Team’s poor standard a blow to cricket fans

I SPEAK as a supporter of Glamorgan for many years, as a junior member in the 60s and following from afar, travelling all over during my career, and occasionally seeing them live.

Now, having just retired, I thought at the beginning of the season, here was the opportunity to see more cricket and rekindle my enthusiasm on the principle that you can’t beat watching your team, a hot summer’s day, the smell of the beer tent, etc etc.

But this season I have been sadly disappointed – I have watched them in Cardiff, and being just five minutes from St Helens, spent a day there during the cricket festival.

In Cardiff I think there were more people in the bar than watching the game, a Royal London one-dayer – the weather was perfect,the ground was like a morgue and Glamorgan played badly. Having spoken to some of the senior coaching staff, they believed that Glamorgan were a good all-round side but they were going to be a force in the “white ball” game. I think they immediately put the mockers on the team.

In Swansea, again a very hot day, but we capitulated too easily in a four-day game – where again players get in, but can’t stay there for a while. It’s all about applying themselves better. Bowling was marginally better, but how many times do tail-end batsmen rally their side when we should be going for the kill?

We won a four-day at the start of the season and also in the final game – which distracted from the poor quality. Robert Croft/Hugh Morris/ Matthew Maynard all say what a good squad we have and there are some quality players – but facts are facts and they have not performed. To that end I can understand why so few people are going to watch, and why Glamorgan are at the bottom of Division 2.

We now have signed Billy Root, who has an average of 30-plus – I’d be interested to review this message at the end of next season – to see if the senior and new signings have stepped up to the mark.

We have no excuses – good grounds, the best summer for many years – but I’m afraid having been thinking about becoming a member again or joining the balconiers, I won’t next season until I see a major improvement.