2008 Review
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2008 Review Index
West Wales XI
Report
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Apart from the weather which in the
spirit of positive thinking will be ignored hereafter the news item for
the year must be the renewal of the artificial strip on the school ground.
It was reported in last year’s edition of The Bull that the state of the
wicket was now so bad that before long, the league authorities would no
longer sanction cricket at this historic venue. Its renewal was a
masterpiece of brinkmanship occurring as it did after the second match.
The club is immensely grateful to all concerned especially Hugh Williams
for his dedication to the cause and fundraising efforts.
Cowbridge Cricket Club turns out three
teams on a Saturday and sees the West Wales XI as being the breeding
ground for the Club’s talented youngsters. Many of the opponents
encountered in previous years were older and stronger and the former one
division format resulted in a number of heavy, often demoralising loses
for the side. However, the West Wales League is now divided into two
divisions allowing a much broader group of teams to participate and
preventing those grossly one sided matches.
The West Wales XI had a great deal to be
proud of last year despite being fourth from the bottom of the second
division. Cricket is above all a team game but it is also one where it is
vital that all team members have an opportunity to participate. The
readiness of the vast majority of players to appreciate this has been
fundamental to the morale and commitment of the side, but it has
nevertheless demonstrated that if one is to play for the Club it is a
commitment that needs to be met.
The league points were close and if one
game had not been cancelled due to late notice of unavailability,
Cowbridge would have been third from the top.
The strength of the team also lies in
the mix of “oldies” going down and youngsters coming up. The fact that
they mixed so well has been very rewarding for all concerned, but we must
keep the proportions right or we will not have enough cars to go West!
Personal mentions can be invidious but
as one individual was top of both the bowling and batting averages,
including 92 not out, Arshad Rather deserves a special mention. In
addition to Arshad, notable contributions came from a number of the
younger members of the team, some of whom progressed to play for the 2nd
XI, which goes to show that the West Wales XI is achieving one of its
principal goals. Throughout the season, Sam Wood, Alex Kurobasa and Tom
Francis all contributed with the bat as did Christopher Brace, Tom Francis
and Harri Collier with the ball.
In summary, this was a good year for the
West Wales XI and certainly something to build on in 2009. Well done to
all those involved.
David Webb
West Wales XI Captain
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