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This episode was first broadcast on August 28th 2020 and contains a series of interviews.

 We hear Richard Hill of the ECB outline the history of disability cricket and its current set up.  

Les Randall and Leshia Hawkins of Criced Cymru / Cricket Wales talk about the past achievements and present goals of those organising disability cricket in the principality. 

We hear from two of the Wales Disability Cricket Team Squad who visited Sri Lanka in 2019.  Cian Davies and Chris Margetts talk openly about their disability and their reasons for playing cricket as a sport and how much it has given to them.

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This week's episode explores the latest addition to the cricketing calendar in England and Wales, The Hundred. 

There is an interview with Chief Executive Officer of Welsh Fire, Hugh Morris where we not only discuss the new format for cricket but also Glamorgan's recent success in the Royal London One Day Cup.  Hugh outlines the background to the Hundred and how important it is to the future promotion of the game in Wales.

Next, we have a brief interview with sports journalist from Pakistan, Roha Nadeem.  From her perspective as a production assistant with The Hundred she sketches out her enthusiasm for the competition and, in particular, the role it will play in the promotion of women's cricket.

Finally, we have excerpts from a series of interviews conducted at the final Welsh Fire home fixture of the season at Sophia Gardens.

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Dr Andrew Hignell brings us the story of TAL Whittington; solicitor, player, captain and administrator, throughout the Edwardian period.

This episode is based around the recently published book by the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, 'Fly at a Higher Game - The story of TAL Whittington and the elevation of Glamorgan CCC into the County Championship.'

Dr Hignell brings a detailed account of Whittington's family, early years and development as a cricketer.  He explains what was happening to sport in Wales and how the quest to bring a better quality of cricket to the Principality reflected a growth in confidence of Wales' sporting community.

As well as talking about the way that Whittington went about the job of securing first class status for Glamorgan Andrew points to some of the problems he faced in his life, both financial and medical, culminating in his tragic death whilst undergoing surgery towards the end of the Second World War.

Anyone interested in purchasing the book can do so by contacting Dr Hignell directly.  He can be emailed at [email protected]

A recent review of the book can be found here:

https://www.cricketweb.net/books/fly-at-a-higher-game/

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We talk to Ken Lewis from Newtown in mid Wales who began his professional cricket career in 1950.

We talk about growing up and the first influences on him as a sportsman as well as what it was like growing up in the 1930s and living through the war.

Ken tells us about his army career which comprised of a lot of sport interrupted by very little in the way of anything else!  He arrived at Glamorgan along with Don Shepherd, Bernard Hedges and Jim McConnon in 1950 and although he had several opportunities to claim a regular place in the side he experienced a number of injuries which, first halted his progress and then ended his career.

Ken fondly remembers the players he played with in those 1950s sides including Emrys Davies, Gilbert Parkhouse, Willey Jones, Alan Watkins and Wilf Wooller.

There are a number of stories to cherish in his reflections including him meeting his boyhood idol Len Hutton and scoring a goal against the local army barracks, only to find that when he was enlisted his commanding officer remembered him as the lad that scored a goal against his army team !

This is a longer than normal podcast but we hope you agree it is worth every minute of the listening time to hear an old player's memories of playing and enjoying the game of cricket.

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Jan Gray interviews Mojeid Ilyas, recently appointed Diverse Communities Development Officer.  They talk about some of the issues in improving the take up of cricket amongst the inner city communities of Cardiff and Newport and what Mojeid has done already to raise the profile of cricket as a sport amongst children and their families.

The following is taken from Mojeid's biography in his own words on the Criced Cymru / Cricket Wales website:

'A few years ago, I was made aware of the importance of having positive role models and people that care within the community. As an aspiring young cricketer in Grangetown, many young boys and girls would come up to me for help with their cricket and since then I have made a conscious decision to be a positive influence for the young boys and girls in my local community and not to isolate myself.

I also believe my own experiences coming through the ‘system’ as an ethnic minority holds me in great stead to fully appreciate and understand the challenges that young BAME cricketers face through their time as cricketers when liaising with Glamorgan’s diverse communities’ mentor. Such as the different cultural, familial, or institutional factors that may affect their journey. Therefore, I hope with my experience I can take this opportunity and negate the possibility of any young cricketers facing the same barriers I came across during my development as a cricketer and as an individual. Allowing for them to enjoy the beautiful game of cricket as well as realise their true potential.'

Jan finishes the interview by asking about Mojeid's plans for the coming year.  Many are in agreement that his enthusiasm for the game and his willingness to pass this on to others has made him a valuable addition to the Criced Cymru / Cricket Wales team.

To contact him, check the following:

https://cricketwales.org.uk/our-team/mojeid-ilyas

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We interview four club stalwarts (if that's the right phrase to use!) Arwyn Thomas, John Homer, Dorian Taylor and Chris Peregrine.

