‘Last of the Summer Wine’ still exists at The Racecourse
by Bill Carne

 
One of the beauties of watching cricket is the fact that it takes far longer to complete than games like rugby and football - and so gives far more opportunities for socialising, and occasionally engaging in conversations with total strangers, but more often than not with others you’ve encountered during your playing days and enjoying a ‘Walk Down Memory Lane’ with people you played with or against.
 
It is one of my joys on Saturdays, or at shorter cup matches during evenings, to chat to other cricket lovers, not only about the match but a whole range of other topics from politics and religion, the rubbish that is served up on television or, in this case a chat about the vegetables on a local allotment! And on recent Saturdays I have been lucky to spend such an afternoon with three Haverfordwest old-timers in Stuart Williams, Roger Thomas and Mickie Field.
 

Cricketing CVs of an ancient quartet

 
Stuart played cricket for the Old Thomarians before they ceased to exist and he was still a teenager when he joined The Town, who then had only their pitch on the Old Racecourse and a shed to change in, before building their splendid facilities on the other side of the road.
 
He was very involved as he was club captain seven times, a record since shared with the late Steve James and Danny Potter - and he is the current president after a lengthy previous time as chairman,
 
Mickie came over from Ireland as an 11 year old and established himself in the first team as a terrific swing bowler and useful batsman who often opened if quick runs were needed - and both played for well over 35 years but still watch matches on the top boundary with Roger Thomas, who is known to all as ‘Beamer’, and was at one time captain of the seconds as a doughty wicket-keeper before he became cricket secretary and fixture secretary for a time.
 

Regular leg-pulling, often at my expense

 
One of the regular topics revolves around some gentle leg-pulling at my expense because I have lost count of the number of times they remind me that the first time I encountered Mr Field in a first division match, when I was playing for Pembroke, he bowled me neck and crop as I ‘shouldered arms’ to the first ball he bowled to me and I watched in disbelief as the off-stump cartwheeled behind the wicket and I had to endure the whoops of laughter from Mickie, Stuart and Co.
 
The other ‘first’ for me was a ‘Golden Duck’ at Carew, where we met Haverfordwest in the semi-final of the Harrison-Bowl and I was caught in the slips by the combination of the late Hugh Phillips and Tony Myles! The Town went on to win The Bowl for the first time and Stuart still says I helped him to be the first Haverfordwest captain to lift the trophy!
 

Wide range of topics

 
To be fair to Roger he refuses to laugh and he is a top gentleman of sport because he seems to provide so many regular passers-by with veg from his allotment - last week I had delicious runner and broad beans, he knows they are wife’s favourite veg, plus lovely new potatoes. We chat about his allotment and how this crop has flourished and that one has disappointed so far!
 
Rugby is often a topic of conversation because Stuart ‘departed’ from Haverfordwest to play for Llangwm at a time when they had some amazing players like George Thomas, Roy Harries, Bert Jones, Glyndwr and Dillwyn Lewis, Juno John, Peter Rees, Barry Jones and plenty of others of their stature. It seems that Micky and Beamer are still not over-impressed by his lengthy ‘desertion’!
 
‘Beamer’ played for both Llangwm (late in his career to help out) and Haverfordwest, captaining their seconds as a durable prop - and Mickie played but shoulder damage meant he had to stop. And me? I can only boast that I played against Barry John and Terry Price - and our head teacher called us a disgrace after one disaster when Price scored eight tries past me at full back!
 

Warm welcome for visitors from other clubs

 
It is often the case that old rivals walk past and stop for a chat, like in one recent match former Carew pace bowler Tony Matson stopped to reminisce (but mor of that at another time) and Dai Davies from Llangwm relived former glories of games - we all played against him as a gentleman of sport who was still fiercely competitive.
 
We also chat about players we liked and hated playing against and positive names that crop up include players like the late Peter Hall and Martin Cole of Carew, Barry Wood and Graham Jenkins (Kilgetty), Tommy Jones, Jackie Capon and Colin Davies (Neyland). As to the ones we dislike? My lips are sealed!
 

Good grub – and rose-tinted dark glasses!

 
There is also food available because Stuart’s housekeeper, a lovely lady named Olwen, bakes the most delicious fruit cakes, Stuart sometimes stumps up for a baguette at Greggs and ‘Beamer’ concocts delicious sandwiches, which Mickie and I protest about - as he silently slips into his car to digest the sausage rolls and cakes he has hidden in his car alongside us!
 
It all adds up to an idyllic Saturday afternoon, although we are all too quick to say that the current players are too loud in their appeals and not anywhere as good as when we played (that’s rose-tinted specs we all wear instead of sun-glasses.)
 
So this Saturday, they will be there again, watching The Town Seconds entertain Lamphey in Division Three. And God willing, I might just be able to spend an hour there (I have other cricketing fish to fry!), up at the top end to the side of the sight-screen, looking down on the clubhouse and bemoaning the fact that there is some serious drinking going on there and allowing us to watch the game in peace.
 
Did I say watch? That might be too-descriptive of what we do but if you are walking around, especially if you have a canvas chair and some sandwiches or cakes, and know even the tiniest bit about local cricket, then park yourself down to say hello!