Sporting Memories - Harrison-Allen Bowl 1970:

 

‘Woody’ and Fred lead Kilgetty to second successive Bowl victory

 
When we published our special Harrison-Allen Bowl preview on PembrokeshireSport.co.uk recently we mentioned the fact that as far as we knew there had been no winner playing there from division two - but we were pleased when we received an e-mail from one of our many loyal readers on the subject.
 
 And I was even more delighted it had arrived from my great sporting friend of many years in Saundersfoot scorer Adge John, who played his cricket for Kilgetty and Narberth, who could confirm that Kilgetty, then a second division side, had not only appeared in the final - but won it in 1969 and 1970 as they respectively beat Llangwm and Carew.
 
The first match was a tense affair, with another dear old pal of mine in Dai Davies as Llangwm skipper - with a third great pal in the late Teddy George ending up with a match-winning 29 not out after he and Ralph Badham scampered a bye off the last ball of the 88th over in the game!
 

Kilgetty claim underdog victory

 
But today we focus on their second success as they beat high-flying Carew by 45 runs, to delight their hardy band of supporters because to say that Kilgetty weren’t really a fashionable club they were to become when Graham Jenkins, Peter Johnson,  Ian Poole and skipper Adrian Griffiths led them to the top of the tree.
 
Because at that time they had lost their pitch at Merrixton and were resident at Selwyn House, a public school in Begelly, where there wasn’t even changing rooms - but they battled on regardless with the likes of real characters in Billy Evans and the late Wallace Poole joining Dennis Stone and Teddy George, who were talented all-round sportsmen.
 
But the real stars were Fred Thomas, who had been in the navy and came home to marry a Kilgetty girl, and Barry Wood, who was match professional with Dafen but also played for Saundersfoot until they lost their pitch at Coppett Hall and he joined old rivals Kilgetty for midweek games. Both were excellent batsmen but also formed a ferocious bowling partnership as Fred bowled away swing and Barry bowled sharp in-duckers.
 
Fred had won the man of the match award against Llangwm and on this occasion it was ‘Woodie’ who was undisputed winner of the award - and the pair bowled 11 overs each in both innings before the rules about having five bowlers were later changed.
 
Kilgetty batted first against a very strong Carew side who had outstanding cricketers in skipper Brian Morgan, keeper Tony Scourfield and Dave Morris, plus others like Peter Hall, Dai Sefton, Martin Cole, Mike Brace and Gerald Hicks
 
Kilgetty also had a third key player in Peter Dawkins, whose parents had a chemist’s shop in Kilgetty and he was home from university - and he and Wood were soon off the mark as they put on 25 runs in the first five overs - and had respective scores of 32 and 24 before both fell to Carew skipper Brian Morgan.
 
Ralph Balham was soon run out but Freddie Thomas and Dennis Stone maintained the momentum so that Kilgetty reached 102; no mean feat in those days.
 

Carew soon in trouble as the Kilgetty top duo struck

 
And Carew soon found themselves in difficulties against Messrs Wood and Thomas, who struck first as he had caught behind by Teddy George for a duck and Wood shifted Peter Hall, from a ball that kept low, plus Tony Scourfield and Martin Cole at the other end, soon followed by a fourth victim as Billy Evans caught the classy Brian Diment.
 
Brian Morgan battled hard for his 16 runs before he also fell to Thomas to give him a 3 for 31 analysis and at the other end Wood conceded the same number of runs but pouched six wickets as Carew were shot out for 67 after tail-enders Gerald Harries and Dave Morris had managed to chip in a late 9 runs apiece.
 

Kilgetty maintained the pressure early on but then stutter as Morris bowled well

 
After tea, Kilgetty openers Wood and Dawkins got off to another steady start as the latter belted a huge six before he was run out for 13, with Fred Thomas following by the same method to raise Carew hopes a little – but Wood used his silken batting skills alongside Dennis Stone before both were shifted by Morris, although by then the opener had contributed a vital 40 runs.
 
Dennis Stone chipped in with his second steady score of the match and although Carew downed a few chances they still managed to limit Kilgetty to 95 for 8 as Dave Morris bowled well for his four wickets and there were two run outs as Kilgetty lost their momentum but still set Carew a daunting target of 131 to win.
 

Carew start well but flounder again

 
Carew started well as openers Peter Hall and Brian Morgan put on 17 together but then the latter was bowled by Thomas – but hall was joined by Tony Scourfield as they took the score to 46 for 1 but then Hall was also bowled by Thomas for 21and only Scourfield stayed long after that once George stumped Diment off Wood and David Sefton was run out, again without scoring.
 
The Carew keeper showed real grit with some really quick running between the wickets and ability to punish anything loose but he departed to a catch by opposite number George off Wood for top score of 26.
 
