Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

78 Chapter Ten Wartime and after The victory over the New Zealanders was one of five at Swansea which Glamorgan recorded during 1937 as, for the first time in their history, the Welsh county won all of their first-class games at St. Helen’s, with their outstanding form propelling Maurice Turnbull’s team into seventh spot in the Championship table. Their winning sequence began in the first week of May with an innings defeat of Kent. Arnold Dyson and Dai Davies each posted hundreds on the opening day before Closs Jones, the 25 year-old off-spinner, claimed 5/38 as the visitors were forced to follow-on. This was followed a month later by a 59-run victory over Hampshire before three weeks later the Clay-inspired win by nine wickets over Worcestershire, before the fourth Championship victory came during mid-July as Northamptonshire were beaten by 102 runs, thanks to a cultured century by Turnbull and a nine- wicket match haul by Clay. After Glamorgan defeated Nottinghamshire by ten wickets in the first match of the 1939 season at St. Helen’s during the first week of June, a few wags speculated that it might see a repeat of their unbeaten feat two years before. But draws duly followed against Hampshire and Leicestershire, before defeats during August against Surrey and the West Indians. By this time, though, people had other very pressing matters on their mind, but the exciting game with the tourists from the Caribbean gave them a chance to dwell on more pleasurable things. Batting first, Glamorgan were dismissed for 127, with Learie Constantine taking 4/33 and leg-spinner Bertie Clarke 4/42, before Austin Matthews skittled the tourists for 96, taking 7/21 in what was his last hurrah on the county stage. Constantine was a handful again in the second innings, but some lusty blows by Haydn Davies during a forthright innings of 58 in the second innings saw Glamorgan to 159. The St. Helen’s enclosures were full of excited chatter about another Welsh victory over the West Indians and a double over the tourists following their defeat at the Arms Park over the Whitsun Bank Holiday. But a dogged innings by Joe Stollmeyer guided the West Indians home with eight wickets down and with a day to spare. Swansea enjoyed a decent summer in the South Wales and Monmouthshire League, with Reg Anderson, a fast-bowling policeman, spearheading their bowling whilst Percy Holmes, the former Yorkshire and England opening batman, bolstered their batting. The club appeared to be in rude health, but by late July, plans had been set in motion by Swansea Corporation for the ground to be used yet again by the military. Training camps were in operation by September as men in military uniforms replaced the regular