County nets and player transfers

Artists impression of approach to new facility - credit: Acanthus

This year’s County AGM was timid affair compared to years gone by. There was little to stir the emotions in terms of changes to the league rule, very few rumours of player movements to set tongues wagging and no interesting bits and bobs popping up under the any other business section at the end, until it was revealed that Neyland have asked the Pembroke County Cricket Club for £35,000.

This request came to light when County Chairman Tony Scourfield stood up to gauge members’ opinion of an ambitious plan for the White Fern club to build a state of the art indoor facility on the grounds of the Athletic Club as it undergoes a major facelift.

Since the closure of the Blackbridge indoor facility over ten years ago, Pembrokeshire’s indoor practice facilities for the sport are poor. Officially there is the Haverfordwest indoor tennis and cricket centre on the site of Tasker Milward school but just because the facilities there are official it doesn’t make them good and anyone who has had the misfortune of practicing there will tell you as much.

When Paul Miller stood up to address those present and talk of the plans, they seemed like a good one. The plans are to build indoor net facilities that would rival anything in the Principality. Four lanes of nets, a run up for bowlers, top class lighting and a proper surface to breed confidence whilst batting.

There’s one snag. The facility wouldn’t be for cricket alone but for multiple sports such as table tennis, badminton and others. Cricket nets would be guaranteed at certain times but the facility would have to be shared.

“It would need a cricket investment of £100,000, and the facility would meet with ECB technical guidelines ” said Miller. “We’ve asked Pembroke County Cricket Club for £35,000. The Pembrokeshire Association of Cricket Coaches are able to provide £15,000 while Cricket Wales and the ECB would provide £50,000.

“The coaches have said they would want the facility for 3 x three hour sessions a week between the months of January and March. We can guarantee this. We’d then have to share it among other sports such as the Rugby Club and Football Club who would want it for one and a half hours a week. The Judo club would also need the use of half the hall while the County Council would need this too.

“We would have to work out the scheduling  but we could get around this and we can also hire it out on a net by net basis at between £6-8 a net.

Geographically, Neyland is well suited to hosting such a facility. Just think of the clubs within a seven mile radius. Burton, Llangwm, Hook, St Ishmaels, Herbrandston, Haverfordwest, Pembroke Dock, Pembroke, Hundleton, Lamphey, Carew, Cresselly and Lawrenny are all just minutes away from it.

These clubs travelled to the site at Blackbridge so there’s no doubting they would travel to Neyland too. When good facilities are put in place, people will use them. After all, the leisure centres across the county are proof of that, particularly so in Haverfordwest which is held as an example of best practice across South Wales

The county’s leisure centres’ have undergone upgrades in recent years and user numbers keep increasing all the time proving the mantra ‘if you build it they will come’ from the film Field of Dreams does have a semblance of truth about it.

No decision was made on the night whether the county club would give the money (it would be match funded by various sources) and Tony Scourfield reassured those present that should the club give more consideration to the plans, that members and clubs will be consulted and it would be their decision to allow the release of funds and not the decision of the executive committee.

But then I heard that Haverfordwest are interested in having indoor facilities of their own potentially building something around their existing outdoor nets. I haven’t heard of the costs involved and I’m not sure if the county club has been approached about donating to the cause but one thing is for certain, Neyland and Haverfordwest won’t just be doing battle on the pitch this year, they could be doing it off the field too.

Watch this space

 

Another view of the proposed new facility - credit: Acanthus

Player transfers?

As mentioned above transfer rumours are thin on the ground this year but could Lawrenny be the destination of choice for some disgruntled cricketers?

It’s been confirmed that big hitting batsman Brad McDermott Jenkins is returning after a season with Cresselly while rumours have also gone around that someone from a relegated first division club may be going there too who would certainly bolster their middle order.

Add in Julian Arthur into the mix as he returns to cricket after becoming an Ironman and its clear their batting will be much stronger this year but what of their bowling?

Well that could possibly be strengthened if a dynamic all-rounder makes the move after revealing to me that he “really likes their ground.”

Time will tell on that one but if he did go, Lawrenny could be the surprise package of this year’s first division.