Sarah's doing a great job for her cricket club
The Arran family has long been associated with cricket in Neyland and one of those who is now heavily involved is Sarah, who is the first-team scorer and also helps out with the cup games for the seconds and thirds, plus the youth team in the Ormond Cup.
Sarah was rightly regarded as a very good cricketer in her own right when ladies’ cricket first started in the county, and she has also played a range of other sports like rugby, football and athletics - and also sings in the Pembrokeshire Music Services County Choir, conducted by Sarah Benbow.
She became first team scorer after helping the late, great character John Laugharne by doing the ‘Play Cricket’ role whilst John used the old-fashioned scorebook in a partnership that worked really well before John sadly passed away after so many years of great service.
“I really miss my old friend,” Sarah told us, “But it is nice to think that I am carrying on his efforts.”
Learned so much from two Neyland ‘greats’!
Her own playing days came in the 1990s, when Neyland had a very useful team which vied with near neighbours Burton for the silverware, with Kathy Easton as the undoubted star of the team, as Sarah opened the batting with Angela Morris, and had a top score of 38 not out, with Yvonne Jones also playing, whose husband Martin is now chairman of the Pembroke County Cricket Club.
“I was very lucky to have two amazing cricketers who helped to shape my attitude to cricket, with Jack Capon as one of the best cricketers ever to come into this county, who was also my godfather and gave me every encouragement to work at my skills. He could bowl pace or spin and his stroke play was wonderful, alongside a wonderful degree of sportsmanship and love of the game.
“Alan Spence was my other mentor and he was another who brought a wonderful attitude to Neyland as arguably the best wicket-keeper for many years and a very good batsman as a bonus.
‘’Spenny’ always had time to speak to me and give top advice at any time we asked.”
Joined Burton – and really enjoyed it there
At one time she was captain and received a special mention in the Tenby Observer after a game against Narberth, where they said that she not only played well in leading them to victory but was congratulated for the way that she made sure of all the young girls in the team being given a chance to be involved!
Burton’s star players were Elaine Scale and Diane Morris, and when Neyland actually folded because of a lack on numbers she was invited to join Burton by Elaine, who Sarah knew well in her role as a teacher in Milford Haven when Elaine worked in the local leisure centre.
“I played some of the games there as keeper but had no grouses moving down to the middle order because of the all-round strength at Oatfield Park and we continued to do well, including one Ocky White Cup Final (now the Clive Huxley Memorial Cup), not only picking up the trophy but each member of the team received a £10 voucher to spend in the store!”
Family matters and school days
Sarah’s father Arthur was a very powerful batsman who played cricket for Neyland and Rosemarket, played football in Milford Haven and was captain at Milford Haven Golf Club. Her brother Stephen also played rugby, cricket and football in his younger days, and his children, Kieran, Kacey and Korey are already serving the town well in sport.
Ask Sarah about her other sports and the first she is likely to be her athletics’ involvement when she came under the influence of a smashing games teacher in Mr Gelly James, who recognised her willingness to help out and not only competed in her own sports of shot and javelin but also tried her hand at discuss and a few other events.
She played hockey and netball - and even became the only girl in the school’s golf team which took part in the Welsh Golf Schools’ Team Championships!
Loved athletics but was embarrassed on one occasion
It was a similar story at Preseli Harriers where the late, great character Gerald Codd was the coach and she competed for the club in the field events - but one occasion they didn’t have anyone to take part in the 400 metres hurdles, and so asked her to compete because it meant a point for the team’s score on the day.
Sarah was understandably not too happy but joined the other runners on the start line.
“I was dreading trying to negotiate the hurdles and so my only option was to run up to them, carefully step over them and run to the next one, where I repeated the process.
“I was mortified but finished the race to loud cheers of encouragement, although I was about 90 seconds behind the others, and wished the ground would open up - but Mr Codd was just delighted by me ‘winning’ a point!”
Other sports played
Sarah played football in goal for Neyland Ladies from the time she was 14 to 20, with Scottie Martin and Colin Picton as coaches.
“Our biggest match was in the Inter-Cable Tel Cup, where she was so nervous before the start that coaches Martin and Picton solved by getting me a glass of sherry to calm me down!
“But then I tore my ligaments against Saundersfoot and was stretchered off to hospital - and that was my end of my football!”
Whilst she was a BA (Ed) student at Trinity College in Carmarthen she played for the rugby team as a loose-head prop as they played against Cardiff University, Cardiff Met, Lampeter and Aberystwyth.
Musical talent – and travel too!
Outside of her sport, Sarah joins her fiancee, Mark Jones, in a love of travel and especially music, where her involvement in her choir is ideal because they practice for a number of weeks before pre-set dates for concerts, take a rest in between and then repeat the process when their next event comes up.
“It is a lovely group and we are proud of what we produce at places like St Davids, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Tenby. Mark is heavily involved with the Cleddau Chamber Orchestra and the Welsh National Opera Dementia Choir which meets at the Torch Theatre.
Mark is also a talented skier and so some of our holidays inevitably take place where there is plenty of snow - and I enjoy watching him storm down the piste!”
Helping with at The Athletic Ground
Not content with her playing and later scoring, Sarah also helped out with coaching the youngsters at the Athletic Ground in the ‘All Stars’ and ‘Dynamos’ programmes for children from the age of six.
“I started out because Sean Hannon, who has done such a wonderful job as club captain and junior coach for many years, needed some further help and I was glad to volunteer after attending the necessary coaches that he organised for me,
“It was very fulfilling to see the youngsters who thronged to the ground quickly developing their skills but my scoring for a range of teams in mid-week cup cricket meant I couldn’t be there on a regular basis, but who knows what will happen when I have more time.”
Sean Hannon, Neyland’s long-serving captain, told PembrokeshireSport.co.uk.
“Sarah is a brilliant asset because as well as her scoring lots for the club she also downloads all the scoresheets onto our web-site for people to read. We are very lucky to have her!”
Sarah Arran might be one of the newer scorers around Pembrokeshire but her contribution has already been immense - and we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk have already benefitted from her scoring in the Ladies’ Indoor League over the Winter – she is just as supportive of us now the new outdoor season has begun!