When Johnston entertained St Ishmaels at the tail end of the season in their division two clash it was unusual that they had the same two umpires throughout the game as both clubs are lucky to have former players willing to give their time every week.
 
It goes without saying that both are real characters who also served their respective clubs really well in football, with both as league and/or Senior Cup winner’s medals but in cricket they are amazing because Steve James has been involved with Johnston Cricket Club for 47 years and Robbie Thomas has been with Tish for well over 35 years - and is still the current second team skipper.
 

Umpired to give youngsters a chance

 
But Robbie has played only two games for them (and two for the firsts when they were short) because he wants to see talented youngsters being given the chance alongside ‘old timers’ in Darren Hawkins, Kevin Bowen and Stuart Carpenter - hence his donning the white coat.
 
Coincidentally, both Steve & Robbie were talented footballers and deadly rivals but both say they have mellowed a bit since then and actually enjoyed being the men in the middle for this last match before Tish won to make sure they went back into the first division as champions!
 

Loyalty a by-word for Steve

 
Steve’s loyalty is a by-word because he was a key player before Covid and afterwards was involved in the seconds and was regularly roped in to umpire if he wasn’t batting - and eventually took the decision to retire and officiate for the first team on a regular basis, which doesn’t happen a great deal.
 
He was a more than useful all-rounder at his peak and had a top score of 119 not out at home to Herbrandston Seconds and a previous best of 82 not out when playing for the first team.
 
He was also a very useful and accurate medium pace bowler and on one occasion, when the pitch was much closer to the houses at nearby Glebelands he took four wickets in as many balls - and he was denied a fifth successive scalp when a fielder dropped a dolly and the batsman repaid Steve by smashing 25 runs off his next over!
 
He also claimed a hat-trick on one occasion when Georgie Fraser was the neutral umpire and raised his finger for three lbw decisions.

“I always bowled wicket to wicket,” was Steve’s appraisal of that occasion!
 
As well as being the club umpire, Steve also tends the wicket at the club, with Steve Mills Snr doing a good job of cutting the outfield.
 

Robbie started at Marloes but then moved to Tish when they finished

 
Robbie, on the other hand isn’t quite a ‘one-club man’ because as a schoolboy in Milford Haven who was well looked after by a certain Mr Bill Carne he lived in Dale so Marloes was the nearest available club.

“It was packed with characters like John Howells, Mel Williams, Bernie Stephens and Martin ‘Truck’ Davies,” Robbie told us, “and it was my happiest time in cricket, with no disrespect to Tish because I couldn’t have found a better club than them!”
 
Then he joined St Ishmaels in football and cricket where he was a first-team regular as an accurate medium-pace bowler who scored a few runs at key times before eventually stepping into the seconds to use his experience with the growing group of youngsters – and his top score was 96 for the first team against Stackpole before he struck two centuries for the seconds.
 
But it was his bowling where he achieved his most memorable performance as he took 9 for 8 against Haverfordwest Fourths – and the other wicket came via a run-out!

“Gerald Llewellyn, who like Eric Griffiths was a great character, had the ball mounted on a plinth, suitable inscribed.
 

And finally . . .

 
“This is my second spell as second-team captain and I’ve had the job now for five seasons and I just enjoy being part of a great crowd like The Bradshaws (Wendy is amazing in keeping the club going!), the Devonalds and The Pawletts.
 
“Next season I might take the umpires’ course to help out in cup games but Tish will always come first. It was nice to umpire with Steve, although we were enemies when Johnston and Tish were top footballing teams!”