On Thursday, 18th July Glamorgan begin their Vitality Blast campaign against local rivals Somerset in ‘The Big Match.’
Over the years the two counties have battled it out in some thrilling matches and many Glamorgan supporters see the games between the two sides as the biggest of the season.
The rivalry partly goes down to the geographic proximity between the two counties but also to the events of 1997 when a Glamorgan side led by current head coach Matthew Maynard travelled to Taunton with victory guaranteeing the club a third County Championship title in their history.
What unfolded went down in club folklore as Glamorgan put together one of their greatest ever performances.
“It was extra motivation because it was Somerset in their back yard down at Taunton with Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick playing and the amount of travelling fans we had down there,” recalls Maynard.
“That’s something we always get when we play at Somerset is a great following and they out sang and cheered their supporters.
“After we did such a great job with the ball it was my job to score runs and get them as quickly as possible alongside Hugh Morris and we put on a sizeable partnership and that enabled us to get a substantial first innings lead.
“Winning in the style we did and for only the third time in our history was always going to be sweet but because we had some many supporters down there and we won within three days was extra special.”
As he looks towards 'The Big Match,' Maynard recognises the similarities between Somerset and Glamorgan in their situations and processes.
“We’re quite similar in a way. They represent the west of England, and we represent Wales. We’ve both got passionate fans.
“They’re further down their timeline than we are but we have that core of real experience we can count on. Obviously we’ve got Colin Ingram, Michael Hogan, Graham Wagg, Craig Meschede has played a lot of T20 cricket, we’ve got David Lloyd, so there’s a really nice blend. We’ve got spin depth and seam bowling options. We’ll be putting up a fight, there’s no doubt about that.”
Secure your seats for the Vitality Blast and #TheBigMatch HERE or purchase our Early Bird Season Ticket for just £60 HERE and save £35 on adult advance tickets.