Swansea village cricketer set to mark 25 years with national Hall of Fame honour

Nation.Cymru staff

A village cricketer from the Swansea area is set to be inducted into the National Village Cup Hall of Fame, recognising his outstanding contribution to village cricket.

Paul Discombe, whose figures of 6 for 18 are the best by any bowler in a Village Cup final, will be awarded the honour to mark 25 years since his feat for Ynystawe.

He will be inducted during an official ceremony to take place during the final of this year’s tournament, which will take place at Lord’s cricket ground, in London, on Sunday 6 September.

The competition, whose headline sponsor is premium soft drink producer Cawston Press, has been run by The Cricketer magazine since its inception.

Ian Smith, Cawston Press Village Cup tournament manager, said: “Paul Discombe’s feat for Ynystawe is the stuff of dreams for any bowler.

“I was particularly amused to read that, as a DVLA employee, one newspaper headline described him as having a ‘licence to thrill at Lord’s’ after the 2001 final.

“We look forward to welcoming him to Lord’s for what promises to be a truly amazing celebration of village cricket.”

Paul will be joined in the Hall of Fame by Brian and Terry Carter, from Cornwall, whose Troon team won three out of the first five National Village Cup titles in the 1970s.

Laura Graham, head of marketing at Cawston Press, added: “One of the things we love most about the Village Cup is the incredible sense of community and the stories that make the competition so special.

“The Hall of Fame is a brilliant way to celebrate those who’ve made such a lasting contribution to village cricket and to recognise achievements that deserve to be remembered.

“We’d like to congratulate this year’s inductees on a fantastic honour, and we’re looking forward to cheering on the remaining teams as this year’s tournament reaches its final stages.”

August’s issue of The Cricketer includes a special feature on all three of the new inductees. It is available here: https://shop.thecricketer.com/current-issue

For more information about the Cawston Press Village Cup, visit: https://www.nationalvillagecup.com/