There was a great deal of sadness among the cricket and rugby fraternities of the county this week when it was learned that Terry Hitchings had died, writes Bill Carne.

Known to all as ‘Hitch’, Terry played cricket as a very good all-rounder for Hook and in September he packed away his whites and wore the black and amber jersey of Llangwm throughout the rugby season as a hard-tackling full back with the Wasps until he stepped down in his late 30s.

At that time he played alongside other great characters like Meurig Hughes, Dilwyn and Glyndwr Lewis, Kenny Banner, Glynmor Howells, Roy Harries, Barry Jones, Peter Rees, Juno John, George Thomas and Tony Kiff, and lifelong friendships were formed.

Club secretary Brian James said that Hitch was not only a very good player but also a smashing man off the field, and could recount tales of trips to Cardiff to watch Wales which were hilarious, if unprintable.

But Hitch was very much a Hook man on the cricket front, where his great pal was Evan Martin and this pair used to watch the current crop of cricketers in the village and enjoy their Saturday afternoons over a pint or two.

Both had been capped by Pembrokeshire Youth in 1958 and Hitch created something of a rare double by being capped at senior level in the same year.

In both sports he earned the name of being a great sportsman, enjoying victory but also acknowledging the opposition in defeat.

A pat on the arm when he was hit to the boundary, or was bowled by a good delivery, was typical of Terry and he enjoyed a chat about the game and a pint with the opposition.

I can only say that he had the precious ability to make you feel better after a short chat and I will long remember the laughter we shared at Hook.

My condolences to Hilary and the family at their loss. Hitch was a great character and we can ill-afford to lose a sportsman like him in our county.