In February, Glamorgan and Wales’ Women took a squad of 15 to Cape Town, South Africa to prepare for the upcoming season and experience playing in a new climate against different opposition.
Aimee Rees, Head of Women & Girls Cricket at Glamorgan organised the tour and gives an insight into the trip of a lifetime:
“An initial highlight of the tour was the invitation to Chris Hani Secondary School located in Khayelitsha, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town. The school is funded by the Gary Kirsten Foundation where the project aims to give students in a deprived area the opportunity to develop in cricket.
“The squad was given the chance to use the facilities at the school to train and prepare for their upcoming matches. They then hosted a fun-filled cricket session with some of the younger pupils at the school, and some of the team coached a small group of older female students in the nets and on the field.
“Some of the younger pupils were unable to speak English but we were brought together through the language of sport. The school and pupils were extremely grateful for the donations that the team offered them and this was an experience that will remain with the girls for life.”
Wales won two games against Bolands and a Western Province development side but lost the three fixtures against the Western Province professional team. Wales competed really well against a fully professional squad. There were some outstanding performances from several players in the Welsh squad, but the whole team contributed with bat and ball throughout the five games.
The Player of the Tour was awarded to Bethan Gammon for her outstanding performances with the bat resulting in 192 runs across four games.
Some notable performances include:
Game 1 vs Western Province XI
Kelsey Hughes 3-37
Game 2 vs Western Province U19s
Bethan Gammon 51*
Game 3 vs Bolands Cricket Club
Lauren Parfitt 50
Game 4 vs Western Province U17s
Lydia Clements 83
Charlotte Scarborough 52
Mariam Sahabdeen 50*
Cerys Griffiths 2-10
Game 5 vs Western Province XI
Bethan Gammon 61*
Nicole Reid 5 for 35
Overall, the tour was an unforgettable experience for the players. From playing some excellent cricket, to going to Newlands Cricket Ground to watch the final of the SA20 to seeing lions, the team were not short of memorable moments. They reached the top of Table Mountain, visited Robben Island to learn all about the prison and Nelson Mandela’s experience, and they toured the peninsula to see Cape Point view, penguins and more.