GWENT-born England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan today described the securing of a 2009 Ashes Test by Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, as "a magnificent achievement."

And while admitting the move had come as something of a surprise, he said the ECB fully backed the decision of the "truly independent" Major Match Group appointed by the board.

The announcement of Glamorgan's coup came yesterday and was reported in later editions of the South Wales Argus.

The Test award is dependent on them fulfilling the necessary criteria and completing their plan-ned redevelopment of the ground up to a capacity of 15,000 by 2008.

That is when they stage a one-day international between England and South Africa, with the first 'official' one-day international featuring England (against Pakistan) due to be played in Cardiff this August 30.

England have met a Wales XI in Cardiff in three unofficial one-day Tests while Australia have played in three one-day internationals there, against New Zealand in the 1999 World Cup, Pakistan in 2001 and Bangladesh last year, when famously losing.

Morgan said: "The allocation of an Ashes test to Glamorgan is a magnificent achievement for Wales and Welsh cricket which will have a profound effect on the game in the Principality.

"The upgrading of Sophia Gardens will make it into a wonderful venue for Test cricket and to start life as Test match arena with an Ashes fixture couldn't be bettered.

"An Ashes series is one of the world's major sporting events followed by millions the world over and to be awarded an Ashes Test is a major success on the part of Glamorgan and particularly by Paul Russell (chairman) and Mike Fatkin (chief executive).

"I think it did come as a surprise, but Sophia Gardens was already a category B ground (capable of staging one-day internationals) and the Major Match Group would have taken a large number of things into account before recommending the ground be upgraded to a category A venue subject, of course, to the development of Sophia Gardens going ahead as planned.

"Although the Major Match Group were set up by the board that I chair, the great strength of the group is that they are a truly independent body.

"The MMG is chaired by Sir William Morris OJ and includes John Pickup, the reverend Michael Vockins (former chief executive of Worcestershire CCC), Karen Earl and John Crowther (Lawn Tennis Association chief executive).

"I have great confidence in the management of Glamorgan and I am sure they will achieve their aims.

"I don't think they would have put forward such a bid if they weren't fully confident of delivering."

Morgan, born at Tredegar and domicile in Newport, added: "This award will lift the profile of cricket in Wales very considerably.

"Cricket in Britain is already on a high on the back of last summer's Ashes success and now it will be on a double high with the 2009 Ashes encompassing Wales to look forward to.

"And the greater the interest, the greater the likelihood that more and more youngsters will take up the game.

"Every youngster in Wales wants to play rugby for his country and increasingly I think they will all now want to play cricket in the summer too.

"Australia is already agog with the next Ashes series next winter and hopefully Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Ashley Giles and Simon Jones will all be back in the England XI and hopefully we will retain the famous urn."

Glamorgan beat grounds such as Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street, the Rose Bowl (Hampshire) and Bristol to win the one 2009 Ashes Test not already allocated, the Brit Oval, Headingley, Edgbaston and Lord's already subject to agreements.

Morgan confirmed that the team that visited Cardiff before recommending the move to A status would continue to monitor progress and confirmed everything had to be in place by the summer of 2008.