Episodes
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we talk to Jo Pockett of the ECB and Ahmed Khan and Adnan Haddidi of Llandaff Cricket Club about the Taste of Cricket cookbook, which was produced as part of the wider Raising the Game initiative aimed at improving the diversity of those playing the game and making it a more inclusive and equally accessed sport.
You can read about the cookbook here:
https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4167334/taste-of-cricket-a-new-cookbook-celebrating-diversity-in-the-game-launches-with-a-host-of-star-contributors
If you would like to buy a copy of the book you can do so here:
https://shop.ecb.co.uk/collections/accessories-1
As part of the campaign, Phil Salt and TV chef Chris Bavin visited Llandaff in the summer. The video capturing that day can be accessed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuVtq6EBXs4
In the episode we talk first to Jo Pockett who outlines the campaign of which Taste of Cricket is a part as well as the details of how the book was planned and made. Then Ahmed and Adnan talk about the Llandaff club and the recipe, 'Leek Bhaji' which they contributed to the cookbook. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we meet the cricketing Smale Family from Newport. Mum, Ann-Marie is Deputy Chair at Glamorgan CCC and formed part of the team charged with winning a Tier 1 franchise for the women's game in Wales earlier this year. Sophia and Will are both professional cricketers, making their way in the game after having both been young cricketers at the Newport club.
For more on Ann-Marie you can go here:
https://glamorgancricket.com/board-leadership
And you can read about Glamorgan's bid to bring Tier 1 Women's Cricket to the club here:
https://glamorgancricket.com/news/glamorgan-bid-for-tier-1-professional-women%E2%80%99s-cricket-team
You can read about Sophia Smale's career to date here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66473326
And see her in action here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOGXJOET0to
We talk about her caught and bowled in last season's The Hundred. You can see that here:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W2t8FjZs4zE
You can read a little more about Will here:
https://glamorgancricket.com/squad-profile/will-smale
And see him batting in the One-Day Cup Final at Trent Bridge here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkszYmNfE6s
The Smale Family is quite unique with mum, son and daughter all involved in the professional game. They talk about their background, the way they play and their top tips for aspiring professional cricketers AND their parents. -
Missing episodes?
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
This episode is a chat with Adge John of Saundersfoot Cricket Club.
Adge made the local newpaper headlines in the summer when he finished being scorer for the club. Nothing unusual in that you might think but when you learn that he has been suffering with a debilitating eye disease all his life and is slowly losing his sight, his efforts appear nothing short of amazing.
To read Adge's story you can go here:
https://www.connectpembrokeshire.co.uk/news/2024/september/no-barrier-too-great-for-cricket-scorer-adge-john/
We talk to Adge about his sporting life, his struggles with his deteriorating eyesight and his final game as scorer, The Harrison-Allen Bowl Final 2024.
For those interested in an account of Adge's final game as scorer, you can go here:
http://www.pembrokeshiresport.co.uk/cricket/lawrenny-beat-saundersfoot-in-a-tense-final-thriller
For those interested in learning a little more about the work of the welsh Guide Dog Charity, go here:
https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/guide-dogs-cymru/ -
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we hear from Newport Cricket Club's Michael Clayden who, this season, became the first player in the history of the South wales Premier League to reach 200 appearances and to score over 6,000 runs in the league.
He has played all his junior and senior cricket for the Newport Club and this loyalty shines through in his inetrview that talks about his batting development, his cricketing heroes, memorable innings and, more recently, his coaching and his captaincy.
The epitome of the one club man, Michael has played at the top end of recreational cricket in Wales for 25 years. His memories and his thoughts tell us a lot about him as a person but also provide some great insights on the game for all cricketers. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we talk to ex Glamorgan seam bowler Steve 'Basil' Barwick.
You can read about Steve's first class career here:
https://glamorgancricketarchives.com/steve-barwick/
We begin by talking about his early years playing for Briton Ferry Town and Alan Lewis Jones who introduced him to Glamorgan and the then coach Tom Cartwright. He talks about Tom and how he built his strength up as a bowler.