They talk about cricket in Camarthenshire since the Second World War, the development of the club at Bronwydd from the late 1970s to today.

There are some lovely cricketing stories about swarms of bees, rampaging cattle and the tourist who broke his own rule number one !!

There are also some thoughtful and meaningful reflections on running a village club, the state of cricket today and whether cricket has a future.

A lovely chat with four gentleman who's association with their club  collectively stretches to well over a hundred years.

The club can be found @ccbronwydd on Twitter and at Clwb Criced Bronwydd on Facebook

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We talk to three members of the Conwy Celts Ladies Cricket Team.

Llinos Hill, Emma Leighton-Jones and Dona Jones talk about how they got interested in the game, how they got started and what they get out of playing.  There is a difference in stories, with Llinos starting to play as a young girl and Emma and Dona being more recent converts.

They talk about what is important to them in playing as well as the brand of softball cricket that they play.  Llinos talks about the pressures of being both coach and player and all of them talk about their hopes for the team and their own individual performances in what is left of the season.

They represent the growing band of women and girls who are turning to cricket for fun, recreation and friendship.  Their experience is being matched in all corners of Wales and is one of the most exciting narratives about the modern game in both its professional and recreational forms.

For those women and girls in the Conwy area, they can get information about the Conwy Celts here:

https://www.conwycc.com/

For women and girls in the rest of Wales, check out the contact details of the Women and Girls Development Officers here:

https://cricketwales.org.uk/

Just click on PLAY and choose the option for Women and Girls Cricket

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We talk to the sons of ex Penarth Cricket Club player, captain, secretary, chairman and President Graham Crimp MBE.  They talk about their father's early years of playing sport and his graduation to the administrative side of recreational sport.

They describe his inumerable roles in the sporting life of South Wales from cricket to hockey and rugby.  We talk about family life in the Crimp household and of Graham's long and happy marriage to wife Peggy.

Although a grassroots sportsman Graham had several opportunities to meet and converse with some of the biggest names in professional and recreational sport.  We talk about him meeting one of his greatest sporting heroes, Bobby Charlton, and of his meetings with the Duke of Edinburgh.

Graham paid tribute to the Duke in an interview given to BBC Wales which you can see here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-56775634

The tributes paid to him are recorded here in these two articles from the Penarth Times:

https://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/sport/18380213.tributes-paid-penarth-cricket-club-colossus-graham-crimp-mbe/

https://www.penarthtimes.co.uk/sport/18492415.graham-crimp-mbe---tribute/

As a podcast and museum staff we would like to add our own tribute.  Those that look after the game so that future generations can enjoy it are the most important people in recreational sport.  Graham's achievements in this regard were unparalelled.  We are very proud that, in a small way, we can contribute to preserving his memory.  We know his family have missed him.  We can say, without fear of contradiction, that the sport of cricket in Wales has missed him also.

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We interview Ieuan Watkins, safeguarding officer with Criced Cymru / Cricket Wales and Glamorgan County Cricket Club and Laura Whapham Child Protection in Sport Officer with the NSPCC and working for the Child Protection in Sport Unit.

They introduce us to the whole concept of safeguarding and its history in the UK.  They discuss what has changed in the last 20 years of sports administration in the Uk and their role in establishing and developing a positive culture of enjoyment and fun around sport.

Ieuan talks to us about his work with Criced Cymru / Cricket Wales and they give us an insight into their work and what an ordinary working day looks like for those working in the safguarding area.

Both our guests are happy to be contacted by clubs or individuals.  Indeed, they feel this is the cornerstone of this culture they are trying to build.  You can look at the details around cricket in Wales by looking here:

https://cricketwales.org.uk/safeguarding-standards

You can contact Ieuan here:

[email protected]    or on   07971 007431 

The CPSU can be contacted here:

https://thecpsu.org.uk/

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This episode marks the return of spectators to watching cricket at Sophia Gardens.  The last game where spectators could attend took place in September 2019.  It has been over 600 days since Glamorgan fans were able to watch Michael Hogan, Chris Cooke and all the other players.

Given that the event is quite significant we thought we would chat to those people at Glamorgan County Cricket Club who were charged with making arrangemenst for the Welsh Government Test Event which took place on the first day of the County Championship match against Lancashire on Thursday 3rd June.

We speak to Head of Operations at Glamorgasn, Dan Cherry and Chief Steward Allan Jones in advance of the day, capturing their preparations and expectations.  We also captured some feedback from those that were in attendance on the day, including a brief chat with Kiran Carlson's mum.

To round things off we caught up with Dan after the event to see how things had gone.  This was a small step back towards normality at the cricket for all those that love the sport.  The episode is our small contribution to capturing a moment when our country began to return to the rhythm of the sporting calendar.