Cricket Witness No 3 - The Daffodil Blooms

94 New faces again had a word in the ear of Middlesex officials. They spoke favourably about 23-year old Norman Hever who had been on the MCC groundstaff before making a handful of appearances for Middlesex during 1947. With little prospect of securing a regular spot in the Middlesex line-up, Norman agreed terms with the Welsh county and developed into a very handy bowler with his lively fast-medium bowling being cleverly used in short spells by the astute Glamorgan captain. Despite Norman’s success and his later selection in the 1949 Test Trial, it irked Wilf that, once again, he had had to look outside Wales for a suitable replacement. But there was some emerging Welsh talent, albeit in unusual places, as during the winter of 1947/48 it came to Glamorgan’s attention that a promising young bowler who had been born on the Gower was being sent by Worcestershire to the MCC groundstaff at Lord’s. The person in question was Don Shepherd who, whilst serving in the Fleet Air Arm at RAF Defford in 1947, had come to the attention of the Worcestershire authorities. The games at the airbase had been the first organised matches in which the young man from Port Eynon had ever taken part. Whilst playing for RAF Defford against the Gentlemen of Worcestershire at Pershore, Don impressed Major Maurice Jewell, the former Worcestershire captain, with his seam-bowling ability, high flowing action plus a consistent, threatening line and length. The English county were also looking to recruit new young bowlers, especially with Reg Perks, their stalwart from the pre-War era hinting at imminent retirement. In fact, Championship cricket in 1947 had been awash with a battery of older bowlers, and men of more modest pace who loyally took the new ball. Up and down the country, clubs were on the lookout for new recruits and in Air Mechanic D.J.Shepherd, Worcestershire thought that they had unearthed a gem. Soon afterwards, the nineteen-year old was invited to the New Road ground at Worcester for a formal trial in front of Brigadier Michael Green, the county’s secretary and Syd Buller, the Club’s coach and 2 nd XI captain. All went well and during the Autumn of 1947, the Worcestershire committee decided to further Don’s cricketing education by arranging a place for him at Lord’s. News that a young Welsh bowler would be on the MCC groundstaff in 1948 soon reached the ears of Wilf. The news must have been like manna from heaven as his approaches to other young players to join Glamorgan for 1948 had come to nothing, whilst others