Cricket in Wales | |
---|---|
Country | Wales |
Governing body | England and Wales Cricket Board |
National team(s) | Wales (men's) Wales (women's) [lower-alpha 1] |
National competitions | |
International competitions | |
Cricket is a popular sport in Wales; it started in the late 18th century, and has been played in Wales ever since. All cricket within Wales is regulated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), making it effectively part of the English cricket system. Glamorgan County Cricket Club is Wales' only first-class county team, and Welsh players are eligible to represent England as Wales does not currently have its own Test cricket team or cricket body. Cricket is played within the Welsh schools system, and is considered one of the country's main summer sports.
Cricket, as a sport, has its origins in England, with its first known set of rules written in 1744. The earliest definite reference to cricket in Wales is in 1763, when it was played at Pembroke. [1] The first recorded match was played at Llanegwad in Carmarthenshire. [2] The first club to be mentioned is Swansea, in 1785. [2] By around 1800, matches were also being played in the north, specifically in Holywell; there are records of further matches in the Hanmer area in the 1820s.
With the development of the railways and better transport links, the game of cricket began to spread slowly across Wales and by the 1830s the first interclub fixtures were regularly played. [2] On 5 May 1845, Cardiff Cricket Club was inaugurated, and after three years using the rented field at Longcross, now the location of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary, the team became associated with the Cardiff Arms Park. [3] Both the Arms Park and St. Helen's, in Swansea, were cricket venues before they became associated with rugby union. By 1850 cricket had become a popular activity in many schools, and this in turn helped cricket to be adopted as a working-class sport rather than one associated with the gentry as it was in England.
1859 saw the first match between select English and Welsh teams, when the All England XI played a South Wales XXII. [2] The South Wales team were victorious and this led to the first attempt to form a first-class team in Wales. Although county teams were later formed, most were short lived; but in 1888 Glamorgan County Cricket Club was formed, which would become the most important first-class team in Wales. Glamorgan entered the Minor Counties Cricket Championship in 1897 and was joined by other county teams from Wales: Carmarthenshire, Monmouthshire and Denbighshire. In 1921 Glamorgan became the first county team to gain first-class status, and was the 17th member of the County Championship.
From its earliest days Glamorgan refused to designate a county headquarters, playing its matches at both St. Helen's in Swansea and Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, to try to remain neutral between the two main cities of the county. In 1975, St. Helen's Ground in Swansea held the first international game to be played outside the usual Test venues of England, hosting a One-day International between England and New Zealand. [2]
In men's cricket, Glamorgan County Cricket Club is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship. They also play in the Royal London One-Day Cup and the T20 Blast. Wales National County Cricket Club also play in the English National Counties competitions, for county teams that do not have first-class status.
In women's cricket, Wales currently play in the Women's Twenty20 Cup, and previously competed in the Women's County Championship. [4] Within the regional domestic structure, Wales is represented by the Western Storm regional hub. [5]
Welsh Fire represent Wales in both the men's and women's competitions of The Hundred. [6]
Two Welsh cricket leagues have received ECB accreditation: the North Wales Premier Cricket League and the South Wales Cricket League.
Glamorgan play at the following grounds: Penrhyn Avenue in Colwyn Bay, St. Helen's in Swansea, The Gnoll Cricket Ground in Neath and Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
On 8 July 2009 Sophia Gardens held its first Test match, when it hosted the first match of the 2009 Ashes Series. The game ended in a draw.
Official name | City or town | Use by county sides | Capacity | Ends/notes | Ref |
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BP Oil Refinery Ltd Ground | Llandarcy | Glamorgan (1971) | [7] | ||
Cardiff Arms Park† | Cardiff | Glamorgan (1896–1966) | 7,000 | • North Stand • Westgate Street End | [8] |
Cowbridge Cricket Ground | Cowbridge | Glamorgan (1931–1932) | [9] | ||
Hoover's Sports Ground† | Merthyr Tydfil | Glamorgan (1988–1989) | [10] | ||
Miskin Manor Cricket Club Ground | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Has held a Women's ODI | [11] | ||
Parc-y-Dwrlyn Ground | Pentyrch | Glamorgan (1993) | [12] | ||
Pontarddulais Park | Pontarddulais | Wales National County (1992–present) | [13] | ||
Sophia Gardens | Cardiff | Glamorgan (1967–present) Wales Minor Counties (1988 & 2000–2002) | 15,600 | • River Taff End • Cathedral Road End Has held Tests, ODIs, T20Is and WODIs and WT20Is | [14] [15] |
Sully Centurions Cricket Club Ground | Sully | Wales Minor Counties (2002) | [16] | ||
St. Helen's | Swansea | Glamorgan (1897–present) Wales Minor Counties (1989–2008) | 4,500 | • Mumbles Road End • Pavilion End Has held ODIs and a Women's ODI | [17] |
Steel Company of Wales Ground | Margam | Glamorgan (1953–1963) | [18] | ||
The Gnoll | Neath | Glamorgan (1934–present) Wales Minor Counties (2000) | 6,000 | • Llantwit Road End • Dyfed Road End | [19] |
Ynysangharad Park | Pontypridd | Glamorgan (1926–1999) Wales Minor Counties (1995–2004) | 5,000 | • River End • Nursury End | [20] |
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Cricket Council. They are full members of the International Cricket Council.
