Glamorgan commence their programme of first-class games with a three-day friendly against Cardiff MCCU, with the contest getting underway on Thursday, April 2nd at 11 a.m. at the SWALEC Stadium. (Gates open - 10 a.m.)
Match Preview
The student team, drawn from the Universities of Cardiff, Glamorgan and Cardiff Met, were Glamorgan's opponents in the opening first-class match of the 2014 season with the game ending all-square after rain intervened on the final day as Glamorgan pressed for victory.
Several of the younger members of Glamorgan's playing squad for 2015 are currently studying at the universities that form the consortium from which Cardiff MCCU draw their players. Some were well to the fore in the one-day contest last week at the SWALEC Stadium where the students performed with merit against the county professionals in the 50-overs friendly on Thursday. Jack Murphy produced a fine spell of left-arm swing with the new ball before returning with the old ball to thwart the attempts of his county colleagues to reach a decent total.
Off-spinner Kieran Bull and former Academy member Sean Griffiths also had useful spells, but the most eye-catching performance came from batsman Neil Brand. The youngster who played for Glamorgan 2
nd XI during 2014 drove with impressive control and power to show why he had beaten Jos Buttler's schoolboy record whilst a pupil at King's College, Taunton.
This three-day game will therefore provide another opportunity to watch this stylish left-handed batsman, as well as the other younger members of the Glamorgan playing squad who are at university in Cardiff, including batsman Jeremy Lawlor who scored a century on the Cardiff MCCU pre-season tour to South Africa.
The contest could also be a major one in the career of Mark Wallace as the Club's vice-captain enters the match with a career aggregate in all first-class cricket of 9,968 runs (which includes a tally of 9,861 runs for the Welsh county). When Mark scores a further 32 runs, he will duly pass the career landmark of 10,000 runs in all first-class cricket.
Please note that the hours of play on Thursday and Friday are 11.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., with lunch at 1.15 p.m. and tea at 4.10 p.m. On Saturday, lunch will be taken at 1.00 p.m., with tea at 3.40 p.m., whilst the close of play will be approximately 6 p.m., with a minimum of 20 overs to be bowled in the final hour from 5 p.m.
Team News
Glamorgan have named the following 12-man squad for the first-class friendly against Cardiff MCCU: JA Rudolph (capt), JM Kettleborough, WD Bragg, BJ Wright, CB Cooke, DL Lloyd, MA Wallace (wk), CAJ Meschede, GG Wagg, RAJ Smith, DA Cosker and WT Owen.
Cardiff MCCU have also announced a 14-man squad, as follows: J George (capt), JL Lawlor, N Brand, T Rouse, BRM Scriven, T Cullen, MJ Norris, SW Griffiths, JR Murphy, SN Bracey (wk), DE Lewis-Williams, A Westphal, KA Bull and K Leverock.