Cricket Witness No 3 - The Daffodil Blooms

114 and Laker within the space of six balls, prompting hordes of shop assistants and office workers to sprint across Westgate Street and through the entrances into the ground eager to see Glamorgan take more wickets. They were not disappointed either as Surrey ended the day on 47-9. The recall of the veteran spinner had been beyond the wildest dreams of Wilf, who later reflected: “Johnnie finished the job early on the second morning and I was able to invite Surrey to follow-on. After a short spell from the seamers, I let my spinners loose on the demoralised Surrey batsmen for a second time, and they collapsed again, taking lunch at 88-6. Like prize fighters sagging on the ropes, the visitors realised that their own Championship aspirations were literally spinning away.” 5 As news spread around Cardiff of Surrey’s predicament, shops and offices emptied once again and, after lunch, there were estimates of over 10,000 people in the ground – with many on extended lunch breaks – to observe the final rites. The Surrey tail- enders unfurled a few lusty blows but when John McMahon struck Willie Jones into Johnnie’s grasp at mid-off, a Glamorgan victory had been sealed by an innings and with a day to spare. Their defeat at the hands of the rampant Welsh side knocked Surrey out of the title race, so Wilf and his team knew that Glamorgan would be County Champions if they won their next match at Bournemouth and Yorkshire failed to win both of their remaining fixtures. Winning inside two days also meant that the Glamorgan squad did not have to endure a late-night journey down to Bournemouth for what would be the biggest match in the Club’s history. The blank Friday gave the players a rare lie- in ahead of the journey down to the South Coast. It also gave their medical staff an opportunity to assess Phil Clift’s injury. He was still struggling when the players gathered at Cardiff General to catch their express to Hampshire, but Allan was not amongst them, having picked up a shoulder injury in the Test Match. He had to stay in the London area for treatment so, in the knowledge that the Dean Park wicket was normally spin-friendly, Wilf asked Johnnie to accompany the team to Hampshire – it was an invitation he could not decline! Once again, there were many Welsh voices to greet Wilf and his team when they assembled at Dean Park on Saturday, 21 st August. There was plenty of cloud cover, plus a little bit of drizzle in the Clinching the title