Cricket Witness No 3 - The Daffodil Blooms

108 Chapter Eleven Clinching the title To the relief of the Glamorgan contingent, a match did unfold against Somerset at Weston-super-Mare, and what a match it proved to be. It was one of the most enthralling in that daffodil- golden summer of 1948, with Glamorgan’s combined spirit seeing them clinch a nail-biting win on a turning wicket, much to the delight of a bumper crowd. Indeed, there were a greater number of lilting Welsh voices around the boundary’s edge than those with a Somerset burr as the Clarence Park ground saw an invasion from the early hours from the other side of the Severn Estuary, as steamer after steamer brought more and more Glamorgan supporters into the popular resort. There was an air of expectation amongst the Glamorgan camp before the match had started, quite rightly founded as Somerset were enduring a rotten season. Their first five games had yielded the grand total of no points and in the previous match at the Weston Festival, Sussex had won by six wickets with James Langridge claiming match figures of 14/129 and none of the home batsmen looking at ease in the damp conditions. Despite the rain from the previous day, play began at the scheduled time on the Saturday morning after Wilf Wooller won a vital toss. But it was only a brief passage of play, as with Glamorgan on 15-1 there was another downpour, resulting in a two-hour delay. The sun then came out and spiced up the pitch, allowing Maurice Tremlett to exploit the sticky conditions and return the exemplary figures of 27-12-31-8. Glamorgan were all out for 70, and by the close of play Somerset were 29-1, with the potential champions in danger of seeing their bid for the Championship stall amidst the rain and showers. Whilst the visiting players spent Sunday sampling the delights of Weston – the beach, the Grand Pier, the Marine Parade and the many cafes in the bustling resort – the vast majority of Glamorgan supporters who were staying over sought spiritual assistance. There were barely any spaces in the pews of the local churches as a far larger congregation than normal assembled to hear the Sunday sermon and to say their prayers.