Cresselly all-rounder Harry Thomas is recognised at awards evening
When Harry Thomas received his Pembroke County Cricket Club youth cap for his playing with Cresselly during the 2012 season it completed a double because he was also chosen by county club officials as the recipient of the Pembroke CCC Bowling Award, formerly known as the Julia White Trophy.
Both came as a pleasant surprise for Harry because he is only just 16 and has another two years left in youth cricket as an all-rounder at Cresselly, where he is remarkably the fourth generation of the Thomas family to be involved, following dad Steve, granddad Philip and his great grand-father, who was also known as Harry and played as a wicket-keeper batsman in the 1950s alongside characters like Charlie Arthur and John Cole.
Following in family footsteps
That Harry junior should be involved is perhaps only natural because as a nipper he used to go along with Phillip, who has been heavily involved with administrating cricket in Pembrokeshire and Wales, to watch Steve play. He was always encouraged by granddad to use the nets at Cresselly and was soon involved with the county at under 11 level, moving through all the other age groups as he has grown in size and confidence.
By the time he was 13 he was playing senior cricket in the club’s third XI and from there was playing in the second string and in the indoor cricket squad as a right-hand bowler and left-handed bat. This nicely follows in an unusual family tradition because both Phil and Steve batted left handed but bowled with their right arm, although it is fair to say that harry already seems to be far quicker in his bowling than either of the other family members at their best!
Still following in family footsteps!
There are also other similarities in that both dad and granddad played in cup competitions and Harry was the youngest in the Cresselly 2ndXI which won the Alec Colley Cup last season, as well as being part of the winning team in the Ormond Youth Cup plate competition against Pembroke Dock after losing in the Ormond Youth Cup Final against Whitland in 2011.
Phil started out his cup success by playing for a winning Carew Youth team captained by Peter Hall (but is adamant that he then saw the light and moved up the hill to Cresselly!) before playing in several Harrison-Allen Bowl semis and at least six Alec Colley Cup Finals, with defeat only coming in the first one, against Narberth.
Steve played in one Harrison-Allen Bowl Final and plenty of Alec Colley Cup Finals, including one when he and Phil played together and Steve was the youngest player to appear in a final. Steve still plays when work allows and he would like nothing better than to play in a final with young Harry!
Harry looks likely to be the best!
All three have played together on one occasion at Cresselly but now it is Harry who takes centre stage as the proud recipient of both awards, he has already grabbed his share of five wicket hauls and scored a few 50s so it is a case of onwards and upwards in the years to come.
Cresselly Cricket Club has always turned out talented young cricketers and there is no doubt that Harry Thomas is the latest on the particular conveyor belt as he continues to bowl pace right armed and bats well left-handed!
Photos:
Harry Thomas plays a good shot for Cresselly
Harry at the awards evening