Hundleton Cricket Club has rightly earned a reputation as a very keen group of cricketers who come mainly from the tiny village and play their cricket in a competitive, but sportsmanlike manner.
 
We asked old hands Steve Williams and Chris Stapleton to choose a ‘Select XI’ from the last 20 years – and few people would know the personnel better because Steve, who is one of an incredible number of players named Williams involved and played for 43 years before joining Chris (their fiery import from Laugharne some 40 years ago) as excellent umpires last year.
 
Their choices are interesting and light-hearted comments about some of them come from the irrepressible Mr Williams!
 




Jonathan Williams
 
The senior member of the team who has been captain, secretary and groundsman as he follows in the footsteps of his late dad John. He has been with Hundleton CC all of his career but could and should have played division one level because he has been more than capable of doing so. Scored six centuries and has been leading run maker in most of his playing years ‘Taffy’ has been amongst the leading wicker takers and often fills in as wicketkeeper.
 









Phil Williams
 
‘Young Taffy’ showed promise from the time he first picked up a bat and eventually played for Cresselly, winning a lot of silverware as one of the best openers in the county. He also captained Cresselly to some of their best seasons and we in the village are proud of his deserved success.
 













Morgan Allen
 
Was a very good opening bat who was also a useful wicket-keeper as a bonus – and he loved to play his shots along the ground as he accumulated a lot of runs. Now lives in Dubai and he did threaten to play a few games for us last season but we couldn’t manage his air fare home!
 













Ben Adams  
 
Ben is an opening bowler and hard- hitting top-order batsman and excellent fielder. He's also a very talented darts player on the UK circuit so spends half the season travelling to play in high-ranking darts competitions. He is also a very talented footballer playing for Goodwick United.
 






Steffan Williams
 
Steffan has been playing in the first team for a long time, although he is only 22 now He has been a county youth cricketer as a medium-fast opening bowler and hard-hitting middle-order batsman. He is also a keen fielder and Hundleton hope he can fulfil his considerable promise with them because much is expected of him for the future.












 
Richard Allen
 
Morgan’s younger brother and as well as being ‘Mr Nice Guy’ was one of the best all-rounders to come out of the club in the last 20 years as a classy batsman and useful bowler who served the club well until his work as a high-powered executive at Valero meant he was unable to play regularly.
 










Yori Humphreys
 
The youngster in the current team and an exceptionally talented sportsman at cricket, football, rugby, tennis and athletics.  Sadly, he misses large parts of the season as he's representing Pembrokeshire Harriers in athletics but much is expected of him in cricket in the future.



 
Paul Fox
 
Paul is an exceptionally hard hitting scorer of quick centuries and has a double century to his name so when his eye is in its run for cover because he can hit to all corners of the ground., But when it's not then he's often with the ducks – but we love watching him play his ‘calypso cricket’.
 




Steve Williams
 
Modesty prevented Steve from including himself but we have done it anyway because he has consistently scored runs for 43 years’ let along the last 20, and has been a great servant of the club off the field, as well as on it. Decided to take up umpiring last season, took the umpires’ course and is already making a name for himself in his new role.








 
Chris Stapleton
 
Chris came to Hundleton from Laugharne as a very fit and fiery fast bowler who mellowed into a more than useful all-rounder and great club man who has filled all the offices in the club and was captain for almost a decade. Steve tells us that ‘Stapes’ came in off a 30 yard run when he joined them, snorting fire, but now he jogs in from five yards, gasping for breath. Like Steve he has taken up umpiring and the pair have already earned a good reputation, especially when they work together in cup matches.










 
Mark Williams
 
The third of the Williams’ brothers brought up in the game by dad John and mother Hilary – and a useful wicket-keeper who could hit the ball hard when he connected.
He’s played for Hundleton for 40 years or so and Steve tells us they thought he nailed his feet to the floor because they never moved in the stroke – but if he connected the ball went many a mile!
 












Nigel Arthur
 
Came on a free transfer from Cresselly and did a magnificent job for us as he put his huge experience to good effect in a lower division. Not only a terrific competitor who showed youngsters how to play the game but one of Pembrokeshire Cricket’s real gentlemen!
                                                                                                                                              






Steve also told us:
“Our club has always been very lucky to have great characters who have set the tone for the way to play the game; none more so than the late John Williams, who was ‘Mr Hundleton Cricket’ until his sad and untimely death, and others in that category as great club men are Graham and Donald Sheppard, Richard Howells, Peter Baker and David Platt..
 
Others who served us well were Mark Fowden, our import from the North of England, Terry Broadhurst, who went on to become a chapel minister, Stuart Midgeley and  Mike Price, who has been our scorer for 20+ years on the principle that he has a very nice pencil case and count up to six!
 
“We have also been unlucky to have a number of talented players who have moved away through their education or work, like the Williams brothers in Liam and twins Craig and Luke, plus Phil Price, Wesley and Neil Lewis.
 
“Then there were Scott Arthur (moved to Cresselly) and Rhian Strydom (our South African all-rounder) who had to retire because of a shoulder injury – but even without these players we have managed to plough on and we still really enjoy our cricket as much as ever in Hundleton.