After our 204 run thrashing by Yorkshire, we welcome Sussex to Sophia Gardens, our first home game of the year. Letβs give the home fans something to cheer about.
TEAM
I make two injury enforced changes, with Billy Root (fracture) and Chris Cooke (bruising) both unable to play. For Root, I bring in all-rounder Dan Douthwaite, while Tom Cullen replaces Cooke, and takes the gloves. Michael Hogan, playing his 100th first-class game for Glamorgan, is given the captaincy.
OPPOSITION STARS
Phil Salt (opener, England international), Travis Head (number four, Australian international), (Delray Rawlins, number six, Bermudan international), Will Beer (leg spinner, number nine), Ollie Robinson (seamer, number 10, England international).
MATCH
As in our first game, we lose the toss and are asked to field.
Michael Neser β who took ten wickets in our previous game - makes the breakthrough when Salt is lbw for 2. Timm van der Gugten castles Stiaan van Zyl on 16 and Sussex are 50/2. Aaron Thomason, Saltβs opening partner, makes a composed 38 off 57 balls, before he hits a Ruaidhri Smith delivery straight into the palms of Joe Cooke at short leg. Travis Head β Sussexβs resident Aussie β makes 21 before nicking to slip off the tidy medium-pace bowling of David Lloyd. At lunch, Sussex are sitting at 113/4, but I just sense we have the edge.
After lunch, Harrison Ward and Delray Rawlins settle in, and add 97 for the fifth wicket, before Dan Douthwaite finds Wardβs outside edge, Cullen taking the catch to dismiss him on 41. Rawlins follows soon after on 68, Labuschagne taking a stunning catch at slip as David Lloyd takes his second wicket. But at tea, Sussex are 250/6, and you sense that weβve let opportunities slip.
Neser strikes first over after tea, Sussexβs wicketkeeper-captain Ben Brown caught at slip on 41. Will Beer is struck on the body by a ball from Smith and has to retire hurt on 6, depriving Sussex of their frontline spinner. But George Garton teams up with Ollie Robinson to push Sussex past 300, and Sussex are at 367 by the time Lloyd has Robinson caught at slip on 53. Sussex are 385/8 at stumps, and definitely on top.
In the second over of day two, Stuart Meaker edges to slip on 16, giving Lloyd a fourth wicket for the first time in a first-class game. Garton finishes on a career best 72*. A lead of 387 gives us a mountain to climb.
SUSSEX 1ST INNINGS: 387 (Garton 72*, Rawlins 68; Lloyd 4-60, Neser 2-64)
Well, if Sussex can bat long periods of time,
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Glamorgan have picked up their first win in style, beating Sussex by six wickets. Can we keep up the momentum as we head to Northamptonshire?
TEAM
We have a problem.
Marnus Labuschagne, Aussie international, Ashes winner, cricketing dynamo, producer of runs, is out for three weeks with a broken finger. This is bad. Very bad.
But when one player goes down, another steps up. Enter our reserve overseas player, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie. If anyone can step and replace Labuschagne, it's him. He's one of four changes - Chris Cooke, fit again, replaces Tom Cullen, Dan Douthwaite is dropped in favour of spinner Prem Sisodiya, and Roman Walker makes his first-class debut, replacing Ruaidhri Smith.
OPPOSITION STARS
Adam Rossington is a good keeper at number four, Josh Cobb is a destructive batsmen at six, especially in limited overs, and South African international Wayne Parnell, batting at eight, is a threat to any batsman. Brandon Glover has been capped for the Netherlands, though he's only taken 26 first class wickets from 12 games.
MATCH
We win the toss for the first time this season, and I opt to bat first. Joe Cooke makes 20 off 45, before he's out - lbw - to Nathan Buck.
Andy Balbirnie is next, and he demonstrates his star quality by hitting Glover for six. But the Dutchman strikes back, as Selman steers one to slip on 33. But for every step Northamptonshire take forward, they take two backwards, as Kiran Carlson is dropped at slip on 3, before driving Glover for a boundary.
Balbirnie almost runs himself out on 18, but soon recovers his composure, and is 31* at lunch, with Glamorgan on 103/2.
