Julie Davies is one of the scorers in local cricket who took on the role because a member of her family (in her case it was son Rhys, who was heavily involved at Carew), and eight years later she is still doing a great job.
 
In that time she has become a very good and thorough scorer and has been recognised by the Carew players, opponents and umpires and was delighted to pass the exam for scorers set by the Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers.
 

Loves being involved

 
It is also fair to say that Julie gets on really well with her fellow scorers and members of the local press – and we all think she is brilliant in the way that she is always ready to help – and if she can’t supply details because the game is poised at tense moment she phones back at the first opportunity.
 
She is quick to appreciate the camaraderie with her colleagues and us old hacks – and another endearing feature is that Julie always has a tin of sweets to share with us!

One of the best things for Julie has been the friendships she has made amongst her colleagues.

“They are all lovely and we enjoy each other’s company – and even in tough league matches or tense finals we still work together and help each other out.”
 
 

Asked to help by skipper Rob – and a tough start

 
Julie started out because Carew found themselves short of an umpire for their first team and skipper Rob Scourfield asked her if she would do it since she attended every match to support Rhys, who has since had a successful spell of captaincy himself.
 
“I always used to watch Carew from the time my ex-husband Gari played for Carew and my partner, John Rees, also played – but that still didn’t quite set me up for the task of learning, and understanding, all the signals from the umpires.
 
“I had a bit of a tough baptism because our first game was against Llanrhian and they didn’t have a scorer but I muddled though somehow before Rhys continued my teaching back home. It was quite funny to start because we had sets of brothers in the team and they always pointed out if I wrongly gave a catch to one of them – and it was made difficult because I had to try and recognise them batting because they wore their helmets!.
 

Needs concentration – and not getting too involved!

 
“But if I’m honest it was concentrating for such long periods that was the hardest thing involved, especially if we had a league game on a Saturday and then a Welsh or Village Cup match on Sunday, where we could travel to places as far afield as Birmingham or Cornwall!”
 
Julie was rightly proud that Rhys was chosen as captain but admits that made it a bit harder because she desperately wanted him to do well.

“It was nice to score alongside someone like Wendy Bradshaw and her son Peter at St Ishmaels but it is much easier now because I know all the Carew players so well and they are all my boys now!”
 
Outside of her cricket, Julie is very much a family lady with Rhys and his girlfriend Emily Kaijaks, plus her daughter Mari and partner Vaughan Holding – and of course her first grandson in Iolo.
 

A lighter moment - when Rees was the culprit

 
Inevitably there have been lighter moments and one such which springs readily to mind again took place at Llanrhian, where Julie told us,

“In one match at Llanrhian I parked up but was told by the players that the car wasn’t safe where it was so I moved it – and guess what? One of the Carew players landed a six hit straight onto my bonnet and the dent is still there!

She politely declined to name the culprit but our research has shown us – you guessed it – her son Rhys!
 

And finally . . .

 
Like most scorers, Julie’s scorebook looks a picture, a real work of art, and she even indicates with a cross in pencil where any dropped catches take place, which is always of great interest to players in the bar afterwards.
 
So now Julie can’t wait for this season to finally under way and there’s one thing for sure – watch a Carew 1^st team game and you are sure to see a smiley lady doing a great job in the scorebox for them – and that lady will be Julie Davies!