He talks about his debut for Glamorgan against Sussex at Hove and his first season in 1981.
We talk about some of the international players who played county cricket at the time and some of the bowlers he remembers playing with.
Steve mentions Garth Le Roux as the most difficult batsman he had to bowl against. We also talk about his career best figures of 8 for 42 which he took against Worcester at New Road. You can see the scorecard here:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/schweppes-county-championship-1983-468579/worcestershire-vs-glamorgan-470263/full-scorecard
Steve talks about how proud he was to receive his County Cap.
Basil then tells me how he got the nickname!
Steve then describes his experiences as a sufferer of sarcoidosis. He describes the symptoms and the impact the illness has had on his life. You can read more about it here:
https://www.sarcoidosisuk.org/
Steve talks about how he changed his bowling to predominantly off cutters and how he went about his craft. He then goes on to how Glamorgan planned to win matches in the period in the early 90s. We talk about the impact Viv Richards' arrival at the club and the Axa Equity and Law victory in 1993. Steve recalls the final game at Canterbury and what a fantastic day it was.
Steve tells the story of how Ian Botham turned up at this mother and fathers wedding anniversary party.
We finish by talking about Steve's love for the game, how he continued to play cricket after his first class career and what the game has meant to him. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this, the second part of our chat with current and ex players and officials we meet Henderson Springer. You can read a little bit about Hendy and his connections with Haverfordwest and the cricket club here:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/hendy-springer-53004
http://www.pembrokeshiresport.co.uk/home/henderson-says-hello-to-his-pembrokeshire-cricketing-friends
You can hear an interview with him on this Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=192877061657624
And an article in Barbados today about Hendy's return to the island and its cricket community:
https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/06/19/springer-returns-as-crickets-coaching-boss/
First, we hear my questions to Hendy. He talks about his first impressions of the club and the town, his estimation of the team and what made it successful in the period he was with it. He talks about how he felt coming to the club as a paid professional and a little bit about his approach to coaching.
He tells the story about a lady called Mary Field who's conversation with him is something that has stayed with him throughout his coaching career.
He also gives a message to the club and its members about everyone pitching in to keep the club going for another two hundred years !
The second part of the episode is club members talking about Henderson arriving at the club and their memories of him, both on and off the field!
The final part of the episode is the club members talking about their favourite grounds, both within and outside Pembrokeshire, their connections with the wider game in Wales, including the relationship with Glamorgan and Welsh Fire and the impact of women and girls cricket on the club.
Finally, we hear some favourite stories about the club and its players and memories of a loved ex member of the club, Steve James.
Very sadly, Henderson's mother was taken into hospital on the day of our conversation. She has, since, passed away.
This episode of the podcast is dedicated to her memory and to the memory of Steve James.
Anyone interested in attending one of the remaining functions celebrating the club's bicentenary can find the details via the club's Facebook Page. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
The collected group of ex-players and committee post holders started by telling us who they are and what they were like as cricketers.
We get a picture of the way into cricket which was different for different players, some moving from juniors into seniors and others coming onto the scene as a senior. There were four senior sides in the past and some present played for all four sides.
We talk about a little bit of the older history of the club with contributions from Stuart who outlined the contested question of exactly when the cricket club was formed. Cricket was brought to the area by English gentlemen who played mainly ‘away’ fixtures from 1824 but finally came to the Racecourse Ground in 1839.
Stuart tells the story of why the ground is called ‘The Racecourse’ and also outlines the history of the building of the current Pavillion.
Like in other areas of Wales, english educated gentlemen first brought the game of cricket to the town when returning to their homes.
The first reported game involving members of the Haverfordwest Club took place on 12th August 1835 when a combined Haverfordwest and Pembroke team played members of the Tenby club.
