Sporting Snippets - with PembrokeshireSport.co.uk

Sporting Snippets – November 2011

Pete arrives early, Bates & Lout go around in circles, Mr Friday finds his brolly, Freeman is cut up at home and Fanus takes a tumble in the harbour!

Different sporting seasons come and go but it seems that there is always room for a bit of humour in Pembrokeshire Sport – and we highlight a few of the lighter moments again this month – although some of them might have happened a little while ago but have only just come to light!

Pete arrives at the Sports Awards – A week early!

Pete Freeman does yeoman work at Pembrokeshire Harriers and has been recognised for that fact at previous Pembrokeshire Sports Awards evenings at Folly Farm, so it was only natural that he should be in attendance for this year’s ceremony, since some of his young charges were being recognised.

But so keen was he to be there with wife Ann that he actually arrived a week early!

Son Matthew, who coincidentally does a lot of work with Sport Pembrokeshire, who organise the awards, was at home when he received a Friday evening phone call at around seven o’clock and assumed it was dad asking if he could pop over and watch the European Rugby on Sky.

But it was a perplexed Pete who wanted to know what time Folly Farm was due to open because he, Ann and two friends were waiting outside, in the darkness.

Matthew had to explain that Pete had got the date wrong but all’s well that ends well because the quartet enjoyed a nice meal at the nearby pub in Templeton – and were also able to enjoy the Pembrokeshire Sports Awards a week later!

Bates and Lout lose out to Satnav!

Eric Bates and Glynne Williams (Known to all at Narberth RFC as ‘Lout’) are great followers of local and national sport and are often mentioned in the Otters’ programme for the scrapes they get in when travelling to venues (and they even had their own cartoon strip at one time!)

They recently visited Haydock Park for a horse racing day, along with two other gentlemen who are eminently more sensible, and all went well as they used their Satnav to find their venue, which is midway between Liverpool and Manchester.

They had a cracking day out but things started to awry on the way back as their use of modern technology was shown to be a little suspect because whenever they reached a major point in their travel they were told by the voice on Satnav that they should turn round because they were travelling in the wrong direction!

Now this was understandably perplexing for Bates, Lout and Co so they stopped in a services area to check things out – and only then did they realise that they hadn’t amended their Satnav destination from Haydock Park to Narberth. This was swiftly done and I’m glad to report there was no further disruption to their progress – but they’ll take more care with their Satnav when they trek off somewhere in the UK!

Freeman’s back on the mike . . .

We are glad to report that Freeman Brawn, who is deservedly a life member at Narberth RFC and who does such a good job as match-day announcer, is back in action at the Lewis Lloyd Ground, albeit with a big bandage on one of his thumbs. It seems that Mr B was busy hacking back some undergrowth at his home when her misjudged the angle of dangle and allowed the billhook to cut into his digit – with blood spilling everywhere!

It meant a few stitches which Freeman bore with typical aplomb and it certainly hasn’t stopped him using the microphone in the grandstand because at the very next game he was in action, crystal clear and with every syllable perfectly enunciated as he did his usual top job!

So well done Mr B – just be careful with that billhook in future!

Mr Friday finds his brolly, eventually!

Richard Friday and Ernie Tucker do an immense amount of work at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium, but this intrepid duo enjoy most sports and so were delighted to be offered the chance to watch some top cricket at the Swalec Stadium towards the end of the season.

They had hospitality for the day, which was nice for old-timers like them, but when they had enjoyed a very pleasant lunch Richard was disappointed to see that his designer umbrella had disappeared from sight. When he noticed a couple who had been sitting nearby carrying what appeared to be his umbrella he approached them and politely asked if they had mistakenly picked up his brolly – only to be met with denials because they had also acquired that make of umbrella.

It was only a little later that Ernie, as hawk-eyed as ever, spotted Richard’s brolly, which had slipped from view under the table.

Richard was understandably delighted and, true gentleman that he is, found the couple and apologised for his questioning of them earlier on. They saw the funny side of it and everything went swimmingly after that because the weather stayed good, Richard and Ernie enjoyed their cricket – and Mr Friday returned from Cardiff with his beloved brolly!

. . . and Fanus falls over in the Harbour!

Spare a thought next for one of our favourite, and oft-mentioned local sporting characters – and that is Richard Fanus, the well-known Narberth football and rugby supporters, who always enjoys a little wit and back-chat with referees.

Our Richard is nearing the age where he feels he needs a little more exercise and to that end he recently decided that the weather was so good that he would perambulate around Saundersfoot Harbour.

Unfortunately his good intentions came to nought because he lost his balance on a kerb and wend down like a sack of spuds! We hasten to add that he didn’t fall INTO the harbour but on to the tarmac – we just picked our heading carefully to make you want to read on!

I’m glad to report that he was soon back on his feet, eager to say if anyone had seen his dive, and although he was a little sore for a few days it was mainly his pride that was dented – and he was soon back in action at the next Otters’ home game as he provided a few pithy comments in the direction of the referee!