Lives in Cricket No 1 - Allan Watkins

Chapter Three A Foothold in County Cricket Despite his success in matches played with the Navy, Allan knew he had achieved little as a county cricketer and, when the first post-war football season ended, he looked for a more secure future for his young family. Returning from Plymouth, he resumed a career as a baker, which he had briefly begun on leaving school. News that their own Albert Watkins was turning his back on first-class cricket to make doughnuts and fancy cakes spread round Usk and reached the ears of Mr A.D.Pollock, the headmaster who had despaired of Allan finding a career other than in sport. Now he wrote to his former pupil, reminding him of the sacrifices his parents had made to help with the cost of kit and paying fares for him to reach his matches. “He told me to get back to cricket. He said I could make the grade if I tried.” With Molly’s encouragement, Allan decided to give professional cricket another go, and on 14 June, 1946 he was back in the county team for their match against Essex at Chelmsford. The captain now was Johnnie Clay, whose long career stretched back to Glamorgan’s first championship season in 1921. In earlier years he had used his height as a fast-medium bowler, but it was after converting to off spin that he became one of the most successful bowlers in the land, winning a Test cap in 1935. As with so many other counties, he had faced many hurdles with Glamorgan to get the show back on the road in this first post-war season. “I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he is quoted as saying. “We lost everything during the war. We have no records, but we’ll get a few lads together, and at least we’ll turn up for every match.” 26 Johnnie Clay