Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

58 Chapter Seven A place for all seasons Glamorgan’s elevation into first-class cricket saw the St. Helen’s ground stage its inaugural County Championship match – and the Welsh county’s second – on 28 May, 1921 with Leicestershire visiting Swansea. It saw Ewart Astill, the visiting opener, score 115 as the East Midlands side made 335 on the opening day, before claiming two cheap wickets. On the second day, Glamorgan were dismissed for 192 before their bowlers dismissed Leicestershire for 70, and buoyed by their efforts, Norman Riches made a fluent start in their pursuit of the target of 214. With Glamorgan having beaten Sussex in their opening game at the Arms Park a fortnight before, a few dreamt of another victory for the Welsh county, but these romantics had their hopes dashed as none of the other batsmen could support the Cardiff batsman and after he departed for 57, Glamorgan ended twenty runs short. This defeat by Leicestershire was followed later in the summer by innings defeats against Gloucestershire and Somerset, and although Frank Pinch, a Cornish-born schoolmaster scored a century in their victory against Worcestershire, there had been little for Glamorgan’s supporters to cheer at Swansea in 1921. Worse was to follow the next year as all five of the county’s games at St. Helen’s ended in sizeable defeats, with Sussex winning by an innings, Hampshire by 178 runs, Northamptonshire by 103 runs, Derbyshire by 283 runs and Lancashire by an innings. The losing sequence at Swansea ended in 1923 as victories were recorded against Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire, but the damage had been done during the previous two years with gate receipts at St. Helen’s falling, and coupled with the team’s poor showing elsewhere, there were calls for Glamorgan to return to the Minor County ranks. The fact that they continued as a first-class county and went on to enjoy much success at the ground overlooking Swansea Bay stemmed from the emergence of a rich seam of young homegrown talent. Maurice Turnbull was one of these fresh faces to emerge during the 1920s with the man who went on to become a dual international, representing Wales at rugby, besides playing cricket for England and Glamorgan, making his first appearance in Glamorgan’s ranks at St. Helen’s in 1924. Swansea was a most appropriate location for his first-class debut, given the way he personified the dual nature of the Swansea ground, and it’s place in both the winter and summer schedules of sporting activities in South Wales. It was also the icing on the cake that his highest-ever score for his beloved county should also occur at Swansea in 1937. By the time he made a