Special Feature (PART TWO):
 

PembrokeshireSport.co.uk thanks the great unsung heroes who shine for us

 

Gordon Thomas and I are very proud of the way that we provide unrivalled coverage of local rugby, both with scores and scorers, plus articles, and once again we would like to pay tribute to another three members of the clubs who help us to provide that coverage by phoning us early on a Saturday evening, not only with their own scorers but their opponents too!
 
Today we feature top people from Whitland, Neyland & Haverfordwest, so thanks Calan, Peter and Graham!






 

Calan Davies (Whitland):

 
Calan Davies has been a revelation at Whitland since she took over as assistant team manager and part of her role has been to provide me with the team as early as possible and then link with me (or Fraser Watson sometimes) soon after The Borderers have finished playing – and it is a job she has completed, home or away, even in difficult times when they have lost heavily and it hasn’t always been easy to let me have the opposition scorers.
 
Calan is heavily involved in the oval ball game because she is a junior coach at Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn and is also assistant team manager to Suzanne Davies with the Scarlets Under 18s female team and next season with the under 16s. Not content with that little lot she is also player/coach with the Tumble Ladies team, where she currently plays in the centre but has previously enjoyed playing in the back row.
 
She is also organiser of the West Wales under 7s, which she started in 2024, and for the third year running has held a festival in Whitland, a charity 15 a side match for the CRY Charity, and a sevens tournament all day Saturday, 11^th July.   
 
From our point of view, we would be delighted if Calan Davies was continuing in her role  for the Whitland RFC first team  next season because we know what a help she has already been but sadly it is not to be we wish her every success in the future and we would highly recommend her if any other nearby club needed a committed worker like Calan!     
 
 

Peter ‘Jack’ Davies (Neyland RFC):

 
Peter Davies has been known as ‘Swansea Jack’ from the time he arrived in Neyland after starting out in Swansea and playing rugby there before joining the All Blacks and serving them well as a very gritty front rower.
 
Over time, he has also been heavily involved off the field as an administrator, in coaching, where he became one of the people who helped forge the link with Muster, because he was friends with Ireland and Lions’ legend Paul O’Connell.
 
He is currently team manager with The All Blacks, a job he also holds with the town’s cricket club, where he works closely with skipper Sean Hannon, but says that he is stepping down from both clubs before the start of the next rugby season because of family commitments, including growing grandchildren.
 
His link as my unofficial press officer started when Martin ‘Ceefax’ Rees passed away at an early age and left a huge pair of shoes to fill in both sports - when Peter stepped in, vowing that he would do his best to follow one of his best pals
 
And follow him he has because through the summer months he will contacting me a couple of times on a Saturday afternoon and especially during evening matches, with details of the top performers but also with little asides that only someone who genuinely understands both games would have.
 
This has been a tough rugby season for The All Blacks because after gaining promotion to Division Three (West) in the WRU set-up they started well enough but a horrendous list of injuries, some of them long-standing, has caused real problems.
 
It has been so bad that a number of old-timers have volunteered to come out of retirement, some talented youngsters have had to be involved alongside some who have not been regular players but love Neyland RFC.
 
But Peter hasn’t wavered in his determination to keep me informed about match details, but also about odd controversial matters where I have always found him to be totally honest and not spinning me a yarn.
 
And there’s one thing for sure - if I do lose him from his role we will stay as firm friends - and still chat about sport every weekend of the year!
 
 

Graham Dalton (Haverfordwest RFC):

 
Delyth Summons is currently a terrific ambassador for rugby in our county as the District Representative H (Pembrokeshire) on the WRU but before that she was the Hon Treasurer at Haverfordwest RFC and my contact at the club who voluntarily linked with me each week of the season to provide me with match results, scores and scorers.
 
I worried about who might step in to do such a good job and was lucky that up stepped Graham Dalton, the club’s long-serving Hon Secretary, who had previously stepped in if Del was away with husband John, another great servant of the club.
 
‘Dolly’ not only stepped in but has carried on ever since, other than his regular trips abroad chasing the sun, and nothing is too much trouble for him, home and away, all in his calm, unhurried way.
 
On his treks abroad I am again lucky because another club stalwart in Glan Studley has stepped in and done a great job, as has more recently the new club chairman in David Richards.
 
He has actually updated the approach whereby he  uses the magic of texting as he updates the text after every score and that is such a help in my taking down the required details before a post-match chat.
 
The club has had an excellent promotion in their celebrations of 150 years and it has been great to be able to keep people up to date with the news, thanks to the efforts of this terrific trio.