Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

10 Early cricket in Swansea the match, and as they could not but observe the scarcity of Benedicts It is to be hoped their compassionate exertions will not be found wanting, in endeavouring to supply the deficiency, by transforming some of the Bachelors into happy members of the opposite party.” 4 Inter-club matches became possible from the 1830s and 1840s as public transport steadily improved and a measure of the standing of Swansea’s cricket club can be gauged from the ever-growing members list which now included a number of local dignitaries, including Starling Benson, a leading copper merchant and industrialist, who was elected Mayor of Swansea in 1843. In August of that year he also led the Swansea club in their match at Crumlin Burrows against the Officers of the 73 rd and 75 th Regiments, with the game having been organised specifically by Capt. Charles Napier, the Chief Constable of Glamorgan, as a goodwill gesture to boost morale in the local area following the unrest caused by the Rebecca Riots. With the increase in trade, and the arrival of further migrants, there were enough good players in Swansea for the club to field two teams from 1852 onwards. This increase in membership, and the growth of the local economy, also meant that the Swansea club had healthier finances, allowing them to hire decent professionals, whose duties included preparing the wicket as well as coaching. Indeed, the club boasted many junior members, who duly formed their own side, known as the Swansea Juveniles, and also used Crumlin Burrows for their games from the early 1850s. From 1856 the Burrows were also the venue for the matches staged by Swansea Normal College – their first being in September of that year against Swansea Grammar School, whilst other clubs in the area also played there. The Burrows was also the location of the Swansea racecourse and the report of the match in 1856 against Neath specifically refers to the wicket as being laid out inside the course – whether or not this was common practice remains unclear. With the town of Swansea growing rapidly, parts of the Burrows were taken over for housing and industry and, as a result, the Club established a Fields Committee during the early 1860s whose task was to seek out alternative locations. In March 1865, they were pleased to report that “The club has succeeded in securing the large field by St Helen’s”, following agreement with the landowners of Brunswick Court who were happy for the cricket club to use the large field which lay to the south of the house and adjoined the main road running west from the town towards the Oystermouth Road and further west towards the Mumbles. April 1865 saw a trial match at the new ground, known as Brunswick Field, and on 25 May, the first inter-club game on record was held at the new venue as Swansea met the Cadoxton club from Neath. With the ground close to the burgeoning urban sprawl, the Swansea club were aware that Brunswick Field was unlikely to be their long-term home. With the land prices in the area also rising, the Club’s officials were also aware that they could not rely on the kindness of other landowners to