Once again the month of April has brought us clear skies and long sunny afternoons down at the Swalec Stadium.
Eleven days into the season and not a day missed to the weather. The boys returned from Leicester with wonderful tans and the odd burnt head among the ‘follicley’ challenged! Not naming names, but Cosker, Rees and now Wallace have started to thin a touch!
Leicester was to be the first game for our new coach Matthew Mott and captain Alviro Petersen. Both have settled into the Welsh lifestyle very well and took many positives from the game at Grace Road although the result was a poor one for us.
There was also a debut for Graham Wagg who bowled with aggression and swung the ball at pace. It was also good to see my mate Huw Waters settling into his seasons work with very economical figures in the game.
I have to mention my old room mate Dean Cosker who after his best season ever in 2010 picked up eight more wickets on a slow placid pitch with little turn.
Dean is a vital cog in our bowling machine with his accuracy and this allows the other boys to bowl a more attacking line and push for wickets.
Also it was good to see Adam Shantry back in the team after a year out with a double knee op.
Glamorgan’s record against Gloucestershire in the past has been favourable after defeating the west countrymen twice last season.
A depleted Gloucester side arrived at the Swalec Stadium last week missing four of their senior players from 2010 who have moved on to new pastures for the 2011 season. It was to be a great victory after at one stage being 26 for 4 on the first morning.
It was made even more remarkable when Wagg pulled a hamstring and didn’t bowl in the game and Jim Allenby missed the second innings with a back problem.
It really showed the spirit we have in the dressing room at the moment and to fight back like the way we did will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season.
During the Gloucester game Mike Powell opened his benefit year with a dinner in the new pavilion. It was a very well attended function with a number of sporting celebrities turning out for Mike.
A question and answer session was hosted by Robert Croft and included Tom Shanklin, Matthew Mott and Jonathan Davies. Mike has been a great servant to the club for over 15 years now and thoroughly deserves his benefit year.
As you may have guessed I’m still on the sidelines and unfortunately still hobbling around on crutches! Rest seems to be the only real cure which as you can imagine is terribly frustrating for me.
However, over the past three months I have managed to nearly complete my Masters degree at UWIC and also learned another new skill... I have become the analysis man for the club!
This involves sitting behind the bowlers arm in the media centre logging and recording every ball bowled.
My job is to send a link from the media centre to the player’s dressing room in order for the coaches and players to continually review the day’s play. It’s an enjoyable job and it allows me to stay involved and feel a part of the team.
I’m hoping to be back in action within the next two months. I actually trained for the first time in 12 weeks on Tuesday.
It was quite embarrassing when a 60 year old man was cycling next to me and going twice as fast! I suppose I have to start somewhere and my aim is to catch up with him next week.
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