The club is reputed to be the oldest in Wales. A quote from 1839 noted, ‘It is ordered that John Higgon Esquire, and other gentlemen of the cricket club, be allowed to level a spot of ground within the ring of the Racecourse for the purpose of forming a Cricket Ground.’ English educated gentlemen first brought the game of cricket to this part of Wales
One character from the early years of the club was John Henry Philipss. You can read about him here:
https://www.cricketmuseum.wales/the-pembrokeshire-cricketer-who-became-president-of-the-mcc/
In the late 1960s and early 70s discussions got under way regarding the building of a clubhouse. In 1977 the new clubhouse was opened by Wilfred Wooller of Glamorgan CCC and in 1982 the extension was officially opened by Alan Jones esq, Wales pre-eminent first class cricketer and Glamorgan opening bat for many years.
For more detail on the history of the club you can approach them for a copy of the 200th Anniversary Handbook which also contains some great articles on the modern day achievements of the club as well as pieces on its Ladies and Junior Sections.
Simon and Chris outline their favourite performances for Haverfordwest and then the ex-players share their memories of playing for the club.
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this, the second part of our chat with Martin, umpire with the South West Wales Association of Cricket Association, we talk in more detail about his experiences in Chennai, India at the International Masters Cricket Over 60s World Cup earlier this year.
He begins by telling us about the celebrations at the British Consulate in Chennai for the King's Birthday which he attended whilst at the tournament and which was one of the great highlights of the trip for him.
We talk about the first round robin round of the tournament and Martin's memories of that. England and Australia were the standout teams. Although Martin did not watch them, the Welsh side did really well (finishing 5th overall in the competition).
Martin talks about reflecting on his performance and how important that is for umpires generally. He regretted not being able to stand with one of the local Indian umpires.
After the round robin phase there were group positions so then the top of Group A played the second in Group B. Effectively, these were semi finals but there were also games involving all the nations involved to give final placings. Martin was chosen to umpire the semi final between Australia and New Zealand. He describes the game and Australia's comfortable victory.
No one knew who would be umpiring the Final although it would have to be a neutral umpire. As it would be played between England and Australia, Martin, as the sole umpire from Wales, was in with a shout. All the international umpires thought the final would go to the Indian umpires. However, after some delay on the evening before the final, at about 9pm, Martin discovered he was one of the three umpires chosen to officiate at the final. A further wait happened until it was confirmed that he would be one of the on-field umpires.
Martin describes his feelings of nerves and excitement at the prospect of officiating at such an important game.
Martin describes the unusual feeling of participating in such a big occasion but that it was happening without much of a focus on it. It was still one of six games that were taking place on the same day.
We talk about a serious incident which took place at the tournament, with a player experiencing a 'mild' heart attack. All the umpires stressed this to all the players before the final. He then talks to us about the ground where the final took place as well as all the grounds and the wickets in general.
England got a below par score, for them, in the 160s. Australia were a fantastic bowling team and pinned England back with them losing wickets regularly. Australia won with 4 or 5 overs and 8 wickets to spare. The celebrations were rather muted but Martin felt that this was rather inevitable given the way the tournament had been organised.
Martin described the closing ceremony which took place two days after the final and what he received as a participating official. He concludes with some final reflections on the experience. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
This episode features the first installment of my chat with cricket umpire Martin Wale.
We begin with a bit of onomatology! Quite a departure for us. We then get on to more familiar territory, talking about Martin’s growing up in Coventry and getting to watch Warwickshire CCC at the Corthaulds Ground in the city.
Martin talks about his love of the detail of what goes on on a cricket field, stumpings v run outs, the lbw rule and so on. Martin can thank his wife for getting him involved in umpiring, prompting him to approach the South Wales Cricket Association in 2004. He used to watch games at the Mumbles Cricket Club as well as visiting St Helens.
Martin talks about his mentor Huw Rees who stood with him for the whole of his first season of umpiring. Huw sadly passed away in recent times, but Martin remembers him fondly. Leighton James was playing in his first game as an umpire and Martin gave him out first ball lbw. He talks about how conflicted he felt about making that decision.
