Cricket in Wales

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Cricket in Wales
Stadiwm SWALEC.JPG
The entrance to the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, the home of Welsh cricket.
CountryWales
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.

Contents

History

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]

Domestic competitions

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.

Cricket grounds

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.

List of cricket grounds in Wales
Official nameCity or townUse by county sidesCapacityEnds/notesRef
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]

Governing body

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.

Proposed national team

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 [ when? ] 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.

Notable Welsh cricketers

The following Welsh cricketers have played Test cricket for England:

Alan Jones played a match for England against Rest of the World in 1970 which was later stripped of Test status. He holds the record for most runs in first-class cricket without playing a Test match. In 2020, he was awarded an England Test cap. [43]

In addition, Phil Salt has played ODI and T20I cricket for England, earning 50 caps across both formats, while never having played a Test match. [44]

England is not the only country to have fielded Welsh cricketers: Imad Wasim, born in Swansea, earned 130 caps and took 117 wickets for Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is between 2015 and 2024. [45]

Popularity

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. [46]

Bibliography

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Wales is usually represented by England's men's and women's teams in international cricket.

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References

  1. ↑ Bowen, p. 265.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Davies (2008), pg 177.
  3. ↑ Davies, D.E. (1975). Cardiff Rugby Club, History and Statistics 1876-1975. Risca: The Starling Press. p. 14. ISBN   0-9504421-0-0.
  4. ↑ "Team Profile: Wales Women". CricketArchive. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Women's regional hubs to play for Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy". the Cricketer. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Hundred team names, kits and badges revealed for the first time". Sky Sports. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  7. ↑ BP Oil Refinery Ltd Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Cardiff Arms Park, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  9. ↑ Cowbridge Cricket Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  10. ↑ Hoover's Sports Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  11. ↑ Miskin Manor Cricket Club Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  12. ↑ Parc-y-Dwrlyn Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 28 July 2010.
  13. ↑ Pontarddulais Park, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  14. ↑ "Trent Bridge to host Ashes Tests in 2013 and 2015", BBC Sport, 22 September 2011 Retrieved on 22 September 2011.
  15. ↑ SWALEC Stadium, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  16. ↑ Sully Centurions Cricket Club Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  17. ↑ St Helen's, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  18. ↑ Station Road, Darley Dale, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  19. ↑ The Gnoll, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  20. ↑ Ynysangharad Park, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 6 August 2010.
  21. ↑ "Cricket Wales". www.cricketwales.org.uk.
  22. ↑ "The Home of CricketArchive" . cricketarchive.com.
  23. ↑ "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com.
  24. ↑ "Croft".
  25. ↑ "Joan Davis". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  26. ↑ "Carol Evans". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  27. ↑ "Kay Green". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  28. ↑ "Jeff Jones". Cricinfo.
  29. ↑ "Simon Jones". Cricinfo.
  30. ↑ "Tony Lewis". Cricinfo.
  31. ↑ "Austin Matthews". Cricinfo.
  32. ↑ "Matthew Maynard". Cricinfo.
  33. ↑ "Hugh Morris". Cricinfo.
  34. ↑ "Gilbert Parkhouse". Cricinfo.
  35. ↑ "Pat Pocock". Cricinfo.
  36. ↑ "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com.
  37. ↑ "Lynne Thomas". Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  38. ↑ "Maurice Turnbull". Cricinfo.
  39. ↑ "Cyril Walters".
  40. ↑ "Steve Watkin profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo.
  41. ↑ "Allan Watkins profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo.
  42. ↑ "Wilf Wooller profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo.
  43. ↑ "Glamorgan legend Alan Jones awarded England cap number 696". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  44. ↑ "Phil Salt Profile - Cricket Player England". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  45. ↑ "Imad Wasim Profile - Cricket Player Pakistan" . Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  46. ↑ "Why is Wales not a cricket nation like Scotland and Ireland?". Institute for Welsh Affairs. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
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