Glamorgan Cricket was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales to Sophia Gardens this morning, in celebration of the club’s 100th anniversary as a first-class county.
His Royal Highness was greeted on arrival by club representatives, including President, Gerard Elias, Chairman, Gareth Williams and CEO, Hugh Morris.
The Prince, who has been Patron of Glamorgan since 1986, then viewed work by pupils from St. Peter's R.C. Primary School in Cardiff and Ninian Park Primary School as well as a film from Ysgol Llanllechid in Bethesda who were the joint-winners of the schools competition which the club specially organised to celebrate the anniversary.
After meeting current players and coaching staff, including head coach Matt Maynard, club captain Chris Cooke and overseas signing Marnus Labuschagne, the Prince also watched games of softball cricket played by pupils from Kitchener Road Primary School, Ninian Park Primary School and St. Peter's R.C. Primary School who take part in The Riverside Challenge organised by Glamorgan’s community coaching team.
To round off the official visit, The Prince of Wales unveiled a special plaque made from Welsh slate on the Sophia Gardens outfield commemorating the Welsh county’s Centenary and was presented with a special club tie and cap.
It is the first time His Royal Highness has visited Sophia Gardens since 2015, on the eve of the Club hosting the first match of the 2015 Ashes series between England and Australia.
Glamorgan President, Gerard Elias, said: “On behalf of everyone associated with the club, I would like to thank His Royal Highness for visiting Glamorgan Cricket during our Centenary year.
“We have a rich history and tradition at Glamorgan and are incredibly proud of our achievements over the last 100 years since we were awarded first-class status and were delighted Prince Charles was able to celebrate the occasion by returning to Sophia Gardens.”
Glamorgan Chairman, Gareth Williams, said: “It was an absolute privilege to welcome His Royal Highness to Sophia Gardens to mark our 100th anniversary as a first-class county.
“As our Patron, Prince Charles has a long standing association with the club and we were honoured he unveiled the plaque that celebrates this significant milestone.
“We were also delighted with the interest and enthusiasm he showed in the work we have done in our local communities and schools to make cricket in Wales more inclusive and diverse.
“It has been a fantastic occasion and something which will stay with everyone at Glamorgan for a very long time.”
Glamorgan and Cricket Wales' community and development manager, Mark Frost, added: “We’ve been delighted to give them that opportunity to meet his royal highness today.
"It’s an example of the many school visits we have here at Sophia Gardens, where we use the stadium as a place to inspire young people to learn about cricket and learn about life through education.
"It’s been a chance for us to show off our flagship programmes to get children across all of Wales into the game, with All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket. Both have really taken off this summer with 120 clubs up and down the country inundated with children wanting to play.
"His Royal Highness was keen to hear about the children’s own cricket stories and took an interest in the many school artworks displayed in our marquee, celebrating our 100 years as a first-class county."