As Glamorgan head into the 2022 season, new captain David Lloyd is hoping to use last year’s success in the Royal London Cup as a catalyst for their LV= County Championship and Vitality Blast campaigns.
Lloyd will lead both sides this year, taking over from Chris Cooke, as the 29-year-old becomes the Club’s first Welsh captain since 2014 and the first born in North Wales since Wilf Wooller in 1947.
“It was an incredible experience at Trent Bridge and even though I didn’t play I loved being part of the side and running the drinks on,” said Lloyd.
“As a Club, I think we gained a lot of confidence from the win and we’ve talked about it as a group in taking that into other competitions.
‘We have a great group of lads here and I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead. We’ve had a good pre-season and have a strong squad this year. Everyone is very excited to get going.”
The LV= County Championship begins on Thursday, 7th April against Durham at Sophia Gardens and it starts a busy period of first-class cricket for the Club, as the Welsh county looks to return to Division One for the first time since 2005.
Over the winter the Club has brought in experienced players such as Sam Northeast and Eddie Byrom, while James Harris has returned to his boyhood club.
With Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser also returning as overseas signings, Lloyd is confident the side can push for promotion this season.
‘’We’ve shown some really good signs in red-ball cricket over the last few years and ideally with the return to two leagues, our goal is to go for the top three and reach Division One.
‘’I feel like we’ve got the squad to really challenge for promotion this year. We’ve strengthened this year by bringing in new domestic signings and we’ve got back Marnus and Neser, as well as some very talented young players so that has to be our target.”
Under his captaincy, Lloyd is keen for his side to play a positive, attacking brand of cricket with him looking to lead from the front.
‘’We should always look to take the positive option when we play. I like to think that’s how I am as a player and that’s how I want to be as a captain.
“It is all about allowing the guys to enjoy themselves and feel like they have the environment to express themselves where they can.”
After two seasons of games played behind closed doors or with limited capacity, the Club can finally look forward to the return of full crowds and Lloyd is relishing the return of Glamorgan members and supporters to cheer on his side.
‘’It’s going to be great to have our supporters back in larger numbers and they make a big difference to us.
“The last couple of years have been tough for everyone but having the fans back at Sophia Gardens will be great for us and give us that extra 10% in games.