they brought a strong side to South Wales, including George Challenor and Learie Constantine. Although he was still qualifying, Glamorgan were able to select Mercer, the former Sussex medium fast bowler, for this match. The tourists had plenty of pace in Francis, John and Constantine and it was George John who did the most damage with seven for 52 as the home side were dismissed for 115. Some fine seam bowling from Trevor Arnott (seven for 40) restricted the lead to 86 but a large holiday crowd saw Glamorgan subside to 128 for four in their second innings. At this point Jimmy Stone, a batsman who had spent 15 years with Hampshire, made 108, adding 137 in 90 minutes with Frank Pinch (55). The total reached 324, leavingWest Indies with a target of 239. They started well and at 185 for five were in sight of victory but Mercer trapped Challenor lbw for 105 and the innings subsided for 195, Mercer taking four 41. There were great celebrations on the Arms Park ground to mark Glamorgan’s success. Pennies began to drop. The touring sides were usually a major attraction and Glamorgan had stuck gold with matches which not only attracted large crowds but were a welcome respite from the rigours of the Championship. The South Africans were here in 1924 under the captaincy of Herbie Taylor but they brought little joy for Glamorgan. Their visit to Cardiff Arms Park coincided with bad weather which prevented play on August Bank Holiday Monday and Tuesday. James Blanckenberg enjoyed Saturday, however, taking eight wickets in the Welsh total of 178, the Springboks ending the day and the match on 15 for one. There was more rain about in 1926 when the Australians were here, the cricket having to be set against the background of the General Strike. That ended after eight days in May, but the miners stayed out for months, South Wales being among several areas to suffer deprivation. At Whitsuntide the tourists gained an innings victory over Oxford University, Arthur Richardson’s off breaks claiming eleven wickets. Meanwhile Glamorgan, now led by Clay, were having an astonishing season. They had finished last in 1925, with only one win and 20 losses – 13 consecutively - in 26 Championship matches but the following year saw a remarkable turnaround. Early in the season they headed the table and they were in second place when the Australians arrived at St Helen’s. There was a record crowd of 25,000 on August Bank Holiday Monday, with hundreds of people left outside. Mercer caused problems on Saturday, with five for 74 but neither he nor anybody else could shift Bill Ponsford, who was still there with 143 when the innings closed for 283. Glamorgan’s batsmen found the spin of Clarrie Grimmett and Arthur Mailey too much for them to handle. Although the 20-year-old Cyril Walters, later to join Worcestershire and captain England, made an unbeaten 42 they were defeated by 224 runs. The defeat seemed to take the stuffing out of the county side. They failed to win any of their remaining nine games and finished eighth. Cardiff was the venue in 1927 for the August holiday match against the New Zealanders, who were touring England for the first time. No Tests were played but the Kiwis gave a good account of themselves, with Dempster (Leicestershire), Merritt and James (Northamptonshire) and Charles Dacre (Gloucestershire) going on to make an impact in county cricket. They drew with Oxford University at Whitsuntide, Errol Holmes making 165 for the hosts, and gained a comfortable victory at Cardiff. Mercer and Clay toiled away but Dempster’s 167 put the tourists firmly in command. Clay made his maiden century in the second innings but it was not enough. Apart from 1970 that was the Welsh Fervour 108