Test grounds back on the agenda for Glam in new season
GLAMORGAN will begin the 2018 Specsavers County Championship season with a trip over the Severn Bridge to take on local rivals Gloucestershire at the Brightside Ground in Bristol on April 20, writes Dominic Booth.
The following week will see the Welsh county then travel to Lord’s for a first Championship fixture since 2011, following Middlesex’s relegation from Division One last season.
Glamorgan’s last visit to the Home of Cricket saw them claim a sensational nine-wicket victory courtesy of an eight-wicket haul from James Harris, as well as a century from Ben Wright.
Edgbaston is another famous old ground that’s back on the fixture list, after Warwickshire also dropped down a division last season.
However, it’s not a ground that has brought much joy for Glamorgan over the years, with their last county cricket success coming back in August 1988.
A thrilling match saw the visitors, then under the captaincy of Alan Butcher, claim a narrow four-run victory, with all-rounder Greg Thomas scoring 110 and taking 6/70.
Their last visit in 2008 saw Warwickshire complete a home and away double over the Welsh side by claiming a 179-run win. Glamorgan will be hoping for more luck when they travel to the West Midlands this time around on June 9.
The return fixture is due to be played at Colwyn Bay’s Rhos-onSea ground as part of the North Wales Festival of Cricket, which takes place between August 27 and 30.
St. Helen’s ground in Swansea plays host to two fixtures, with a Championship match against Derbyshire between June 20 and 23, as well as a contest in the Royal London One-Day Cup on June 3rd against Hampshire. The 50 overs competition will starts on May 18th with a home match with Glocestershire, followed by a series of group matches over the next three weeks.
The final group contest will see Glamorgan visit The Kia Oval to meet Surrey on June 6.
Having reached Finals Day last season, Glamorgan will begin their 2018 T20 Blast campaign on July 8 with a match at home to Sussex Sharks, with group games continuing until August 17th, including a visit to the Cheltenham Festival on July 27.
White-ball games take a break during late July, as Glamorgan travel to the South Coast to meet Sussex in a day-night contest under the floodlights on July 22, before the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast in the last week of August, ahead of the showpiece of Finals Day on September 15.
The season then ends with two more Championship fixtures, with Glamorgan eventually signing off with a home contest with Leicestershire on September 24.