Kiran Carlson, the captain of Glamorgan’s successful Royal London Cup team, visited his former school, Whitchurch High School, earlier this week to proudly show to the school’s pupils and staff the silverware which the Welsh county won when they defeated Durham in the final of the competition at Trent Bridge, besides taking part in a series of coaching and motivational sessions with pupils.
During the visit, Kiran spoke to pupils from Year 7 and Year 9 about the success of the Glamorgan team in the white-ball tournament, as well as his own sporting and academic career.
Kiran had been a youngster at Hawthorn Primary in Llandaff North the last time the Welsh county won a major competition back in 2004, before progressing to Whitchurch High, where he shone on the sports field and was a member of the school’s highly successful rugby team, playing initially as a back-row forward before switching to fly-half.
Kiran fondly recalled his days, both in and out of the classroom at Whitchurch High, besides talking about the balance between academic work and sport. He also told the pupils about his subsequent time studying at Cardiff University as well as how secured a regular spot in the Glamorgan line-up, plus his delight at captaining the team in their One-Day Cup campaign in 2021.
All of the girls and boys who listened to Kiran’s talks and watched a film showing highlights of the Cup Final at Trent Bridge also took part in a series of skills drills and softball games of cricket with members of Glamorgan’s community coaching team. Indeed, Whitchurch High are one of the few secondary schools in South Wales to still have a cricket pitch on their campus and, with great emphasis being given to the physical well-being and sporting development of their pupils, it is no surprise that the school’s recent alumni include footballer Gareth Bale, cyclist Geraint Thomas and Welsh rugby legend Sam Warburton.
Mark Powell, the Head of Whitchurch High, said: “We were delighted to be able to welcome our former pupil Kiran Carlson and his Glamorgan CCC colleagues to Whitchurch High.
"It is always a privilege and a pleasure to be able to follow the successes of our former pupils and, of course, Kiran and Glamorgan have had a wonderfully successful summer winning the Royal London Cup under Kiran’s captaincy.
"Staff and pupils alike were excited to be able to see professional cricket coaching in action, to ask questions of high-performing professional sportspeople and to be photographed with the trophy. We wish Kiran all the very best in his future career and look forward to building further partnerships with Glamorgan."
Jonathan Davies, Assistant Head of Whitchurch High, said: "It was great to welcome Kiran back to the school. The students really enjoyed his visit, listening to his experiences of being a student at Whitchurch High, what it took to succeed academically and how this has transferred into professional sport.
"Everyone at Whitchurch High wishes him well for the future and we will be watching his career progress as the years go by."
Gwyn Morris, the school’s Head of PE, added: “Our PE department is very proud of Kiran’s achievements this year and how he has developed as a top-class cricketer.
"The fact that Kiran wanted to come back to the school to inspire the next generation of pupils is very special and, once again, shows that our past pupils always remember where they come from.
"We would all like to wish Kiran the very best for the future and on behalf of the pupils thank him for attending the school and giving such an informative Q and A session on how he become a top-class sportsman combining his sport and his academic achievement.”
Mark Frost, the Community and Development Manager for Glamorgan Cricket and Cricket Wales, said: “It’s so good to see how a school like Whitchurch High values the benefits of a wholesome offer of sport to its pupils, supporting their well-being on top of academic studies.
"We know that so many young people are saying that ‘cricket is a game for me’ including a huge number of girls as we endeavour to make the sport one which is gender-balanced and know how it brings people together and offers valuable shared experiences.”