Glamorgan aiming to increase number of homegrown players

31 Jul 2017 | Cricket
Chief executive Hugh Morris has restated the county’s desire to increase the number of homegrown Welsh players in the team, despite being down to three in the current successful NatWest T20 Blast side.

Aneurin Donald, Andrew Salter & Lukas Carey were the only Welsh players who played in Sunday’s clinical win over Kent Spitfires which kept Glamorgan at the top of the south group. 

Donald struck fifty off just 30 balls at the top of the order to get the Glamorgan innings off to a flyer, while Carey, who was making his NatWest T20 Blast debut, took a wicket with his third ball to remove the dangerous Daniel Bell-Drummond. 

Owen Morgan and Connor Brown were also included in the match-day squad, without making the final 11.

All-rounders David Lloyd and Kiran Carlson have featured in Glamorgan’s NatWest T20 Blast campaign this year but are currently ruled out through injury. 

"Our long-term ambition is that we want to get as many local players in the team as we possibly can," said Morris.

"But they have got to be good enough to warrant a place in the side.

"It's got to be a balance. We're in a professional sport and we have to be competitive.

"You look at some of the opponents, and the make-up of their side is not too different to ours."

Last season Glamorgan gave Specsavers County Championship debuts to a number of homegrown players with a great deal of success.

All-rounder Owen Morgan, 23, made headlines with 103 not out against Worcestershire and 20-year-old Lukas Carey took seven wickets on his debut against Northamptonshire.

Young batsman, Kiran Carlson, 19, took a five-for against Northamptonshire on his County Championship debut and later became the youngest ever centurion for the club by scoring 119 against Essex at Chelmsford later in the season.

"We're excited by some of the talent we have, in red-ball (Championship) cricket particularly, Kiran Carlson, David Lloyd, Aneurin Donald, Owen Morgan, Andrew Salter and Lukas Carey this season have played for us as young men… and in two or three years’ time, given their experience, we're going to have a strong nucleus of Welshmen,” added Morris.