Martin goes on to talk about what he feels about umpiring. In particular, he focuses on the ‘man management’ involved in umpiring and the team working involved in umpiring.
Before talking about the Over 60s World Cup, Martin relates the story of his involvement in the Over 50s World Cup in South Africa in 2020. The Tournament was abandoned half way through the first round of games as the Soth African Government declared their lock down. Martin and some members of his family were amongst the last few people to leave the country and returned back to a country that was 10 days into its first national lockdown. An incredible part of his story.
Martin talks about the setting up of the International Masters Cricket organization and the ‘regularizing’ of international seniors cricket. This included the setting up of IMCUP (International Masters Cricket Umpires Panel). It was as a member of this panel that Martin found out about the Over 60s World Cup in Chennai earlier this year.
Those interested in finding out about Masters Cricket can link to the ICM website here:
https://masterscricket.org/o60swc-2024/
Much of the preparation for going to India took place through a WhatsApp group. Martin talked us through some of the things that were discussed here. He relates his excitement about what lay ahead.
We then talk about the tournament organisation and the surprising revelation that the umpires did not know which game they were going to officiate in until the evening before the game. Martin talked about some of the travel arrangements to and from the grounds.
We hear about Martin’s impressions of Chennai which was, in his words, ‘chaotic, noisy, and dusty’:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai
He then describes getting around in the ubiquitous Tuk Tuk’s:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw
He’s overall impressions of the people were that they were very welcoming and friendly. Martin discovered Dosa’s. See here for more details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa_(food)
We finish this part of our chat with Martin running through some of the details of the umpiring organisation at the tournament including the arrangements for coping with the heat and humidity prevailing across the City.
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we make use of the MCC Sound Archive to bring you the story of Blaina Cricket Club.
The MCC project, Taking the Field was aimed at recording the oral history of cricket clubs throughout the breadth of the UK. Members of the Blaina Cricket Club had already started recording their history for a published book.
The book can be bought here:
https://welsh-academic-press.shopfactory.com/contents/en-uk/p12_Blaenau-Cricket-Club.html
The Facebook page of the project still exists and can be found here:
facebook.com/takingthefield
We talked to Emma Peplow, who was the full time officer with Taking the Field and Alan Williams, long time member and Chairperson of Blaina Cricket Club. Interspersed with our interview with Emma and Alan are excerpts from the MCC Sound Archive. We have interviews with the following:
Diane Williams
Alan Williams
David Jones
Alan Lewis
and Ernie Barber
We hear about the history of the club going back to its earliest beginnings in the 19th Century and it's high point in the early 20th Century.
Emma and Alan talk about one of the highlights of the project which was being interviewed on the Test Match Special lunchtime slot during the Test Match against Sri Lanka.
Alan tells us about the early sponsorship of the club and one of the outstanding individuals who helped keep the club going in the 1920s, Evan Watkins. His wikipaedia page is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Watkins
Emma tells us about the international dimension of Taking the Field -
Tell us what you think of this episode
Ossie begins by talking about his experiences as Chairman of Glamorgan CCC and the difficulties cricket and Glamorgan faced in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
We move swiftly talking about the Kerry Packer Circus and it’s impact on the game. Ossie mentions the Tony Grieg affair which arose out of this and then talks about the Gatting affair in 1988 when England captain Mike Gatting was caught on camera pointing his finger at Pakistani umpire Shakoor Rana. For more on that you can go here
https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/the-gatting-rana-fall-out-when-a-whole-day-of-test-cricket-was-lost-to-a-player-umpire-argument
We then move to talking about the idea of a UK Board of Cricket. By the way Ossie gives us a little bit of history about the role of the MCC.
Ossie tells the story of the England AND WALES Cricket Board and how it came to be called that and the implications of that for the development of the first class game and it’s various academies and pathway organisations.
