Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

22 The creation of St. Helen’s catch at point. A few minutes later the innings came to an end as the South Wales gentlemen were dismissed for 94 with Spofforth finishing with 10/35. They followed on the following morning at 11.30 with the crowd of 3,000 hoping for a spirited fightback. It was not to be as by 3.30 p.m. they were all out again for 88. Second time around, it was the steady seam of Boyle that caused the damage, with the Australian taking 9/33 as they hurried to an innings victory and allowed them an early getaway for their next fixture in Lancashire. At the evening banquet JTD philosophised on why the colonial side had proved too strong – not just for South Wales, but for the best players in England. “Perhaps it is because a country like Australia, where men have to work hard in every trade, where perhaps the luxuries of life are not so well marked as in Britain, will naturally produce finer men,” he said. The game had admittedly been something of a mismatch, and showed JTD and the other enthusiastic officials who attended from across South Wales that a lot of hard work remained to be done before the cricketers of the region could mount a challenge against the visiting Test players, never mind challenge them on equal terms. There was plenty of optimism though to be taken about the new facilities at St. Helen’s and the first purpose-built cricket ground in the region. The Australians had been complimentary about the new ground and whilst the standard of play in The Swansea RFC team of 1879/80 in front of the new pavillion paid for by JTD Llewelyn (image reproduced courtesy of the City and Council of Swansea, Swansea Museum Collection).