Chris Brain, who sadly passed away on Thursday, 14 March aged 84, served as the President of Glamorgan County Cricket Club from 2005 until 2007.
Chris enjoyed a hugely successful career with his family’s brewing business and served as Chair of Brain’s Brewery from 1989 until 2009. During this time, Chris oversaw the move in 1999 from the company’s traditional site in Cardiff, off St. Mary Street, to the southern side of the Cardiff Central railway station and the site of the former Hancock’s brewery, thereby allowing the redevelopment of The Old Brewery into the hugely popular Brewery Quarter, full of restaurants and bars, right in the heart of the Welsh capital.
During his tenure with Brain’s, the company – which had been founded in 1882 – also purchased Crown Buckley, in addition to sponsoring the Welsh rugby team, being the official beer of the Football Association of Wales and acting as a shirt sponsor of Cardiff City FC as well as Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
Chris was the son of Michael Brain, who represented Glamorgan in 1930 and was the grandson of Sam Brain who played for the Welsh county from 1891 until 1907, besides playing for Oxford University and Gloucestershire. Indeed, it was for the latter in 1893 that Sam Brain created a world record by completing a hat-trick of stumpings during the match against Somerset at Cheltenham College, with the wicket-keeper making dismissals from three successive dismissals from leg-spinner Charles Townsend. To Chris’ great pride, the centenary of this still unique feat was marked in 1993 by the creation of a special limited-edition beer called ‘Hat-Trick Ale’.
Dan Cherry, the Chief Executive of Glamorgan Cricket said “The Brain family have been synonymous with the evolution of Glamorgan Cricket, Welsh sport and a wide range of aspects of life in Cardiff for so many years. Chris followed in his grandfather and father’s footsteps by keeping wicket for Cheltenham College and St. Fagans CC, before working with great success in his family’s business.”
“Chris also gave plenty of his time to Glamorgan Cricket, including acting as the Club’s President during three pivotal years in their recent history. Having succeeded Tony Lewis in this role in 2005, Chris’ tenure as President coincided with confirmation from the ECB that Cardiff would be hosting the opening Test of the 2009 Ashes series as well as the start of work on the redevelopment of the Sophia Gardens ground into an international cricket venue.”
“We send our condolences to Chris’ family and his wide range of friends from the sporting and business world.”