After finishing his work as an administrator with the first class game, Ossie talks about his involved with the founding and development of what was called the Cricket Foundation but what became the Chance to Shine Charity. In particular, we hear the story of how the ex Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, got involved and managed to get a huge investment form the government of the day to take cricket into primary schools.
We talk about Ossie’s involvement with the Sports Council of Wales and he talks at length about Tom Cartwright’s involvement as a coach in welsh cricket.
Ossie reflects on the game today with particularly interesting comments about the County Championship and Test cricket, including ‘Baz Ball’.
We end with Ossie’s thoughts on welsh cricket and the need to produce some more of our homegrown talent.
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we return to our chat with Ossie Wheatley. He finished as a player in 1969 but before that he was already becoming involved in the administration of the game.
To begin, he gives us an outline of his career, noting his involvement with English cricket form 1963 onwards. He tells us the various committees on which he served and the roles he undertook including being a Test selector. Latterly, he took up positions with the Sports Council of Wales. Along the way he gives a bit of background to his career including his recollections of the development of junior cricket in Wales. Most importantly, he intervened during the development of the ECB to ensure that the organisation would be known as the England and Wales Cricket Board, an insertion that became crucial, amongst other things, to attracting Test cricket to Wales in 2009.
He asserts his belief in the importance of successful elite sports teams in the development of cricket in any particular place.
We talk a little about Leslie Deakins, ex secretary of Warwickshire County Cricket Club and his impact on the club and creating Edgbaston as a Test ground.
We talk about the Clarke Report in 1965, what it set out to do, who was part of the committee and what it achieved. Along the way he talks about the nature of professional cricketers and the way they ensure they control the developments in the game and what might be the best way for cricket to develop. He airs his concern that developments today may mean the success of a few ‘super’ clubs at the expense of the others.
He talks about the experience of being a Test selector which he was for two years from 1972 to 1974.
We finish this episode by talking about how Ossie became Chairman of Glamorgan County Cricket Club in 1976. The team was experiencing a crisis with player sackings, Majid Khan leaving the club and a challenge to the committees running of the club. He talks about his deep concerns over the involvement of overseas players in the game and how it brought him to the point of standing down from the chairman’s role. He also talks about the poor facilities that existed in Wales for elite cricket and how that impacted on Glamorgan’s fortunes.
We talk briefly about Glamorgan’s visit to Lords in 1977 for the Gillette Cup Final and end with Ossie’s reflections on Glamorgan as a club and where it was in the late 70s and early 80s.
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we visit Hay-On-Wye Cricket Club which hosted a game against an All Stars XI from the Hay Literary Festival at the end of May.
We hear from club members and officials as they talk about their club as well as their preparations for this historic game.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Authors XI you can do so here:
https://www.authorscc.co.uk/
Their book and other publications associated with the authors can be purchased here:
https://www.authorscc.co.uk/cricket-publications
Anyone interested in playing cricket for the Hay Club or interested in what they do can contact the current secretary Tim Davies in the following ways:
[email protected]07964625755 (mobile)
-
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we bring together the biographer of Maurice Turbull, the museum's own Andrew Hignell and sports writer Bill Williams who's recent article about Maurice gave us the title of this episode.
Andrew's book can be purchased here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turnbull-Welsh-Sporting-Andrew-Hignell/dp/0752421840
Bill's article can be read here:
https://www.playingpasts.co.uk/articles/football/maurice-turnbull-was-he-britains-most-complete-all-round-sportsman/
After Bill telling us a little bit about the newly discovered photo of Maurice, Andrew gives us a comprehensive outline of Maurice's sporting life, focusing on his first class cricket career with Glamorgan.
We talk about his sporting achievements, what he was like as a player in cricket, rugby and hockey as well as his prowess as a leader of the Glamorgan County Club.
