Bad workmen and all that

I’m no Dylan Thomas expert but when the famed Welsh poet described Swansea as an “ugly, lovely town” I’m sure he was describing it with great reverence. It was his home after all, yet somehow you can’t help but feel he hated and loved the place all at once.

A contradiction in terms that may well be but I feel the same about cricket, this stupid little game that fascinates and frustrates at the same time. One minute you feel you have conquered it, the next, well, it conquers you.

A bad workman should never blame his tools yet with the tools God gave me to play the game I feel justified in blaming them. In other words, why can’t I be consistent?

The power of the mind dominates in all sports and God gave me an inconsistent one. Thanks to him/her (depending on your point of view) God gave me the cricketing equivalent of bipolar disorder, not helped by the fact I suffer with diabetes.

Unless it’s kept in check, diabetes can have a debilitating effect on your game as the levels of glucose in your blood rise and fall. If the levels are too high you feel tired, weak and lethargic if they are too low you can behave as though intoxicated, unable to concentrate as your balance is off centre and you shake like a druggie in need of a fix.

I shouldn’t blame my diabetes for my inconsistencies, the real reason for them is just that I’m not god enough but it was a legitimate reason for my woeful dismissal against Stackpole on the weekend as I played my shot far too early and was bowled neck and crop; humiliating it was too. That day however I had suffered from two hypos (low sugar), the first before play began and the second as tea loomed.

Scheduled to bat at four I knew that my eyesight would be affected as the levels recovered so went down the order hoping the new wave of Lamphey young guns would do the job before I was needed. They very nearly did too but as usual, the club suffered from a batting collapse and I was summoned into action and lasted approximately four overs before a high looping off break took off the bails.

There’s nothing worse than hearing the death rattle, unless of course you are the one doing the killing (that’s a metaphor for being a bowler by the way, not an innate desire to take someone’s life) so off I trumped, blaspheming the Lord under my breath to be greeted by my son, saying “well done Dad”. If only he knew hey?

Anyway, some players are blessed with the ability to be consistent and Jonathan Thomas is one of them as he became the first player this season to score a brace of centuries in the league. Well batted sir and Ed John of Whitland too who scored 94.

Well batted also to Kyle Quartermaine of Narberth who smashed the highest score of the day, a superbly entertaining 138 not out that included 13x4’s and 4x6’s  

Well played too to Neyland all-rounder Nathan Banner who not only took 3-42, he helped rescue his club from suffering their second league defeat of the season with a robust innings of 47 not out, winning the game in style against Haverfordwest with a monstrous six that cleared the new changing rooms.

Suffice it is to say they are all names in the latest team of the week.

Team of the Week:

  1. Kyle Quartermaine (Narberth) 138 not out v Carew
  2. Jonathan Thomas (Whitland) 105 not out v St Ishmaels
  3. Ed John (Whitland) 94 v St Ishmaels
  4. Simon Holliday (Haverfordwest) 67 v Neyland
  5. Peter Bradshaw (St Ishmaels)  61 v Whitland
  6. Tim Hicks (Carew) 55 v Narberth
  7. Jordan Howell (Narberth) 53 not out v Carew
  8. Andrew Miller (Neyland) 4-31 and 32 v Haverfordwest
  9. Nathan Banner (Neyland) 3-42 and 47 not out v Haverfordwest
  10.  Dominic Wright (Llanrhian) 5-20 and 27 v Lawrenny
  11.  Scott Newton (Whitland) 5-61 v St Ishmaels




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