Cricket Widow Stops Play

Apologies for not posting a team of the week for the past fortnight, it’s a poor excuse but I was away in France appeasing my poor cricket widow of a wife on a week’s long holiday. We stayed at a Eurocamp site in the South if you really wanted to know and very good it was too.

According to the late Harry Thompson, author of Penguins Stopped Play and inventor and editor of Have I Got News For You, there are five stages of a cricket widow. Naturally it starts at stage one, where said wife/girlfriend is keen for you to play, supportive even. She even comes to watch until she realises she knows nothing of the game and finds it as tedious as I do painting walls and doing other DIY nonsense.

Suffice it is to say, the stages deteriorate from here on in until it reaches Stage Five where the enthusiasm has evaporated and the only encouraging words she can muster is “You and your fucking cricket” as you walk out the door hopeful of success with bat or ball.

This begs the question, why can’t all cricket widows have the same enthusiasm for the game as Wendy Bradshaw, Gwyneth Johns or Joy James to name but a few? Life for us would certainly be easier and taking a mid-season sabbatical wouldn’t be on the agenda.

Enough with that anti-feminist rant however, let’s get down to the important bit of this post. Who makes this week’s team of the week?

Well, Mrs Bradshaw will certainly be happy as son Peter takes the gloves once again following his heroics against Llanrhian while an opposing player joins him in Gareth ‘Cadfael’ Davies after his all-round excellence almost pulled off a win.

He’s a good player is Davies, a silky smooth batsman when in full flow who will no doubt go down in folklore as one of North Pembrokeshire’s finest.

Let’s not forget Dan James of Whitland, he makes the cut after steamrolling Saundersfoot after taking 7-35 while Nick Koomen of Neyland joins them too following a quality innings of 78 against Carew.

Finally a word about marc Hughes of Narberth. Not content with scoring 62 against Lawrenny, the following day his unbeaten 97 against the South Wales Cricket Association helped Pembrokeshire win the game on yet another quality batting strip at Pembroke Dock and gave him an average for the weekend of 159!

Incidentally, Pembroke Dock is one of the finest grounds around. Great wicket, superb outfield and great vistas too but nothing matches Carew’s third team for a setting; even the hallowed turf of Lamphey plays second fiddle to that.

Team of the week

1)     Gareth Davies (Llanrhian) 108 & 2-50 v St Ishmaels
2)     Peter Bradshaw (St Ishmaels) 97 v Llanrhain
3)     Matthew Morgan (Cresselly) 75 v Haverfordwest
4)     Nick Koomen (Neyland) 78 v Carew
5)     Iwan Izzard (Cresselly) 61 not out v Haverfordwest (off just 38 balls)
6)     Steve Lewis (Lawrenny) 70 v Narberth
7)     Marc Hughes (Narberth) 62 v Lawrenny
8)     Daniel James (Whitland) 7-35 v Saundersfoot
9)     Nathan Banner (Neyland) 4-17 v Carew
10) Tom Murphy (Cresselly) 4-25 v Haverfordwest

11)   Ian Hughes (Narberth) 4-49 and 29 not out v Lawrenny

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