The rest of the Carew batsmen found it impossible to get on top of the Kilgetty bowlers and their final tally, boosted by ten extras, meant that Kilgetty were worthy winners by 45 runs, with Thomas finishing his 22 overs with figures of 8 for  66 and Wood ending up with 9 for 71 and 64 runs from his bat, with other useful performances from Peter Dawkins, Dennis Stone and Teddy George - but the man of the match certainly wasn’t too difficult to choose!
 

SCORECARDS:

 
First Innings:
 
Kilgetty Batting:
Barry Wood ct Gary Sefton b Brian Morgan 24
Peter Dawkins st Tony Scourfield b Brian Morgan 32
R Badham run out 2
Fred Thomas b David Sefton 18
Des Stone not out 18
Teddy George not out 3
Extras 5
Total (4 wickets) 102
 
Carew Bowling:
David Sefton 11-0-41-1; Brian Morgan 11-0-55-2
 
Carew Batting:
David Sefton ct Teddy George b Fred Thomas 0
Peter Hall b Barry Wood 7
Brian Morgan b Fred Thomas 16
Tony Scourfield b Barry Woods 7
Martin Cole b Barry Wood 2
Brian Diment ct Billy Evans b Barry Wood 8
Gerald Hicks b Fred Thomas 0
Gary Sefton not out 4
Gerald Harries ct Peter Dawkins b Barry Wood 9
Dave Morris run out 9
Michael Brace ct Des Stone b Barry Wood 0
Extras 5
Total (all out) 67
 
Kilgetty Bowling:
Fred Thomas 11-1-31-3; Barry Wood 11-2-31-6
 
Second Innings:
 
Kilgetty Batting:
Barry Wood ct Brian Morgan b Dave Morris 40
Peter Dawkins run out 13
Fred Thomas run out 8
Dennis Stone ct Tony Scourfield b Dave Morris 16
Billy Evans ct Brian Diment  b Dave Morris 4
Teddy George ct Tony Scourfield b David Sefton 1
Colin Soar ct David Sefton b Dave Morris 3
Phil Davies not out 3
Ralph Badham run out 1
Wallace Poole run out 1
Extras 5
Total (8 wickets) 95
 
Carew Bowling:
David Sefton 1-41; Dave Morris 4-38
 
Carew Batting:
Peter Hall b Fred Thomas 21
Brian Morgan b Fred Thomas 9
Tony Scourfield ct Teddy George b Barry Wood 26
Brian Diment ct Teddy George b Barry Wood 4
David Sefton run out 0
Gerald Harries b Fred Thomas 5
Martin Cole ct Teddy George b Barry Wood 0
Dave Morris ct Dennis Stone b Fred Thomas 4
Gerald Hicks b Fred Thomas 1
Michail Brace not out 4
Gary Sefton run out 1
Extras 10
Total (all out) 85
 
Kilgetty Bowling:
Fred Thomas 5-35, Barry Wood 3-40






 

1970 Bowl Snippets:

 
Paint daubed on Cresselly Clubhouse

Controversy reigned on the morning of the match as Cresselly ground staff arrived for their final work on the pitch and found ‘Carew Cricket Club’ daubed on the roof as someone certainly had a warped sense of humour. It certainly didn’t please anyone at Cresselly – and the perpetrators were never discovered!
 

Smart dress? Or a bit over the top!

The pre-match photographs might look a little unusual in terms of Carew because they had added an unusual extra to the normal cricketing attire – by the fact that they all wore purple cravats.

Quite why no-one seemed to find an answer but it seems it didn’t please their opposition and might have back-fired because it could have stirred the opposition to even greater efforts.

And this old fogey’s view – today it seems a bit strange and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be part of that if I had played in a final with Pembroke – but it wasn’t malicious and certainly did no harm!


Adge’s long hair caused comments from the balcony!

It seems that some things never change and even 55 years ago there were still bits of barracking from those on the clubhouse balcony who might just have had their humour sharpened by a few pints. Adge John was a teenager in the Kilgetty team and was the proud owner of a fine head of hair which he let grow fashionably long.

He found himself fielding on the pitch just below the balcony when a mishit pull flew in his direction and in the growing gloom (play started and ended much later in those days) he dropped it!

Were there any words of consolation from those standing above him? Not a bit of it – and the only printable one told him, “If you got our ****** hair cut son it wouldn’t have been in your eyes!”


Where’s the Bowl gone?

There was even something unusual happening a few weeks later when the players attended the county club’s awards evening and were presented with the coveted Harrison-Allen Bowl before the lights went out from a power cut.

When they went on the Bowl had disappeared and amidst great consternation a note was eventually found saying it would be returned to Kilgetty later in the evening. Now, after a little research I have discovered who the naughty culprits were as it was smuggled onto their bus but my lips are, of course sealed – but it certainly caused a rumpus there – and with officials from the other club when they found out!

But it was returned, as promised, so I suppose all’s well that ends well!