‘Around the footballing touchlines’ special feature:

 

John Donnachie – a Lamphey ‘legend’ and Carew Cricket fan!

 


John Donnachie was very active in football and cricket in his younger days and even now he still follows Carew Cricket Club with his lovely wife Jill, sitting on the boundary a little way from the entrance gate at the Gerald Hicks Recreation Ground.
 
He was a very useful cricketer in his younger days with Pembroke Dock and Lamphey, and later ran the village’s football team as he guided them into the first division, with Jill doing an admirable job as club secretary.
 
It was here that he started his long association with the village as Lamphey AFC came into being after he had noticed that there was little in terms of sport there for the cricketing youngsters and suggested starting a football team on the Recreation Field, because there was plenty of space there - and when a sponsored walk raised £180 then Lamphey AFC was up and running.
 

Started Lamphey Juniors FC – and an inauspicious start

 
The under 16 team started playing friendlies on Sundays and included quality players like Mike Hayden, Andrew Skeels, John Dyson, Robert Izzard, Andrew Dyson, Tommy Lewis and Owen Shanklin.
 
But it was hardly an auspicious start as they lost their first game 15-0 and their second by 8-0 but they stuck together, entered the junior league the next year and ended up in a respectable mid-table position.
 
But a number of those players were too old after that so John had to restart with more youngsters as Alan Wastnage gave him a hand - and it wasn’t long before Andrew Dyson and Neil Morris were attending trials with Cardiff City, with Andrew being signed but Neil just missed out but showed his skills as a very good Welsh League player for Des Shanklin at Pembroke Borough.
 

First trophy won – 44 years ago!

 
In 1980/81 Lamphey won their first trophy as they beat New Hedges in the under 15 league and completed the double by winning the cup with players like Victor Saunders, Andrew Thomas, Tommy Neil, John Lewis, Nicky Penniket, Adam Seaton, Phil Colley, John Dyson, Kevin Carroll, Richard Jones; Haydn Edmond, Adrian James and Chris Izzard.
 
The new under 13s also won the cup for their age group and many of them went on to become very good cricketers as a bonus.
 

Seniors start too, with early successes

 
It was at this time that John decided that the village should start a senior team, rather than lose those at the junior age limit - and enjoyed immediate success as they gained promotion from Division Four as runners-up to Cosheston.
 
Lamphey then won the Division Three Cup, beating Clarbeston Road in the dark at Marble Hall by 2-1 after extra time, with goals by Mike ‘Weaver’ Callan and Martin Edmond.
 
It was in 1986/87 that Lamphey were promoted again and they had the likes of Adam Porteous and Nicky Penniket, with Mike Allen coming out of retirement, playing alongside Dai Stanley, Andrew McNally, Carl Smith, Dai Gibby, Byron Phillips, Andrew Jenkins, Chris Edmond and Paul John.
 

A speechless Mr Donachie – and clever signings of old-timers

 
The players were really appreciative and presented John with an engraved tankard and for once our Mr Donnachie was speechless! Perhaps it was their thanks because he and Mike Callan had rigged up lights so they could train on the village field, organising the team on a Friday night so they had enough players, marking the pitch, putting up and taking down the nets, acting as first-aid man and even running the line when Ashley Cook left the village.
 
During his time as manager of Lamphey he made amazing signings of old-timers; none better that Ken Harries, arguably the best header of a ball and goal-scorer in his day, and later on Bernie Armstrong, another great goal-grabber and header of the ball too!
 

Little football because of injury but cricket went on

 
John’s own early days were spent playing football and cricket at the old Coronation School and when he left, he had a few games with Pembroke Borough before he sustained a nasty injury - and that was the end of that!
 
But he could still play cricket and enjoyed 16 seasons with Britannia, now Pembroke Dock Cricket Club, where he joined a host of real characters playing in divisions one or two like Johnny Dix, Bryn Rowlands, Len Roberts, Frank Harries and Mal Morris - but then he met his wife Jill, a Freshwater East girl, got married and moved to Freshwater East with her.
 
He captained Lamphey for a decade and had a top score of 87, and with players of the calibre of Terry Cole, Chris, Neil and Steve Rule he took them from division four to division one - and when he retired he not only supported them but after becoming good friends with the legendary Barry Wood in hockey, he not only watched cricket around the county but loved watching Carew Cricket, where he was eventually honoured with the presidency of the club.
 

And finally . . .

 
Sadly, now 86 years old, he isn’t able to attend as many games but is well cared for by Jill, who loves her sport as much as he does, Their son Lee Farrant, who they adopted when he was three, is in regular contact with him and Jill, who cared for him superbly when he received a life-threatening injury in an accident at work and is just as dedicated today (Message to Jill - I have always told him that like me he is a lucky feller - and I still believe that!)
 
When they were sat alongside other old sporting pals in Danny Thomas and Phil Davies at Carew, Mrs D always found a chocolate treat or a cake in the back of the car and I enjoyed many chats about sport with them for many years.
 
John Donnachie has always believed in doing things the right way and served Pembrokeshire Sport well - and long may he continue to enjoy himself alongside his much better half Jill in their home in Freshwater East!