The last year has been quite amazing for 75 year old Nick Evans, who has done so much work in local cricket and whose total absorption in the summer sport has seen him deservedly elected as president of the Pembroke County Cricket Club for the next five years.
 
This five-year term of office is fitting reward for 60 years of taking part as a player right up until the current time, spending almost 30 years as a member of the executive committee of local cricket, being a founder member of both the Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Coaches, where he is also president, and the initiator of women's cricket on a formal basis in our county and indeed in Wales.
 

Honours aplenty arrive . . .

 
But as well as this appointment as the figurehead of Pembrokeshire Cricket he has also received honours aplenty in Wales and the UK for his participation, particularly with regard to coaching.
 
Last August he received a letter, quite out of the blue, telling him that he had been chosen as the winner of the 'Outstanding Contribution to Cricket Wales' and was one of six coaches to receive a certificate on the pitch from the chairman of the Welsh Cricket Board at lunch-time in a match between Glamorgan and Gloucester. There was a very nice lunch provided and it was a memorable day for Nick.
 

And keep flooding in!

 
This was followed by another letter, in early September, this time from the English Cricket Board, which governs cricket in the UK, inviting him to their 'Coach Awards Recognition Day' at Edgbaston during an England versus Pakistan test match, so that he could collect his coaching long service award.
 
"My award was presented to me during the lunch time by former England captain Nasser Hussain and it was quite a surprise when my name was announced over the speakers and my photograph suddenly appeared on the giant screens in the ground - and there was plenty of cheering because some of the players from Lawrenny and Cresselly were there and let me know that fact!"
 

Cricket ‘Oscars’ at Lord’s

 
As if this wasn't enough in terms of pleasant surprises, Nick then received an invite to the 'Cricket Oscars' awards at Lord's in late September, where long-service in coaching was recognised - and Nick had been chosen as a Welsh representative.
 
"We met at a building near the Nursery End of the world-famous ground and then had a guided tour which included the Long Room, the changing rooms and the pitch, and during a long lunch Jonathan Agnew interviewed James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Marcus Trescothick before Mike Gatting also spoke."
 
Then Nick was proposed for the 'Unsung Hero' award with Sport Pembrokeshire at Folly Farm and was chosen as the winner for 2016!
 

Even met Princess Ann!

 
On the 29th November it was off to London again for Mr Evans, this time as one of three nominations for the 'Lifetime Achievement in Sport' section of the UK Coaching Awards, which were held at the Holiday Inn in Wembley.
 
"It was a very swish occasion and I was astonished when I saw the superb programme where my picture and pen portrait were alongside Jurgen Grobler, who has coached Great Britain's Olympic rowers to a string of medals in seven Olympic Games, and Eddie McClusky, a cracking Scotsman who has coached swimming for 40 years and included four Paralympians, so I was delighted to be runner up to Mr Grobler!
 
"We were introduced to Princess Ann, who asked me where I was from, how long I had been coaching and to keep up the good work - in the programme it said it was 'a golden celebration of coaching' and that was absolutely right!"
 

Lifetime achievement winner with ‘Sport Wales’

 
Then came December 6th and another trip to Cardiff, this time for the 'Wales Sport' Awards after he had previously received a surprise phone telling him he had been nominated for their 'Lifetime Achievement Award' and been chosen as the winner.
 
They did an impromptu interview with him for the radio and on the night, another black tie evening at the Millennium Centre, his success was announced by Jason Mohammed and during the evening he got to chat to a number of sportsmen, who including Sir Gareth Edwards.
 
And to round off an amazing six months Nick was invited by Cllr Tony Brinsden, the chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, to a reception in County Hall in recognition of his achievements, with Nick's family and close friends also there.
"I really regarded it as another honour," said Nick, "and with the County Club AGM following soon afterwards I will never forget this time in my life."
 

Long way from his start

 
It all must seem a long way from the time almost 60 years ago when he started out in cricket and in the intervening half century played for Pembrokeshire arguably over 100 times as an off-spin bowler after his debut against Glamorgan Seconds at Pontarddulais in 1960.
 
Nick can also lay claim to appearing in about 12 Harrison-Allen Bowl Finals, with the rare claim to fame that they took place for three separate clubs, starting with Narberth in 1959 and continuing with Kilgetty and Cresselly.
 
He still plays for Narberth Seconds and already this season he has taken more than his share of wickets, as he did when he travelled to Sri Lanka in November with the Welsh Over 50s and just beat fellow Pembrokeshire all-rounder Richard Harris to the best wicket-taker tag!
 
In other areas of the game Nick has also been a leading light, none more so than in coaching after joining the inaugural course run by Tom Cartwright and is still serving as president of the Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Coaches, as well as being regional manager of the selection process.
 

And finally . . .

 
Nick will continue to serve as assistant secretary of county cricket for the short term and is looking forward to visiting every club as often as he can, dressed smartly in his blazer once he acquires a county club badge to have sewn on it.
 
"I am hoping for plenty of exciting games with a competitive spirit, but always with the emphasis on respect for the umpires, opponents and for the ethos of sportsmanship in cricket.
 
"It is awful when anyone crosses the red line in terms of indiscipline and it is to be hoped that the game is always played in the correct spirit."
 
Nick Evans can speak from a wealth of experience in this matter, having played all around the world and maintaining a high standard - and we wish him a splendid term of office because he will be a real ambassador for the game in Pembrokeshire and much further afield!