Lives in Cricket No 11 - CP Lewis

In truth, the ageing Lewis was not amongst the best players in the county any more and, in the middle of his second term as Mayor, he clearly had other things on his mind. There was further evidence of his dwindling abilities in the match reports for his occasional appearances for Llandovery, such as the match against Llanelli in August 1906 when he struck 17 batting at number six, but according to the account, ‘the veteran [was] slogging at the bowling’. The following year, he agreed to help out the county organisation, besides agreeing to play alongside Douglas Jones for Carmarthenshire in their two-day match against Shropshire at the Llandovery Town ground. Only one innings was played on each side and neither did anything of note, but Lewis’ presence amongst the county’s officials was a major boost, as he was still regarded as one of the leading figures in sport in West Wales. The proactive officials from Llanelli were delighted when he joined their county committee and helped them with their application to join the Minor Counties Championship. There were few other candidates with such excellent connections and, in the winter of 1907/08, their application was successful. By this time, the Minor Counties competition had been split into four regional divisions. Glamorgan had topped theirs, with Carmarthenshire being invited to join that division, as Dorset switched to the southern division. The ‘official’ Minor Counties Championship was now in its fourteenth season and the new challenge seems to have appealed to C.P., who by then was 54 years old. Whilst his abilities as a bowler and batsman had largely deserted him, his appetite for the game remained keen – his desire for Carmarthenshire to do well was even sharper. Had it been Glamorgan or Monmouthshire who had called on his services, he probably would have swiftly declined the invitation, but with the pride of Carmarthenshire at stake, it was a completely different matter. The king of Llandovery cricket could not say no. The first Minor Counties season began with a visit by Monmouthshire to Stradey Park. Lewis, though chairing the county committee, let the younger amateurs fill the team, with Llandovery and Llanelli – easily the strongest two clubs – providing the bulk of the starting eleven. Later in the season, enthusiasm started to wane, and some of the young thrusters had to go back to earning a living by the time the first home match was staged at the 102 County Cricket for Carmarthenshire