Cricket Witness No 3 - The Daffodil Blooms

52 Team spirit made to inject some life into what could have become a moribund fixture and to provide entertainment for the couple of thousand spectators who had turned up. His actions were duly rewarded with a five-wicket win as the visitors were dismissed for 59, with Johnnie Clay claiming five cheap wickets and Frank Ryan – no doubt fortified by a good evening in “The Bear” – taking four. But the MCC took a dim view of the Glamorgan captain’s actions and, together with the umpires, he was summoned to an enquiry at Lord’s. Bill Reeves, one of the umpires, attempted to make light of the whole thing besides living up to his reputation as a witty Cockney by telling the Chairman of the hearing “the rule does not apply Sir, it was in a foreign country!” But, like Queen Victoria, the authorities were not amused, and all concerned were severely reprimanded for departing from the accepted principles of the game. 2 Whilst accepting the decision, Maurice voiced his sadness in an interview with the Western Mail , believing that the governing body had been petty and inflexible: “Our case is that we were trying to play cricket by keeping faith with the public. It is imperative that we play bright and attractive cricket to draw in the crowds, especially as the attendances are such a vital source of income for cash-strapped clubs such as ours. Instead of wasting a day in dreariness with stalemate looming ahead, a really exciting day’s cricket was provided. The practice ought to be regularised.” 3 His words highlighted the go-ahead and socialist philosophy of Glamorgan’s figurehead. The need to put the paying public first rather than perpetuating a system which reinforced the vested interest of certain clubs also underpinned the decision to take first-class cricket around the county boundaries and beyond, as Glamorgan sought to emulate the likes of Essex and Yorkshire by having a series of fixtures at a number of out-grounds. Maurice Turnbull and Johnnie Clay were only too aware of the benefits of playing at such venues as Cheltenham and Clacton- on-Sea. The Club’s previous administrators, however, whilst very capable at book-keeping and the like, had minimal experience of such ventures and in the face of the pro-Cardiff and Swansea lobbies, had been reluctant to look elsewhere and stir up another hornet’s nest. This all changed during the 1930s as Glamorgan took to the road with the Club’s flag flying at a number of lesser venues.