Carlson edges to slip off Parnell and is gone for 14, but Balbirnie is in the driving seat, and he hits a second six. Meanwhile, David Lloyd is looking composed as he moves towards a half-century. Balbirnie is bowled on 45 by Buck, but he's set a great example to the team, and Chris Cooke, back from injury, is up next.
Lloyd progresses through the gears to reach fifty, which he achieves with a boundary. For good measure, he hits two more, back to back. At lunch, we're 218/4.
Cooke makes a calm 30 before he's caug
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(This is a reupload, as the original post got taken down by the mods - not sure why, but hopefully this one will stay up. I enjoy writing these posts and put quite a lot of effort into making them enjoyable to read, so I hope I won't have one taken down. Happy reading!)
For those who haven't read this series before, here are the previous parts: One, Two, Three, Four
After a bowling masterclass from Michael Hogan and Michael Neser that set up a five-wicket win over Kent in our previous match, we must not slip up now against Lancashire.
TEAM
Billy Root has finally recovered from injury, and slots in at four. This means that Joe Cooke must make way. Sorry Joe, but your average this year (currently 20) is going to cut it, especially when Prem Sisodiya (batting at seven) averages 21. Hopefully he'll pick up his form in the 2nd XI. David Lloyd takes his spot at one.
I also drop Timm van der Gugten from the lineup. He's only taken six wickets so far this year, at an average of 53. Ruaidhri Smith replaces him.
OPPOSITION
OK, this is a seriously good side. Alex Davies, Keaton Jennings, Dane Vilas, Steve Croft, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood... that's all the top players, I think.
Oh, unless you count the 1,000 first-class wickets of James Anderson. Gulp.
MATCH
It's sunny in Manchester, and the conditions are perfect for batting. Which is exactly what Lancashire choose to do after winning the toss.
Hogan and Neser begin with tight opening spells, but it's Roman Walker who makes the breakthrough, getting Alex Davies lbw for 13. 32/1.
Then Keaton Jennings shows why he's so dangerous, as he makes a calm fifty, with Josh Bohannon (27 not out) also helping Lancashire to 95/1 at lunch.
Hogan finally gets a wicket, Bohannon lbw for 35.
Next over, Jennings heaves at Neser, and gets a big top edge. The fielder on the boundary settles underneath the ball... and drops it, allowing it to go for four. For good measure, Jennings hits two more in the over to progress to 73.
But Neser will not be denied. In his next over, he has an lbw shout against Jennings turned down,
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2021 County One Day Cup First Semi Final
Glamorgan Vs Essex at Sophia Gardens - Scorecard
ECB Match centre - Central Repository of Live Video Streams, Scorecards and clips of every boundary and wicket
Full coverage of every ball on BBC Local Radio
Free live streams can be found at the ECB Match Centre (free ecb website account required). Normally the hosting counties will also put the streams up on a combination of YouTube, Facebook and their own websites
Today's Match starts at 11:00 BST
BwniCymraeg hosted a livestream with students in Cardiff to listen to some of their concerns. Climate change, foreign policy and defence, as well as the cost of living were all subjects discussed. Something that was raised that is not very often, however, was public access of information and research - one student asked Bwni why it was particularly important for Solidarity to ensure that lectures are published online for free, along with textbooks and research papers.
