Cricket Scorers’ Feature:

Gwyneth Johns is the first team scorer at Narberth Cricket Club after many years of family involvement at The Lewis Lloyd Ground.

She started out after her sons Matthew (47) and David (45) after following the club’s fortunes for many years before that because husband Mike was an opening batsman there.
 
Gwyneth had played a little cricket for Narberth Ladies when a team was started up and after marrying husband Mike it seemed natural to get involved – and when her sons Matthew and David started playing in the junior section she used to help out by scoring.
 

Nervous start to scoring

 
 
“Then I started scoring for the seconds but at first I was a little nervous and only used a pencil so that I could quickly rub out any errors,” Gwyneth told us with a chuckle, “but I eventually moved on to a pen and then the coloured pens I still use today.
 
“Now that was progress enough for me so I drew the line when Bobby Simons asked me if I could draw up some graphs after the game to show where each batsman played his shots!
 
“And as for using an I-Pad to record scores on a national scheme that is another step too far – and as long as I carry on it is my coloured pens for me!”

 

Cricket highlights – great celebrations and high tension in decider!

 

One of the highlights with the seconds came in 1994 when she scored for the Narberth team which won the Alec Colley Cup against Neyland at Pembroke – and Mike won the man of the match trophy for his batting skills.
 
“We had some real characters in that team and we had some great celebrations when we took the trophy back to Narberth!”
 
But even that paled into insignificance for the Johns’ household in 1997 when Narberth first XI won the county’s first division championship.

“I wasn’t scoring because Mr Idwal Vincent was doing a great job of scoring then but when we won the title we had almost the entire team back at our house for very late celebrations so I had a bit of a job getting some of them to leave!”
 
Ask Gwyneth about the most tense she has been as a scorer and the response is immediate.

“That came at the end of last season when we were playing Llechryd to decide who would be promoted as division two champions and fortunes ebbed and flowed so many times that I was so nervous I felt physically sick.

“But we won and it was lovely for our family as well as the club because David was captain and Matthew had played all season.

Great friendships formed – and some real characters too!

Ask Gwyneth about the plusses in being a scorer and she is very quick to talk about the camaraderie that exists amongst them

“I’ve met great friends with lovely ladies like Rose Jenkins and Hazel Poole (Kilgetty) who so sadly died recently, Helen Hodges (Lamphey), Jayne Cole (Haverfordwest), Wendy Bradshaw (St Ishmaels) and Melanie Phillips (Pembroke).
 
“Even the old fellers like John Laugharne (Neyland), Malcolm Thomas (Lawrenny) and Des Brace (Cresselly) are good to work with – and I’ve learned so much from our very own Idwal Vincent.
 
“We have a smashing squad today, with some very talented young players, but others are worth remembering too, like the little and large duo of Gregg Morris and Rupert Baker, Bobby Simons, John Winwood, who moved into the area and was a key player, Simon Nicholas, the late Roger Price and Geraint Bowen, and Olly Cook (I used to wash his whites for him) to name just a few.”

Family matters

Gwyneth’s husband Mike hasn’t played so far in this fore-shortened season after 54 years of playing as an opening bat but up until the end of the 2019 campaign he was still doing well for the seconds, despite approaching his 70^th birthday.
 
Matthew has been involved for many years, apart from a stint at Haverfordwest where he helped them win the Harrison-Allen Bowl, whilst David is also a very useful all-rounder and after long years of service became skipper last season and led them to promotion back to division one, where he was due to be captain again.
 
Gwyneth and Mike’s grandchildren also love the game because Matthew’s son Oliver (8) is already showing promise with bat and bowl and his sister Molly (5) is already able to bowl at her tender age.

David’s son Noah (11) is a good all-rounder who bowls well and was chosen for the county squad in his age group and Jacob (9) started out with the ‘All Stars’  and bats well – and has already turned out for the juniors.

High praise reciprocated – and a special award for her efforts

Gwyneth would also praise the efforts from other unsung heroes who have done so much work at the club, like Idwal Vincent, the late Chris Richards, Richard and Rhian Howell.

But it is a fact that the compliment is returned because Richard told us,
“Gwyneth has been a very reliable scorer but she has also raised so much money for us and the football club with her lottery, which is drawn at The Dingle Club every Monday.

“She has been doing it now for about seven years and we are very lucky that she does such a great – and as a real asset to Narberth Cricket Club we were delighted to give her the deserved honour of being made a Life Member at the end of last season!”
 
We at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk could pay Gwyneth Johns no higher compliment and long may she continue to be so involved with Narberth Cricket Club!