This week Bill Carne caught up with Stuart Harris, who is hugely respected at Whitland Cricket Club and also served Carmarthen Athletic for many years in rugby . . .

Stuart Harris has served Whitland Cricket Club for a long time, mainly as their second team captain for 14 years, and this season has seen him trying to give as much support as possible to Wayne Jones, who has taken over the reins and helped guide the club to their first-ever Alec Colley Cup success.

He also spent over a decade as team manager at Carmarthen Athletic RFC, a role he thoroughly enjoyed but from which he took a deserved rest a while ago.

In both sports he really enjoys what he does and he is held in high esteem at both clubs, not only for the way that he gets stuck in but also for the fact that he is a modest and pleasant feller to know!

Stuart started out in senior cricket at St Clears, where Huw Davies roped him in to play as his opening batting partner before Stuart gradually took up bowling when Ray Williams was involved.

He moved to play at Whitland in 1995 when Dai John invited him to join the club and he played under Dai Lee as second team captain before being asked to skipper the side during the following season after Dai had switched to the first team. It was the start of 11 consecutive years at the helm before Shane Morgan took over – but Stuart was back at the helm 12 months later because Shane had other commitments.

In his time at Whitland he has enjoyed a few promotions and suffered a couple of relegations but the mood has generally been upward so that Whitland Seconds are now playing as high as they can, which is in Division Two of the Nicholas Insurance Pembrokeshire League. They have generally done well there, although the second half of this last campaign was a bit of a battle before they ensured survival.

But there was a huge boost at the end of the campaign because the club won its first-ever Alec Colley Cup Final and it was typical of Stuart that although he was disappointed to miss out on selection he was there, helping Wayne Jones in any way he could – and as thrilled as anyone when the team came back to snatch victory by three runs!

Stuart has been lucky to be seconds’ captain as the majority of current first team players have passed through and they have talented youngsters of the calibre of Josh Watson, Geraint Jones, Connor and Jack Bowen, plus Geraint Phillips, still breaking through on the talent conveyor belt built by Colin John. If Stuart had a regret it would be that Whitland Seconds reached three Alec Colley Cup Semi-Finals, before this success.

On a personal note, Stuart’s best bowling figures of 7 for 25 came against Llangwm at home and he’s had his share of five-wicket hauls, including a hat-trick against Camrose & Spittal.

As captain he tends to bat himself well down the order to give youngsters a chance but he has scores of 45 and 44 to his name so he is no mug with the bat either!

Switching to rugby for a while, Stuart has been equally involved after starting out as a player at Ystrad Tawe School, where he was coached by Welsh international Roy Bergiers and Whitland stalwart Peter Wills. He played at full back, centre and outside half at different times in school and represented Carmarthen & District Schools on a regular basis in the No 15 shirt.

Then it was on to youth rugby with Carmarthen Athletic at Five Fields, where Tesco’s now stands in Carmarthen, playing in a very good team that included the likes of Roger Hunt, Gary Pearce, Robbie James and Mark Douglas.

He played three matches for the first team, which was very strong at the time, and so he played for Carmarthen Athletic Druids for six seasons before a spell at St Clears took him to 31 years of age.

He was invited to move from playing to being team manager of the Druids XV which won the double of Llanelli and District League and Cup, the play-offs and the President’s Cup – and the following campaign saw him as team manager of the first XV!

“One of the best things about being involved in that role has been the local derby matches with Whitland and Narberth,” said Stuart, “ especially Whitland because cricket pals Richard Merriman and Arwyn Thomas would be texting me all the week before.

“A real highlight was getting promoted from Division Two to Division One (West) and then we finished third behind Corus and Narberth – and ahead of my pals at Whitland, which was nice.

“The club still has a very young side and I am going to enjoy watching them this season, where I have stepped down from being team manager. There’s a lot of work besides just turning out on Saturdays and I might even find time to watch a few games at Hendy Gwyn or Narberth,” he says with a chuckle!

But back on the cricketing front he is likely to carry on playing again next season at the club after recently taking 5 for 28 against Kilgetty and 3 for 47 at Hook. As Stuart told us:

“They are a great bunch of players at the club, supported so well by the likes of Trefor Evans, Colin John, Huw Davies, Paul Webb and Paul Jones – and the women at the club do some amazing work as a real bonus. Gwynne Phillips does terrific work as groundsman whilst John ‘Hogg’ Davies is a really enthusiastic chairman.

“There has also been great support from first team captains Paul Webb, Mark Lee, Matthew ‘Titch’ Davies, and Ed John. Third team skippers Hefin Thomas and Gwynne Phillips are others who have helped me so I aim to play as long as they want me to and try and put something back into a club that has been very good for me.”

What he forgets to mention is the fact that he has also been very good for the club, with his enthusiasm and support – and there is no doubt that both Whitland Cricket Club and Carmarthen Athletic Rugby Club have been all the better for having a sporting gentleman like Stuart Harris fully involved!