βThe privatisation of knowledge has been one of the strongest instruments of developing and maintaining power since time immemorial, it was how the first ruling classes were able to organise their societies and cultivate dependence on those who worked under them. In those days, such knowledge was quite literally inherited and gate kept in certain families, classes, and institutions and even the most basic questions of literacy were held away from regular people. The limitations of this are fairly obvious. On one level, it hinders the development of knowledge and the effective application of knowledge, it means administrating is that much harder, the ability of each citizen to live the best life available to them is abridged, and the development of humanity's consciousness undermined. At the same time, it is also a relatively useless endeavour - knowledge is nearly impossible to gatekeep forever and indefinitely. This is the case because disparities in knowledge become relatively self evident and invite attempts at intrusion and diffusion of knowledge, and because any and all discoveries made by one person somewhere can be replicated or derived independently by another person elsewhere. Human creativity can not be stopped that easily, but those in power can still profit immensely off the limited exchange of information, and undermine our capacity for progress tremendously.β
βPublic education was revolutionary when it came to the diffusion of knowledge, and it helped tremendously to reduce the class disparities and urban-rural divide when it came to literacy rates and much more. It is no coincidence that the consciousness of working people, the building of stronger bonds of national and international working class solidarity, and the agitation for greater political and economic rights all coincided with the proliferation of information and ideas. It was fundamental for the development of self understanding, for the development of standard approaches of discussing ideas, and gave billions
... keep reading on reddit β‘On the last day of her campaign, BwniCymraeg headed for Tredegar, the home of Aneurin Bevan. While many know that Tredegar's most famous son went on to invent the NHS, not as many are aware that this national institution was partly based on an existing scheme created by the workers of the town. The Tredegar Medical Aid Society started off as a form of proto health insurance for those who worked at the world-famous Ironworks, but quickly expanded to cover the needs of much of the town at large. For a small weekly contribution, any member of the society could access free at the point of use medical care in the local hospital. While other towns had similar models, Tredegar was renowned as being one of the best, being praised in a parliamentary report as being "far in advance and more beneficial in respect to its members than any of the other societies" and in 1948, Aneurin Bevan used it as in part of his inspiration for the National Health Service.
My party takes great pride in our stewardship of this greatest of kindnesses. The idea that good health should not be reserved for the rich is one that embodies our ideals, and has guided us through our first term as the senior partner in government. Prescription charges were banned in England, bringing them in line with us here in Wales. Mental health care was given its highest funding in history. More rural hospitals have been built. These are but a few examples of the legacy that Solidarity hopes to leave when it comes to healthcare. With your vote this election, we will be able to do so much more. Our manifesto details our intent to create a National Care Service, expanding the ideals of the NHS to another area that affects families of all backgrounds. We recognise the challenge that its establishment could be, and ask you to give us your vote to help give us a mandate for a progressive government that can tackle issues like this one. Social care is too important to allow it to only be accessed by those who can afford it.
The story of the NHS is, I believe, one that we can take many lessons from. Our society has a desire to attribute all goods to the great men of history, such as Aneurin Bevan. His tireless work has made him an important role model of mine, however we should not forget that he drew inspiration from regular people in a small Welsh town here in the Valleys. Isaac Newton famously claimed to be "standing on the shoulders of giants" and while this is true, we tend to forget that often these giant
... keep reading on reddit β‘Llanwern Steelworks. I've passed this site many times. I grew up round here. Near enough, anyway. My small mining village had nothing more than a corner shop and a few pubs, so the big shop was done either in Newport or Newbridge, and the bus to Newport always went by this site. To me, this place is a kind of magic. Here, men came to turn heavy rocks into what could become ships, buildings or buildings or trains. Your work is nothing short of alchemy, the conversion of useless rocks into something even more valuable to us than gold. The best thing is the quality that comes from this site and others in the area. Sheffield and Motherwell? They come close, sure, but Welsh steel is the very best in the world. For decades, we had Welsh coal mined in places like Blaenavon, where I visited last year, powering the world, but it was Welsh steel building it. The credit for the Industrial Revolution often goes to Watt, or to Bessemer, and while these great men from proud areas deserve their claim to fame, it's the hard work of people from places like here who risked everything for our modern world. You're preceded by generations of industrial workers, my grandfather being one of them. He worked at this very site as a young man, and while he didn't stay and make a career out of steel, it kept the lights on at a time when little else could.
Despite this long history, this site has been at risk. As a member of a forward-thinking party like Solidarity, I don't believe it does us any good to dwell on the reasons for the more recent troubles during this speech, that's covered ground. What's important is the present. What's important is that fewer families will need to struggle to put bread on the table. With the partial nationalisation of Tata Steel UK, we have saved thousands of jobs, not just here but across South Wales. We will make your communities safer, healthier and happier, by ensuring more environmentally friendly methods, cutting emissions by as much as 95% by 2030. Wind turbines will be built on this site over the coming years, powering these buildings in a much greener way. Incidentally, there should be no prizes for guessing whose steel we'll use to build them! We plan for this not to be another government money sink as the right may assume it to be, and what's more, the profits will be reinvested into your community. Areas like Newport have been ab
... keep reading on reddit β‘In our last match, we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Northamptonshire, taking us top of our group. Second placed Kent are our next opponents.
