This week's episode is an interview with the Head of Performance Science and Medicine at the ECB, Rob Ahmun. Originally from Cardiff Rob was a strength and conditioning coach with Glamorgan before his move to the England Team in 2014.  He talks to us about his sporting journey and career to date. Here is a page from the ECB website detailing the work of Rob's Department: https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/2104536/scie Here is an article from the University of Essex detailing some of the research...

In this episode we talk to those involved in the 51st Final of this competition.  They are, in order that they appear in the episode: Steve Davies, workforce administrator, South West Wales  Zack Gidlow , Chair of cricket at Colwyn Bay Cricket Club and first team player Mike Haydn, Chair of Swansea Cricket Club Neil Perrett, Chair, Usk Cricket Club Brad Wadlan, Captain, Swansea Cricket Club Sion Morris, Colwyn Bay Cricket Club You can find a written report on the final...

In this episode we remember long time treasurer with the St Helen's Balconiers Clive Hemp. We talk to his children, David, Tim and Charlotte as well as his colleagues from the Balconiers Committee Allan Gray and Roger Skyrme, Swansea solicitor and main sponsor of the Swansea and West Wales cricket Festival Peter Lynne. Our final guest who remembers Clive is Balconiers President Alan Jones.  Ex-Glamorgan cricketer and coach Alan has been President of Glamorgan County Cricket Club as well as...

Paul Rees is a popular club cricketer who has played most of his cricket in and around Swansea as well as a number of representative teams at age group and league level. He talks to us about his early cricketing experiences and how he developed as a cricketer.  In passing we talk about his rugby career and how that impacted on his cricket. Paul explains how he developed his strengths as a batsman but also how his bowling was what he was noted for early on in his career. He is rightly very...

Ron Walton has spent a lifetime playing professional and amateur sport.  A footballer with Merthyr Town he went on to play professionally in Australia before starting a coaching career that saw him spend 18 seasons at Swansea City coaching the youth team as well as spells as caretaker manager. He has played for a number of different cricket clubs in and around Merthyr but has spent the past few years playing for his home town club as well as clocking up over a 100 caps for the Wales Senior...

In this episode we talk to Russell Penrhyn Jones, the founder and driving force behind the Wales National County (North) Representative Teams. Founded in 2022, the Senior and U19 representative teams aim to give cricketers in the North Wales region opportunities to play representative cricket, develop their skills and further their cricket career aims.  You can read a brief article on their development here: https://cricketwales.org.uk/news/walesnc-north Russell talks about his involvement...

In this second episode authors David Parry and Andrew Hignell outline some more of the history of cricket in North Wales focussing on the Colwyn Bay Cricket Club which was formed in 1923. The episode opens with a discussion about Sydney Barnes, one of the most famous English cricketers of the Twentieth Century and his links to this part of Wales.  See here for a brief outline: https://www.cricketmuseum.wales/sydney-barnes-a-great-welsh-bowler/ There is some talk of the welsh cricket union...

Lucy is the first ever female chair of any recreational cricket league in Wales.   She is one of two women who have been appointed as chairs of ECB accredited premier leagues. Helen Ross has taken the helm of the Surrey Championship, while Lucy leads the North Wales Cricket League.  She talks about her initial contact with the game through her father and her initial involvement with Buckley Cricket Club supporting both her sons in their cricketing development. As part of the committee at...

This book, written and published to coincide with the centenary of Colwyn Bay Cricket Club, looks at the history of cricket in Denbigshire besides tracing how the club based in Rhos-on-Sea has become the venue for top class cricket in North Wales, as well as Glamorgan's northern outpost for first class cricket. For a brief review of the book you can go here: https://www.cricketweb.net/books/colwyn-bay/ In this first of two episodes we talk to co authors David Parry and Andrew Hignell...

In this the final episode in tribute to the St Helen's ground Richard Bentley talks us through some of the great names who have played at the ground.  We discuss the number of steps from the pavilion to the playing surface which is mentioned regularly by players who played there and Richard recites the poem written about the ground by one of cricket's greatest commentators John Arlott. He finishes with his thoughts about and hopes for the ground and some stories about previous Glamorgan...

In this week’s episode we return to discuss the history of St Helen’s as a venue for first class cricket.  Our guest is Richard Bentley who is the co-author, with Malcolm Nash, of Malcom’s cricketing biography ‘Not Only But Also’, published by St David’s Press in 2018.  To purchase a copy of the book you can go here: https://welsh-academic-press.shopfactory.com/contents/en-uk/p73_Not-Only-But-Also.html First, Richard tells us about his own early encounters with the ground before starting to...

Neath Cricket Club was founded in 1848 and is this year celebrating it’s 175th Anniversary.  As part of it’s celebrations it hosted an MCC XI at the Gnoll on Wednesday 14th June. We went along and recorded a series of interviews with those who were in attendance.  They included life members, committee members, supporters, the match manager and captain of the MCC on the day and the professional caterer that was there. Those wanting to know a little more about the history of the Gnoll and, in...

