After making history as captain of Glamorgan’s drought-breaking Royal London Cup winners last summer, Kiran Carlson is aiming to bring more success to the Club.
Carlson is a proud product of Cardiff, fondly remembering watching his Glamorgan heroes at Sophia Gardens while growing up, and graduating from the sporting success story that is Whitchurch High School in the city.
The state comprehensive has produced Welsh sporting legends such as Gareth Bale, Sam Warburton and Geraint Thomas.
And while Carlson is not so bold as to suggest his name sits in such elite company - not yet at least - he has certainly established himself as a key cog in a Glamorgan team that will get a rare opportunity to hold both white-ball titles when their Vitality Blast campaign begins away to Sussex Sharks on Thursday night.
Carlson admits playing for his home county means everything to him and that the all-round platform provided by his schooling at Whitchurch has steeled the 24-year-old for the success he craves in a Glammy shirt.
“I loved my time there - it was a school that always promoted elite sportspeople in that we had great facilities and great teachers that backed us and let us excel,” he said.
“They definitely helped me, but it wasn’t just cricket, they promoted a lot of other stuff as well. I played a lot of rugby and they always said that the more sports I play, the better I will be in the long run.
“That’s definitely helped because my fitness is testament to them pushing me whilst I was at school.
“I was very fortunate to be there for a large chunk of my life. I had a great time there, it really shaped me and made me the person I am today.”
He added: “It’s huge for me (to now play for Glamorgan). It’s definitely special being a Cardiff boy and having that feeling of it being very much my home and my club.
“I used to watch Glammy when I was young, go down to watch the T20 games, so it’s great. It’s a dream come true for me and hopefully, I can just carry on now.”
It was Carlson who played the match-winning innings in the heat of last year’s final, holding his nerve expertly with stellar knock of 82 from 59 balls, as the Welsh County won its first knockout trophy for 58 years.
“I remember the excitement, elation, happiness, all of those. It was a bit of a whirlwind,” he said of the celebrations.
“When Hoges (Michael Hogan) got that last wicket, everyone just ran around, we didn’t know what we were doing, but watching it back, I still get goosebumps watching it now.
“I’m hugely proud of that achievement. It was a great team effort and to bring a trophy back to Wales was a great effort from everyone.
“It was one of those things that we just went out to enjoy it, went with the flow and ended up winning it. Looking back at it, it’s something I’ll always cherish.”
Carlson and Glamorgan’s attention now turns to the Vitality Blast, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this summer.
Success has so far eluded the club – reaching Finals Day twice - but this year they boast some serious star quality under the leadership of David Lloyd and the likes of Marnus Labuschagne and Colin Ingram to complement local talent such as Carlson.
“I’m really excited. It’s a competition that we haven’t performed well in over the last few years,” Carlson said.
“Everyone’s itching to put that right because we know that we’re a good T20 team.
“As a group, we’re pretty confident in all formats. We know the formula to win games, so it’s just about relaxing, enjoying it and treating every game as a separate game, trying to play the best cricket we can on the day.
“At times, in the past, we’ve overcomplicated things and boys have maybe been a bit rigid, we’ve not expressed ourselves in the way that we wanted, so we’re going to go out this year with a free mind and hopefully win some games.
“Obviously, it would be a massive achievement to hold both trophies at the same time. Winning two trophies would be huge for us, but that’s a long way away. It’s important that we treat every game separately, express ourselves and hopefully we can have a positive campaign.”
By Dafydd Jones, ECB Reporters Network