Oscar Willington is one of a number of very talented young cricketers who have emerged recently at Hook Cricket Club but it is fair to say that he is also a capable all-round sportsman because he has already done well at football, rugby and athletics.
 
His first involvement with sport was in football after he joined Camrose AFC juniors, which was brilliantly run by Dave Haworth, and Oscar played for two years before moving closer to home and playing two seasons for Merlins Bridge under Kevin Thomas. He played on the left wing, and soon showed that he was fast on his feet and had a thunderbolt of a left foot which served him well as a goal-scorer with both clubs.
 

Really loves his rugby . . .

 
But then he discovered rugby and left football behind when he joined Llangwm RFC juniors under excellent coach Hamish Nicholls and quickly discovered his speed was a weapon and now loves the game.


Since then he has played for several years now for Llangwm Juniors and Haverfordwest High
School, plays for both in the centre, where his size and pace has seen him score lots of tries – and he has added to his considerable points’ total by developing into very useful goal kicker.
He really does have great enjoyment from his involvement with club and school and it is a safe bet that he won’t be giving up rugby anytime soon! Given the sad demise of the Llangwm Under 14 team due to low numbers, this season Oscar will now be wearing the colours of Narberth RFC.
 

. . . And athletics too!

 
On the athletics front he set out several years ago after his mum Lisa persuaded him to go along to an open evening with Pembrokeshire Harrier, which he really enjoyed – and before long he had started training for long jump and sprints, and was soon good enough that he started entering competitions.

“His coaches have been fantastic,” his parents told us, “and we would like to thank Harriers’ coaches Nigel Rowland, Bethan Lloyd and Wayne Griffiths for the way that they have inspired him to take part and give of his best.”

In first season he competed for West Wales and won a silver medal in the Welsh
championships in Aberdare – and the following season he decided to have a go at sprint hurdles and in first season he won the Wales U13 Indoor Championship gold medal at Cardiff Met University’s facilities.
 
Not content with that little lot, Oscar also competed in indoor multi-event competitions and outdoor meets but athletics was badly disrupted by Covid so 2021 has been a quiet year but once it is over it is a fair bet that he will be raring to go and get back in action on the track!



 

But cricket is his top sport!

 
Oscar really enjoys his rugby and athletics but his biggest passion by far is for cricket as he has followed his dad Jonathan and elder brother Seth into action at Hook Cricket Club.
 
Since first joining in with the Under 9s at Hook at the age of six, he has rarely been seen without a bat or ball in his hand and after many games in the family’s back garden has showed a natural talent from the off.

He enjoyed soft-ball cricket and qualified with Caer Elen for the finals in Sophia Gardens in 2019 before he quickly moved on to playing with a hard ball and was selected for Pembrokeshire Regional U10 squad in 2017 under coach Steve Lewis and quickly earned a reputation as a youngster who liked to bowl fast – and has played for the region, now Cricket Wales West, each season since.


 

Great help provided at Hook CC pays off

 
As well as Steve’s good work there is no doubt that Oscar has benefitted from the effort and investment of Hook CC in their junior section cricket, where coaches including Dave Petrie, Jamie Phelps, Andrew Miller and Craig Nutty have brought him on well.


Oscar has caught the eye with his pacy bowling but his batting has also started to improve and  he is naturally a very athletic fielder.

In 2018 he had his highest score to date with 49 not out for Pembrokeshire v
Carmarthenshire and in the following season celebrated his maiden fifty with 53 not out for Pembrokeshire v Mid Glamorgan to help win the game.


He wasn’t finished there however because in 2020 he scored 62 for Pembrokeshire v Carmarthenshire in his only regional game but the season was a disaster for junior cricket due to Covid – but 2021 been a breakthrough season for him after a lost 12 months or more because he has scored three half-centuries at regional level, including scores of  66 not out and 70 against a very strong Cricket Wales East team, and has also taken wickets.



 

Already playing senior cricket

 
By this time Oscar was beginning to represent the club’s second string in league matches
and he showed his capabilities for such a youngster with his maiden senior fifty (with 56 against Saundersfoot Seconds.


He has also regularly been taking wickets at senior level and doing well for the juniors.
and was thrilled to be selected alongside Seth for the first team and on his debut recently scored a match-winning 33 not out and took 2 for 25 against Kilgetty.


Oscar was in the Cricket Wales Regional Performance Centre under ex-Glamorgan pace man Darren Thomas for two years prior to restructure and really enjoyed it – and in 2021 got through to last 24 in Wales U13 trials but missed out on selection for
final squad. It was a big blow for someone so young but he has bounced back and really enjoying his cricket again.
 

And finally . . .

There is no doubt that Oscar has been encouraged all the way by his dad Jonathan, who was a very successful cricketer with Stackpole and Lamphey, as well a useful goalkeeper in football and flanker in rugby – and an excellent cricket umpire and rugby referee.
 
His mother Lisa is the family organiser and has been totally involved in making sure he is ready for all his variety of sporting training sessions and matches – and is a great supporter of all he does.
 
There is a friendly rivalry with big brother Seth (and dad if he’s playing to help out!) but it has all helped to produce a talented youngster with exactly the right attitude in his involvement and there is one thing for sure – we are going to hear a lot more about Oscar Willington and his sport in the years to come!