12 Sep 2014 | Cricket
Glamorgan Cricket can confirm Murray Goodwin, Gareth Rees, Mike Reed, Stewart Walters and Tom Lancefield will all be leaving the Club at the end of the current season.
Both Murray Goodwin and Gareth Rees have decided to retire from first-class cricket, which takes the total number of Glamorgan players to leave the game this year to four, with John Glover and Huw Waters also calling time on their cricket careers this summer following lengthy time on the side-lines for both players.
Goodwin enjoyed a prolific career spanning 20 years, with his debut for Western Australia coming in the 1994/95 season. After retiring from international duty with Zimbabwe in 2000, having averaged 43 in 19 Tests, Goodwin was a regular for the Western Warriors in Australia and for Sussex, during which time he was one of the most consistent batsmen on the county circuit, scoring over 24,000 runs and winning seven trophies during his twelve-year stay at Sussex - including three County Championship crowns.
In his first season with Glamorgan, Goodwin averaged over 56 with the bat in the LV= County Championship, but has decided to finish his career at the age of 41, with his last appearance for the Welsh county taking place at his old stamping ground at Hove in the Royal London One-Day Cup match against the Sussex Sharks.
Gareth Rees made his Glamorgan debut in 2006 on the back of some impressive performances for the Second XI shortly after graduating with first class honours in Maths and Physics from the University of Bath. Gareth went on to play over 100 first-class games for Glamorgan and scored almost 8000 runs in all formats of the game, including a top score of 154 against Surrey at The Oval in September 2009.
Rees has returned to Bath University's School of Management to study for an executive MBA to develop his career away from the cricket field, with a view to working in business in the near future.
Batsmen Stewart Walters and Tom Lancefield will not have their contracts renewed for next year and Mike Reed is also set to depart the Welsh county after missing the current season due to injury.
Walters made his Glamorgan debut in 2011 having previously played for, and captained, Surrey. During his time in Wales, the right-handed batsman has played some valuable innings for Glamorgan, with Walters making a match-winning 147 against Kent at Canterbury in 2011, as well as posting 159 against Essex at Colchester as he ended the season as the Club's highest run-scorer in first-class cricket.
Although 2013 proved to be a difficult year for Stewart, he started 2014 well scoring 143 runs, his fourth first-class century for Glamorgan against the students of Cardiff MCCU at the SWALEC Stadium. Although he remained an ever-present in Glamorgan's NatWest T20 Blast squads this year, he has been unable to hold down a first team place in the other formats.
Lancefield, another former Surrey player, was the leading run-scorer last summer for Glamorgan 2nd XI and his efforts secured a one-year contract for 2014, with the left-handed batsman, making his Championship debut against Leicestershire in May, besides also playing in the away matches against Essex and Worcestershire.
After a handful of appearances in 2012, Mike Reed enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2013 producing several hostile spells in Championship matches which drew the attention of the England talent squads who included him in their winter programme for emerging talent during 2013/14. Injury has limited Reed's opportunities throughout 2014 and he leaves the county with best figures of 6-34 against his former team Cardiff MCCU.
Hugh Morris added, This is always a difficult time of the season with decisions made regarding which players will remain in the squad and indeed some players deciding their own futures.
Murray, Gareth and Stewart have been leaders on and off the field and part of the first -team squad throughout their time at Glamorgan, making valuable commitments to the Glamorgan cause.
Mike has struggled with injury this year and has chosen to move on, whilst Tom although pushing for a place in the first -team throughout the summer has found opportunities limited.
On behalf of everyone at Glamorgan CCC we thank them for their contribution to the Club and wish them and their families well for the future.