys were in the Narberth Wiltshire Cup winning side of 1996, whilst Marc has played in two senior cup finals for Narberth.  They both played in the successful Narberth Reserve side which dominated local football when the reserve leagues were first introduced.  Narberth CC saw them playing in the league winning side of 1997 and the Harrison-Allen final in 2008 – when the team didn’t do themselves justice and were heavily defeated by Carew.

Successful coach – and a host of other jobs!

Peter then went on to become the youth team coach in both cricket and football for the next ten years and this proved to be an extremely successful period in both codes, winning just about every honour possible. When Narberth won the Under 14s football cup in 1994, Simon Davies who now plays for Fulham, was in the Solva side that day, although Richard Adams had the measure of him in that game!  Narberth also won the Ormond Cup in 1996 despite Daniel Cherry playing for Cresselly that day.

Among Peter’s many roles with Narberth AFC, he has been player, youth team coach, committee man, groundsman, linesman and first aid man.  Similarly with Narberth CC he has been player, youth team coach, secretary, committee man and at the present time he is their scorer having recently taken over from Narberth stalwart Idwal Vincent. 

Golf enthusiast – and a Man U fanatic!

Having now retired from cricket he spends a lot of his spare time on the golf course, playing regularly with Steve Allen, whose son Joe is doing so well for Swansea City.  Peter also belongs to the Kilgetty Golf Society which is extremely well run by Mark and Barry Wood, whom he still regards as the best cricketer in the county over the years, and has managed to get down to a 17 handicap.

Peter was always encouraged to play sport as a youngster by his parents David and Dilys, and when he got married to Nina in 1976 they went to see Manchester United play whilst on honeymoon!  Nina knew then she was in for a life of sport and she has coped pretty well living with three sports fanatics!  Peter says that one of the great pleasures in life has been his regular trips to Old Trafford with Marc to see the great Manchester United in action.

And finally . . .

But it is sport in Narberth that has been one of Peter’s major interests outside his family and he currently scores every Saturday, and in midweek cup matches, for Narberth CC before switching his allegiance to football at Jesse Road come September.

Peter would say that he has had a great deal out of his sport but those who know him would say that he has certainly put more into Narberth cricket and football than he could ever take out. One only has to chat to Peter for a short while to see his commitment and enthusiasm, as we did at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk – and we can say that Peter Hughes is a gentleman of Narberth and Pembrokeshire Sport!