The Beamer

Ben Stokes . Pic from ECB webste This is Ben. Ben is Big Ben is Strong Ben plays cricket Ben is cool  He may be injured but Ben Stokes is quite possibly the most exciting cricketer in the world. He bats, he bowls, he takes ridiculous catches and according to Graeme Swan he’s as hard as nails. He’s everything every a young cricketer would want to be. The trouble of course is getting them to like cricket in the first place. With so many lifestyle choices vying for their attention a young person of today is spoilt for choice. According to a recent study, the majority of teenagers in 2016 place cricket 7 th in the list of what they would like to do in their spare time. Cricket however is fighting back and none more so than at Haverfordwest Cricket Club. I took my 13-year-old nephew to training there the other Friday and there were so many kids playing the game it was as though the field had an infestation of bees. They were swarming eve...

There’s a few tell-tale signs letting you know you’re getting old. Your belly develops a paunch, you get a little slower, your hair starts to thin and your contemporaries post pictures of their off spring in full county kit having played for Pembrokeshire at Cricket all over social media. U10s, U11s, U13s and so forth, they’re all there to see; proud parents presenting pictures of even prouder kids standing tall and looking smart and why not? Representing the county is an honour, playing for Wales even more so. No picture is complete without a comment from friends or family, each and every one of them congratulating the player on their achievement providing an instant boost to confidence. They usually go along the lines of ‘well done Johnny’ but one stood out on a friend’s recent post after his son recently played for Pembrokeshire U10s. ‘Enjoy your county days,’ it said succinctly. Your county days are just as good as your club ones but given they are less frequen...