Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

89 Championship tricks and a victory over the Boks Welsh National Anthem once again emanating from the pavilion as the Glamorgan team celebrated another decisive victory. These renditions of Mae Hen Wlad fy’n Haddau were easy for the Welsh- speaking contingent in Wooller’s side, but as John Arlott recalled, they were less straightforward for the imports: “They had imported three former Middlesex players in Len Muncer, Jim Eaglestone and Norman Hever. The team habitually used to sing ‘Land of My Fathers’ in Welsh, which Hever, Muncer and Eaglestone strove to learn. Jim Eaglestone never made it. The other two did. I think they were the two who sang out of tune.” 5 Many of the spectators in and around the pavilion and member’s enclosure joined in with these renditions, and with the 1948 Australians the next visitors to Swansea, there was much speculation about how Wooller and his title-seeking team would fare against Don Bradman’s team who were enjoying unprecedented success on the 34-match tour and were well on the way to a 4-0 series win in the Test Matches. Their presence at Swansea for the three-day game drew a club record aggregate of 50,000, and on the opening day, around 20,000 people were shoehorned into the ground. To the delight of the locals, Emrys Davies and Phil Clift shared a vibrant opening stand with the latter, impressing with some fluent strokes. They were parted after adding 53, and the Australians then made steady inroads into the home batting, despite a spritely cameo from Willie Jones, before Glamorgan were dismissed for 197. The crowd at Swansea enjoying watching the match against the 1948 Australians.