Cricket Wales [21] is the governing body of cricket in Wales. It is an umbrella partnership body comprising the Welsh Cricket Association, Glamorgan Cricket, Wales National County Cricket Club, the Welsh Schools Cricket Association and Sport Wales.
Welsh men's and women's cricket teams have played matches on a number of occasions. Generally however, Wales do not field a team in international competition, with players instead playing for England.
Recently there have been calls for Wales to be represented by its own national team, as in other sports, similar to Scotland. The only Welsh cricketer to captain England on a major tour abroad was Tony Lewis in 1972–73.
The following Welsh people have played Test cricket for England: [22] [23] [24] [25]
Cricket has struggled for national attention in Wales, whereas Cricket is said to be the national sport of England, Rugby Union holds that distinction in Wales, and the lack of a regular national team has also meant that cricket has a harder time capturing the public imagination in the way that the Welsh national rugby union team and football teams have. Historically, cricket has also had to complete with Welsh Baseball as a summer sport especially in Cardiff and Newport. Despite these issues both Glamorgan and international matches continue to attract significant support. [41]
Cardiff Arms Park, also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, including the third-place play-off. The Arms Park also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995–96 and the following year in 1996–97.
Simon Philip Jones is a Welsh former cricketer, and data analytics head. He played international cricket for England, and county cricket for Glamorgan, Worcestershire and Hampshire, before retiring in 2013. His father, Jeff Jones, played cricket for Glamorgan and England in the 1960s.
Robert Damien Bale Croft is a former Welsh cricketer who played international cricket for the England cricket team. He is an off-spin bowler who played for Glamorgan and captained the county from 2003 to 2006. He retired from first class cricket at the end of the 2012 season, having played county cricket for 23 seasons. He commentates on cricket occasionally for Sky Sports.
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Glamorgan. Founded in 1888, Glamorgan held minor status at first and was a prominent member of the early Minor Counties Championship before the First World War. In 1921, the club joined the County Championship and the team was elevated to first-class status, subsequently playing in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England and Wales.
The Cardiff Wales Stadium, which is part of Sophia Gardens Cardiff, is a cricket stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It is located in Sophia Gardens on the River Taff. It is home to Glamorgan County Cricket Club and is listed as an international Test cricket venue.
Cricketers from Wales are currently represented by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and compete for the England cricket team. There have been some historical instances of a separate Welsh team in the 1920–30s, in the 1979 ICC Trophy, and in the British Isles Championship between 1993 and 2001, however Wales is not a separate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Alexander George Wharf is an English cricket umpire and former international cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast-medium bowler, who ended his career with the Welsh side Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
Maurice Joseph Lawson Turnbull was a Welsh cricketer who played in nine Test matches for the England cricket team between 1930 and 1936.
Alan Jones MBE is a Welsh cricketer, who played for Glamorgan for almost a quarter of a century. He also played, for a single season each, with Western Australia, Natal and Northern Transvaal. He holds the record for scoring the most runs in first-class cricket without playing in an official Test match.
Norman Vaughan Hurry Riches was a Welsh cricketer who played first-class cricket for Glamorgan from 1921 to 1934.
St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground, commonly known simply as St Helens Ground, is a sports venue in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea Council. Used mainly for rugby union and cricket, it has been the home ground of Swansea RFC and Swansea Cricket Club since it opened in 1873.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in England, and has been played since the 16th century. Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lord's, developed the modern rules of play and conduct. The sport is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board and represented at an international level by the England men's team and England women's team. At a domestic level, teams are organised by county, competing in tournaments such as the County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, T20 Blast and the Women's Twenty20 Cup. Recent developments include the introduction of a regional structure for women's cricket and the establishment of The Hundred for both men's and women's cricket. Recreational matches are organised on a regional basis, with the top level being the ECB Premier Leagues.
Jack Bancroft, born John Bancroft, was a Welsh cricketer, and rugby union international. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper who played for Glamorgan. Bancroft also played rugby for Swansea RFC. He was born and died in Swansea.
William James Bancroft was a Welsh international fullback, who played club rugby for Swansea, and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, for whom he was the first professional player in 1895.
Selwyn Hanam Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Norman played international rugby for Wales, though they never played in the same match for Wales together. Biggs was described at the time as a 'certain tackler' and a 'fast, good dodger'. Biggs also played cricket for Glamorgan and was part of the team to face the touring South Africans in 1895.
Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level. The team is made up of amateur players from sports clubs in the Glamorgan region and historically played matches against other county teams from Wales and England, and during the 20th century was a key fixture for touring international teams. Today the club manages Glamorgan's premier rugby union tournament, the Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy, and arranges invitational Glamorgan teams to face Welsh rugby clubs during celebrations, such as anniversaries.
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The 2019 English cricket season ran between 26 March and 26 September. It was the 120th in which the County Championship has been an official competition and featured first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket competitions throughout England and Wales.
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