Neyland and Llanstadwell Heritage Group

By Alan Brown

The First Century

As the population of Neyland was growing rapidly in the second half of the 19^th century, thanks to the arrival of the railway, it followed naturally that the young men of the town would begin to come together and organise themselves into groups that were interested in sporting activities. This was a time when there were very few recreational distractions from the world of work, and if people wanted entertainment, they knew that their best course of action was to create their own. The rules of soccer and rugby had only recently been formalised at that time, but cricket, in one form or another, had a much older tradition and the game as we know it had been played since the middle of the 18^th century.

Articles in the local press indicate that competitive cricket was already being played against neighbouring sides before this date, but a report in the Western Telegraph indicates that Neyland Cricket Club was officially established on 12^th May 1889 at a meeting organised by three men, named as: ‘Mr Christison, Mr Harris and Dr Edmundston (sic - really Edmonston)'. Contemporary accounts do not give their forenames, but census records inform us that the first of these was Alexander Christison, a thirty-five year old native of Newcastle who was employed as a mechanical engineer and supervisor with the GWR; he lived in a house on Neyland Hill, along with his wife and children, plus two servants. 

Dr Edmonston was a Scot: he can be found in the Medical Register, and also in the 1899 Register of Electors, living just round the corner from Alexander Christison at No 24 High Street, Neyland; the 1901 census describes him as William C Edmonston, a ‘physician and surgeon’ who had been born in Aberdeen in 1863.

In their first season, with Christison as captain, Neyland CC played fifteen matches, with seven won; seven lost, and one drawn. Dr Edmonston proved to be a formidable bowler, taking 23 wickets for just 108 runs. All games were played on Saturdays; sporting activities on Sundays would have been unthinkable at that time. By the time of the first annual dinner, on 29^th November 1889, the club had forty-three members; its first president was John Henry Coram, JP, a local businessman and shipowner.

In subsequent seasons, Neyland became a solidly established member of the Pembrokeshire cricket scene. In 1903 they played seventeen games, winning nine; drawing four and losing on just four occasions. Mr Coram’s career as president had been interrupted by an unfortunate episode: in October 1901 he had been convicted of financial embezzlement in a trial at the Old Bailey, and sentenced to eighteen months’ hard labour. The citizens of Neyland had not forgotten his previous generosity and considered that he had paid the penalty for a crime committed by others; in any event, at the cricket clubs Annual General Meeting in 1903 he was unanimously re-elected to the position of president.

In 1905, the previously haphazard schedule of play became formalised with the creation of the Pembrokeshire Cricket League. Unfortunately, Neyland did not distinguish themselves in this inaugural season and finished third from bottom. For the next few years they continued with modest success, with their peak position being achieved in 1912, when they were runners-up. Home matches at that time were played on the East Field, a name that had survived since time immemorial but is now the field used by Neyland’s rugby teams. Over the years there were several shifts of location in the pastures around Honeyborough, with irregular and impromptu pitches adding to the entertainment, before they eventually settled on the fine, flat piece of ground that they now enjoy.

Sporting activities were generally suspended during The Great War, with the league restarting in 1919. While there were a few outstanding players in the Neyland teams, their collective performance was never consistent enough to win any major trophies in the years between the wars. In addition to their league games, Neyland frequently took part in ‘friendlies’ against the crews of warships visiting the Haven. Times were hard, particularly following the closure of the Dockyard in 1926; when Neyland played an away game against Cresselly in 1929, the only way the team could get there was by bicycle, with each man carrying an item of equipment strapped to the frame of his bike.

The Second World War again put a halt to competitive sports, with cricket returning to Neyland in 1946, at which time they were playing in a field opposite the Oddfellows’ Arms.

Some post-war highlights:

1959      Neyland made their first ever appearance in the final of the Harrison Allen Cup, where they were beaten by Narberth

1960      The DR Morris Ladies’ Cricket Challenge Cup was held at Neyland, with Neyland beating Carew in the final.

1962      Neyland won the Harrison Allen Bowl for the first time. Their opponents were again Narberth, but this time Neyland triumphed, thanks largely to a record-breaking bowling performance by thirty-eight year old Billy Lloyd. In the following year they won again, this time against Llanrhian.

1964      This year saw a reverse in Neyland’s fortunes. They were relegated from the first division, and were unable to replicate their previous years’ successes in the Harrison Allen.

1966      Back on form, Neyland CC were promoted back into the first division. They reached the final of the Harrison Allen, but were beaten by Llangwm.

1967      The Neyland team continued their rise to the top and, for the first time in their history, were league champions. They also won the Duggie Morris Cup and almost achieved a record-breaking treble when they reached the final of the Harrison Allen, but were narrowly beaten by a strong Cresselly side.

1971      Neyland again captured the prized Harrison Allen Bowl with a fine win against Carew.

1974      Neyland CC achieved the distinction of being the first ever Pembrokeshire side to reach the final of the Welsh Cup; however, they lost in the final to Ynysygerwen and, regrettably, indifferent form throughout the season saw them again relegated to the second division.

1976      In their second season in the lower division, Neyland went through the whole summer without losing a match and were second division champions by a wide margin.

1980      After winning the first five matches of the season, Neyland were able to maintain their momentum and, for the second time, became league champions.

1983      The Harrison Allen Bowl once again was captured by Neyland, with a victory over Cresselly in a high-scoring final.

As the 21st century progressed, Neyland hit an unprecedented streak of form. What was possibly the highest point in the club's history came in 2018, when they reached the final of the Welsh Cup. The match was played at the SWALEC stadium in Cardiff, the home ground of Glamorgan cricket. Their opponents were a very strong Ammanford eleven, who had beaten Cardiff CC in the semifinal, and Ammanford emerged the victors on the day. Hundreds of Neyland supporters traveled down to support their team.

A summary of achievements by Neyland Cricket Club's various teams can be seen below:

Bibliography

Carne, B. (1989) Neyland Cricket Club – Our First Century (self-published)