Craig Williamson was born and bred in Pennar alongside his brothers Luke (who is his twin), and their younger sibling Liam - but all three played for Hundleton cricket team before Craig went off at 16 to join the Royal Welsh Regiment - and when he returned home in 2021 he was welcomed back with open arms as he is a very useful left-arm swing bowler and powerful right-handed batsman.
 

Loved it at Crickmarren too – but decided he might be a little too old now!

 
He also joined Pembroke Rugby Club at Crickmarren and made an impact as a powerful second row or back rower who had been a regular in his regiment and had helped them to three Army Cup Finals at Aldershot, in front of very partisan and vociferous crowds.
 
He really enjoyed the company of characters like Dillwyn Williams, Simon Edwards and Darrell Willington as well as playing alongside the likes of Scott Powell, Jordan Evans and Will Edwards - but sadly admits that at 34 years of age it is time he focussed his sport on the far gentler summer sport of cricket!
 
Ask Craig about his cricket and he says that he loved playing whenever he had a chance before he moved to Tidworth, in Wiltshire, but it was rugby that took up most of his spare time, outside of his service in Afghanistan in 2009.








 

Lots of rugby in the army

 
His army work revolved around armoured infantry and he was soon playing for the regiment after learning his skills in Pembrokeshire Comprehensive School under the guidance of Mr Thomas and Mr Bowen.
 
“We played against other regiments and it was a good standard where fit young British players were joined by some recruits from other countries, particularly from Fiji, where they were invariably super-fit and very ‘hard’ in terms of tackling and charging forward - and we had a few in our squad that stood out as we enjoyed those three finals at Aldershot.
 
“It meant a lot to the regiment and we had special privileges in terms of extra time off for training - and before one final we were all taken off to St Athans Army Camp in South Wales for a full week’s intensive training - but although we were super-fit we came across the 12th Regiment, the Royal Artillery, and sadly it didn’t end up with victory.
 
“We had the same result, although the games were very competitive and with close results, and I still have the trophies as mementoes of a time where we had huge camaraderie and everyone enjoyed each other’s company!”




 

Enjoys the ‘genuine characters’ at Hundleton

 
Going back to his cricket at Hundleton, Craig would describe it as being ‘typical village cricket’ where a few players do an enormous amount of hard work off the field, and have done so far many years.
“At Hundleton we are lucky to have Steve Williams, who is my uncle, Chris Stapleton and Jonathan Williams, who have jokingly nicknamed ‘Grumpy’ but is a great character and has held the club’s batting together for many years, with the likes of Ben Adams, who is a very good captain, Robson Walkey (another great character), Dave Lockyear and Dylan Davies, who is an under-rated wicket-keeper.
 
To that list we can add Craig Williamson, who has taken more than his share of wickets from his left-arm swing bowling, which earned him the ‘Man of the Match’ title when Hundleton won the Ken Morris Cup Final in Narberth.
 
He also played for them in another two-innings- a-side competition in the Alan Brown Cup Final at Whitland and bowled his heart out as they won one and lost the other to a strong team in neighbours Pembroke, who were promoted for the next season and so couldn’t take part any more.
 

Two centuries as reward for his big hitting

 
He has also featured with the bat because he scored his first century against Whitland 2nds and then against Pembroke Dock 2nds he belted 130 in June 2024 - and of course it included plenty of sixes!
He was also a key player when they played in the indoor league but Hundleton have opted not to enter team now and he admits that he misses it in the dark Winer evenings.
 
Small wonder that other clubs have invited Craig to join them but he has had no hesitation in turning them down because he is Hundleton all the way.
 
And throughout a full sporting life in the army, and now back in ‘Civvy Street’ he has been very lucky to have had total support from his wife Carla, although she is not a keen player or supporter of any particular sport but encourages him to be involved.
 

Appreciated by ‘Taffy’

 
Craig clearly enjoys his time at Hundleton and it is clear that he is held in high regard because Jonathan ‘Taffy’ Williams, very much the senior player now at the club, told us,
 
“Craig has made a huge difference to our club, not only by his own performances but by the way he lifts others into playing their best alongside him. He is the quickest bowler in our division and we keep telling him to make sure he doesn’t put his shoulder out from his efforts.
 
“He is also a massive hitter who has already had three bats since he joined us, which we tease him about, but know that he has changed our attitude as he has encouraged some of the older players to raise their game alongside talented youngsters like Ava and Elliott Midgley.”
 
High praise indeed from someone who is also Hundleton through and through - and we can say that if ‘Taffy’ recognises his contribution in that way then we could pay Craig Williamson no higher compliment – and we will enjoy his yeoman efforts the next time we watch him play!