We discuss the possibility of Maurice being Britain's greatest ever all round sportsman and the episode finishes with Andrew very poignantly telling the story of Maurice Turnbull's death after the D Day Landings. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this episode we speak to Professor Mike Wilson of Loughborough University about his work in the area of oral history and the two cricketing projects with which he was associated, Tale-Enders and Taking the field. Mike is currently Professor of Drama and Head of Creative Arts at Loughborough.
Tale-Enders was a project he was involved with alongside Andrew Hignell of the Museum of Welsh Cricket and coincided with plans for the new stadium at Sophia Gardens in the run up to the Ashes series of 2009. At that time, Mike was Head of Research at the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Glamorgan which is now the University of South Wales in Pontypridd. Mike describes the origins of the project, his memories of working on it and some of the stories about welsh cricket clubs it uncovered.
Taking the Field was a project inspired by the Tale Enders Project and was organised under the auspices of the MCC. It expanded on the concepts explored by Tale Enders and, as it happened, assisted members of Blaina Cricket Club tell the story of their club.
In addition to talking about these projects, Mike tells us about his academic journey, his discovery of oral history and one or two of the key figures that have informed his development as someone interested in the power of stories for exploring history.
For those interested in Tale Enders, you can find the Flickr page which was used by the project by clicking on the link below. Be prepared to see some famous English cricketers as well as members of the Glamorgan CCC Team from days gone by. In addition, there are many photos taken of club grounds and club and country cricket in Wales from the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the photos are not labelled but the experience of looking at them is no less enjoyable for that:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tale-enders/
For those interested in the Taking the Field project there will be a follow up episode of the podcast featuring original audio recordings from the project with members of Blaina Cricket Club as well as an interview with Project Worker Emma Peplow and member of Blaina CC, Alan Williams. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
We begin this episode of the podcast by talking about Ossie's best first class bowling figures, quickly moving on to his nickname.
We talk about the nature of County cricket in the era that Ossie played including the extensive travelling that players had to undertake during a first class season.
Tony Lewis was heir apparent to the captaincy. Ossie talks about him before we launch into his memories of the 1969 Championship winning season. As well as his exploits Ossie provides us with a pen picture of the 13 man squad that brought the trophy back to Wales for the second time.
Ossie felt the record he held at Cambridge University, taking 80 wickets in a season was one of his outstanding achievements. He then talks about some of his memories of the period in which he played including PeterMay, Fred Trueman, Brian Statham and Frank Tyson. Ossie talks with pride about his economy rate in first class cricket and how, for him, putting pressure on batsmen is a key element to bowling which he feels has been taken out of the modern game.
We talk about what he regards as his best performance on a cricket field and the performances of others that made an impact on him. Ossie talks about the changes in cricket equipment that have impacted on the game.
He finishes with his final reflections on his playing career and the nature of the professional game. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
We talk to Ossie Wheatley of Cambridge University, Warwickshire and Glamorgan. He won a Blue for cricket at Cambridge University in 1957 and in 1958 when he amassed a record 80 wickets for the University. After coming down he had a brief but succesful career with Warwickshire for whom he took 110 wickets in 1960. In 1961 he was appointed captain of Glamorgan CCC as a replacement for the retiring Wilf Wooller and over the next few years he developed a wonderful bowling partnership with Jeff Jones.
His fast medium bowling added a new dimension to the Glamorgan attack and in 1968 he took 82 wickets at just 12 a piece. He was named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year in 1969.
In this episode he talks about his early life, his cricketing development at school and then University, his move to Glamorgan in 1961, the club's development in the early years of his captaincy and the wonderful victory over the touring Australians in 1964.
You can read the text of a wonderful interview between Ossie and Richard Bentley of the St Helen's Balconiers about that game here:
http://www.thebalconiers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/%E2%80%98Ossie%E2%80%99s-Tamed-the-Aussies%E2%80%99-Balconiers-Ossie-Wheatley-article.pdf -
Tell us what you think of this episode
In this week's episode we meet with four stalwarts of Christchurch Cricket Club who take us through their involvement with the club, the players that they remember from its past and the battles that they face in keeping the club going in this, its 100th year of existence.