TEAM
I keep the same XI as last match, but push David Lloyd up to three, meaning Andy Balbirnie drops to four and Kiran Carlson to five.
OPPOSITION
Kent are a top class team. Daniel Bell-Drummond and Ollie Robinson open, with Zak Crawley and Joe Denly (both England internationals) at three and four respectively. Veteran Darren Stevens is a master with ball and bat, and Afghanistan international Qais Ahmad, a leg-spinner, is one to watch at just 20 years old. He'll be playing for the Cardiff team in the Hundred.
MATCH
We lose the toss and are asked to field. The Kent openers amass 27 in the first ten overs before some questionable running sees Ollie Robinson run out on 16. Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond give our seam bowlers a hard time, but the spin of Prem Sisodiya has them worried. They're right to be as he bowls Bell-Drummond for 35 and Kent are 96/2.
Joe Denly is caught behind on 6 a few overs later and Sisodiya has a second wicket. 102/3. By lunch, the spinner has figures of 5-1-5-2. Murali-esque.
Zak Crawley digs in, passing 50. On 67 he's trapped plumb lbw by Neser, but the umpire signals no ball. Damn it! Why didn't we bribe him first?!
But next over a decision goes in our favour as Heino Kuhn is lbw to Hogan for 9. 142/4.
A few overs later we have another, and this time it's the big one - Zak Crawley caught behind on 73 off Neser. 152/5.
Darren Stevens and Jack Leaning defy our bowlers with a belligerent stand of 78, punishing our bowlers, in particular Prem Sisodiya. Stevens finally top edges one on 22 and is caught by Roman Walker off David Lloyd. Walker strikes to remove Leaning for 68 off 75 balls and Kent are 248/7. Qais Ahmad falls shortly after lunch, edging to slip on 5 - Walker again - but Jordan Cox enlists the help of number 10 Harry Podmore, and the pair add 62 before Podmore falls to Hogan on 45, Sisodiya holding on to the chance at short leg. Hogan wraps up the innings by bowling Cox on 33, and Kent are 329 all out, still a formidable total.
KENT 1ST INNINGS: 329 (Crawley 73, Leaning 68; Hogan 3-36, Sisodiya 2-47)
Joe Cooke and Nick Selman have three overs of day 1 to bat out.
Of course, Selman is bowled for a five ball duck with one over left. I send in Timm van der Gugten as a nightwatchman. Cooke negotiates the over and we're 4-1 at stumps.
First ball o
... keep reading on reddit β‘Links to the Cricket Captain 2020 edition of this series: Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
Welcome to the second edition of Taking Glamorgan to Glory! I previously tried this on Cricket Captain 2020, only for it to be derailed by issues with the save file. But when this year's edition of Cricket Captain came out, I resolved to try again, and see whether Glamorgan really can bring home the silverware once more.
As the title suggests, the series involves me playing as Glamorgan on Cricket Captain 2021, and trying to win trophies in all three formats (plus winning the Hundred as Cardiff). A tough task, for sure, but an entertaining one.
Hmm, where to start? First, we must look over the squad and make some signings.
Glamorgan's best player is undeniably Marnus Labuschagne, now an established member of Australia's Test and limited overs teams. Irishman Andrew Balbirnie is our reserve overseas player and is a shrewd batsmen. Michael Neser, the third of our overseas stars, can bat and bowl to a good level. Chris Cooke, wicketkeeper and captain, is an undeniable strength, Nick Selman is a dependable opener, Billy Root (brother of Joe) can bat well at 3, Kiran Carlson is a bright young talent, and David Lloyd is in his prime.
As for bowling, Michael Hogan is a brilliant seamer - 602 first-class wickets at 24 speaks for itself. He's backed up ably by Dutchman Timm van der Gugten (165 first-class wickets at 27) and Scotsman Ruaidrhi Smith (68 first-class wickets at 34). Spin is provided by youngster Prem Sisodiya and capable all-rounder Andrew Salter.
As for transfers, there's not much we can do. There's not many great domestic players that we can sign and most of the overseas stars (who we can only sign on 20 over contracts anyway) are out of our price range. But I fiddle around with a few budgets, and eventually I'm able to make a signing - Aust
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