Around the Boundary Feature:

 
 
14 years ago Adge John believed that his involvement in cricket was over, other than watching games as well as he was able, a condition called ‘Retinitis Pigmentosa’ causing him problems because he eventually lost all his peripheral vision, although he could still manage to see anything directly ahead.

“It’s better known as ‘Tunnel Vision’, “explained Adge, with typical simplicity.
 
Coincidentally, he had just been asked by an old Kilgetty Cricket Club pal, then playing at Saundersfoot, if he fancied taking on the role of being the Seasiders’ scorer. Of course Adge was dubious but had every support from his wife Libby, who gave him every encouragement to give it a try and after a great deal of thought Adge decided he would have a bash.
 

Great support from players and other scorers . . . And especially from one young lady!

 
 
“It was the best sporting decision I had made for a long time,” Adge told us, “because I was welcomed with open arms by all the players, with Jimmy Caine acting as my chauffeur to games until other commitments caused him to take a break from playing - and in stepped brothers Tom and John Mansbridge as they ferry me to all the games.”
 
It was a similar situation with all the other scorers around the county because everyone is so helpful and if he needs help then they are there for him.
“Wendy Bradshaw (St Ishmaels), Jayne Cole (Haverfordwest) and Julie Davies (Carew) really look after me and so do the likes of Janice Brick (Llangwm), Janice Webb (Burton) alongside younger scorers like Cerys Jenkins (Cresselly 1sts), Jess Lewis (Cresselly 2nds) and Nicola Murray (Pembroke Dock).
 
Another young scorer was Teagan Cartwright, at Cresselly and she saved Adge from getting in to trouble health-wise because Adge has also suffered from Type One diabetes for 47 years and she noticed that he wasn’t himself in the score box - and fed him lots of sweets until helped arrived and stopped him going into a ‘hypo’ and falling unconscious!
 

Three other fellers in the score boxes – but he’s envious of lady scorers’ neatness

 
“There are also three other fellers scoring in the first two divisions in John Laugharne, (Neyland) who I have known since my young playing days when he was playing for the village; Malcolm Thomas (Lawrenny), whose father Elliot was also involved as an umpire and Gary Davies, now scoring for Herbrandston - and when we scored together recently we took a real ‘walk down Memory Lane’ with regard to our younger days when we played football against each other.”
 
Whilst Adge readily acknowledges the care shown to him by the ladies he also has to admit that they show him up a little with their fantastically neat scorebooks and their ability to keep the ‘Play Cricket Live’ app up to date whilst he has enough work to get the score right so that the players or umpires don’t nag him - as one official did recently because Adge spelt his name wrongly!
 

Harrison-Allen winners’ medal a playing highlight

 
In his own playing days there is no doubt that being a member of a winning Kilgetty team in the Harrison-Allen Bowl Final was a highlight.
“That was in 1970, 53 years ago, when I was 18 and just starting to break into the team and Barry Wood was head and shoulders the best cricketer who almost won the game single-handed in terms of runs and wickets as we beat Carew.
 
“But there were other players of the calibre of Teddy George (wicket-keeper), Fred Thomas, Peter Dawkins, Dennis Stone, Peter John, Colin Soar, Gerry Taylor, and real characters in Wallace Poole and Billy Evans. We only lost three wickets in each innings so I didn’t get a chance to bat but it was a wonderful experience I was lucky to be involved in.
 
"Billy Evans is still going strong at 90 but has been a wonderful servant of the club but when I started out he didn’t believe very much in injections and the like and when I left my insulin  on a window sill before one game he threw it out of the window - and someone had to go home to collect me some more or I couldn’t have played!
 

Adge also played football as a goalkeeper – and a bit of rugby ‘up the line’

 
As well as his cricket, Adge was also a more than useful goalkeeper as he stood between the sticks for Kilgetty, Narberth and New Hedges/Saundersfoot at different times.
The undoubted highlight came when he played for New Hedges/Saundersfoot and they beat a very strong Johnston side 2-0 in the Senior Cup Final, and he also coached the second team and was assistant manager of the firsts and then chairman for seven years.
 
He also played rugby for Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, and Abercarn when his work took him to Newport.
“My friends now might be surprised to learn I played at full back in the Gwent Valley League and I quickly learned that you had to be able to stand up for yourself in the fights that seemed to break out in most games,” he added with a chuckle!
 
“After that it was quite nice to come back to Pembrokeshire and get knocked about by strikers in the county, as he discussed when he scored alongside Gary Davies (another ex-keeper now scoring, as they took a ‘walk down Memory Lane’ between overs!
 

Seen cricket develop well at Saundersfoot

 
Since he took over as Saundersfoot scorer Adge has seen the young-ish team gain promotion and suffer relegation - but is delighted that they are now back in the first division. During his time at Saundersfoot he was delighted to be their scorer when they won the Alan Brown Final after  they fell into division three - and they have since been in three losing Harrison-Allen semi-finals, the most disappointing being four seasons ago when they lost out to favourites Lawrenny at Pembroke Dock as opposing skipper Joe Kidney belted a six off the final ball of the match!
 
“Another big moment last season was when we beat champions Neyland on their own patch and on ours - because it showed our players that when they play to their full capacity they are capable of living with the best in the county.
 

And finally . . .

 
Adge is very philosophical about his deteriorating eyesight but still hopes to carry on for a spell yet because it has really boosted his feeling of well-being and gives him the chance to renew old friendships and make new ones.
 
We at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk are very proud to count ourselves as members of the former group from our playing days as rival wicketkeepers and it is great now that we are able to speak almost every weekend as he provides us with details of Saundersfoot’s matches over the phone.
 
It was also a pleasure to sit by him a couple of weeks ago when he was scoring in a cup match in Saundersfoot – and we can say without any doubt that he is one of the neatest scorers (especially with regard to men) – and a gentleman of cricket in particular and sport in general!