For this interested in the club you can check out their Facebook Page here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/151870402830
Their Twitter (X) handle is @CCCCFerndale
Thank you to all the gentlemen for giving their time to be interviewed. Everyone at the Museum of Welsh Cricket would like to wish everyone at Christchurch Cricket Club a wonderful centenary season. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
This is the first of two episodes celebrating Christchurch Cricket Clun and their centenary year.
In this first episode we hear from local historian of Ferndale and District, Alun Clement who sets the scene for a discussion with current players and administrators of the club which will come next week.
Alun very kindly provided us with some pre-recorded statements outlining the history of the area, the development of sport with an emphasis on cricket and the Christchurch Club and some notable local sportspeople.
This is followed on the episode by excerpts from an online chat we had with Alun about his book 'Passages of Life: Ferndale and District'.
If you enjoy the episode and are interested in Alun's book please get in touch with us and we can forward your details to him. -
Tell us what you think of this episode
Neil begins by outlining the story of the stuffed sparrow that is one of the more unusual items in the MCC Museum and one that has a link to Glamorgan as the ball that was bowled immediately before the sparrow was discovered was bowled by Jahangir Khan, father of Majid Khan, Glamorgan’s first overseas player.
The discussion then moves on to books and, in particular, the books that have been written, wholly or in the main, after research at the MCC library and archive. The following books are outlined by Neil:
John Major’s ‘More Than a Game’:
https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/more-than-a-game-the-story-of-crickets-early-years-john-major?variant=39571071696974
Peter Oborne’s ‘Wounded Tiger: A History of Cricket in Pakistan’
https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Wounded-Tiger/Peter-Oborne/9781849832489
Peter Obourne ‘Basil D’Oliveira, Cricket and Conspiracy: The Untold Story’
https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/peter-oborne/basil-doliveira/9780751534887/+/
David Woodehouse ‘Who Only Cricket Know: Hutton’s Men in the West Indies 53/54’:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/who-only-cricket-know/david-woodhouse/9781909811591
Prashant Kadambi ‘Cricket Country: An Indian Odyssey in the Age of Empire’:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/cricket-country/prashant-kidambi/9780198843146
Future publications that are upcoming are:
David Kynaston and Harry Ricketts ‘Richie Benaud’s Blue Suede Shoes: The Story of an Ashes Classic’:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/richie-benauds-blue-suede-shoes-9781526670274/
this is published on 23rd May 2024
Leo McKinstry ‘Bill Edrich: The Many Lives of Englands Cricket Great’:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/bill-edrich-9781399407823/
this is published on 18th July 2024
Jeremy Lonsdale ‘An Unusual Celebrity: The Many Cricketing Lives of Bill Bowed’:
https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/unusual-celebrity
this is published on 10th June 2024
Neil also talks about his book, The Long Shot Summer: The Year of Four England Cricket Captains. You can read more about it here:
https://www.amberley-books.com/long-shot-summer-the-year-of-four-england-cricket-captains-1988.html
After this literary excursion, Neil outlines the staff group at the Museum. They are:
Alan Rees
Charlotte Goodhew
Heather Lomas
Matthew Howe
Neil talks about an item in the collection that has a specific relationship with Glamorgan. It is a poster advertising a gala week to raise money for Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
We talk about the oral history project undertaken at the Museum of Welsh Cricket called Tale-Enders and how it influenced Neil’s approach to the work of the MCC Museum in general and specifically the project they launched called Taking the Field.
Finally, Neil touches on what he sees as the importance of sports museums in telling the history of people in a particular place and at a particular time and he finishes with the details of how people can get in touch with and / or visit the museum.
For details of the tours of Lords or contacting the museum you can go here:
https://www.lords.org/mcc/heritage-collections/what-we-do
- Show more