In this episode we interview broadcaster and author Alun Wyn Bevan about the non cricketing history of the ground covering some stories from his 2007 book 'St Helen's Stories'. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book you can follow this link to the Amazon site.  It is well worth considering purchasing a 'used' copy as the quality is often pretty good.  It is a fantastic read and cram packed full of cricketing, rugby and other history not all of which was captured in the...

Last year, 5 cricket clubs in and around Cardiff got together for a fundraising walk for the junior sections of their clubs.  The brainchild of Cardiff Cricket Club President Michael Cann Walking in the Valleys for Young Cricketers was a great success. This season there are 11 participating clubs plus the umpires / scorers representative organisation.  The clubs / organisations involved are as follows: Cardiff Cricket Club Pontypridd Cricket Club Radyr Cricket Club Machen Cricket Club Porth...

In this episode we speak to three Englishmen who have made their home in Wales and have played most if not all of their adult cricket here, representing Wales in their Seniors Teams at Over 50s, Over 60s and Over 70s levels.   Mick Staddon was born in Battersea and played most of his early cricket on Clapham Common, playing for Belleville Junior Boys and later attending Battersea Grammar School.  The school can boast two England players amongst their old boys, Mike Selvey and David Smith....

This episode marks the opening of a new exhibit at the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket entitled 'Doug and the Don'. Doug and The Don is a special exhibition that was launched by the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket on National Sporting Heritage Day, 30 September 2022 which celebrates the friendship between two men at the opposite ends of the cricketing spectrum – Doug Davies, a genial club cricketer in South Wales and Sir Don Bradman, the world’s finest-ever batter and an Australian sporting...

In this, the final part of our trilogy of podcast episodes Michael Hogan finishes with some reflections on his time playing for the welsh county. We run through some of his achievements as a Glamorgan player and he responds to all of these successes.  He talks very personably about being inducted into the Glamorgan County Cricket Club Hall of Fame. He talks about his record of never having been given out lbw in first class cricket and when it broke as a 'news' item. Michael talks about...

In this episode, Michael talks about his reason for coming to England.  He talks about Justin Langer as a coach and responds to what Justin thought of him. He explains the circumstances that allowed him to play in English cricket as a domestic player and how he was able to play in both England and Australia for a period of time. Michael talks about the first year of his stay in Wales and the difficulties for his family settling in to life in a different country.  He also talks about the...

In this episode we hear from Glamorgan bowler Michael Hogan who has been with the welsh county since 2013 but has a first class career going back to 2009 with Western Australia. In this the first of three episodes chatting to Michael he talks about his hometown of Newcastle in Eastern Australia, his family and his earliest sporting experiences.  Michael was very late coming to the first class game ( he was 28 when he made his debut for Western Australia) and he explains the reasons for...

This year was the 50th Anniversary of the South Wales Junior Cricket League.  As part of their celebrations they held a match between a Wales Over 50 XI and a representative U17 League XI at Pontarddulais Cricket Club. We spoke to the following officers of the club about their memories of junior cricket and the league past and present: Russell Davies, President Ian Murphy, Chairman Ben Roberts, Vice Chairman John Davies, Secretary and Treasurer There was a lot of reminiscing but also a...

The latest episode is a voyage of discovery.  Eleri Phillips and Martyn Griffiths are members of St Cadwg’s Church in Cadoxton near Neath.  Eleri, a recent volunteer with the graveyard restoration scheme, discovered a gravestone with simply a name on it.  That name was Joseph Lovering.  After some research of her own, the details were placed on the Church’s social media.   Martyn, who is a local historian, was intrigued by this man who appeared to be a professional cricketer.  He discovered...

This episode  features the college and the Old Llandoverians Cricket Society and there are interviews with current Chair of the Society, David Stevens, as well as college archivist Harrison Roberts and Old Llandoverian cricketers Russell Hughes - Pickering, Carwyn Williams and Robert Coles.  There is also input from Museum of Welsh Cricket curator and historian of welsh cricket Dr Andrew HIgnell. Harrison gives us a very brief history of the college dating back to 1848 and its connections...

This week has seen the return of first class cricket to Neath.  Glamorgan County Cricket Club have hosted two of their Royal London One Day Cup games against Lancashire CCC and Hampshire CCC at the ground. In this episode we hear from Museum of Welsh Cricket volunteer David Battersby who gives us a brief outline of List A and other games played at the ground.  We also hear from Liofe Member of the club Kevin Grant with his memories of his involvement as player and administrator with Neath...

Sohail has been one of the most important figures  developing cricket in the Cardiff community he was born and brought up in for the last twenty years. As a player then as an administrator he has championed the cause of south asian cricket in Wales and been at the heart of discussions about how to develop it both in the community and in the first class game. In this interview he chats about his childhood, growing up, his first experiences of cricket and his quickly developing career as a...

 In this episode we talk to Gwilym Balinger and Keith Davies, longstanding members of the club and Val Whiteley,  proud recipient of the Clubperson of the Year Award. Gwilym talks about the early days of his cricketing career that included a brief contact with Wilf Wooller. Keith sets out the history of the club as a gift from the Rhys-Williams family.  What was originally a peppercorn rent is now a more commercial arrangement. The ground was named after the son of Sir Brandon...