County Championship Division Two: Who will gain promotion? | Cricket News | Sky Sports County Championship Division Two: Who will gain promotion? Here's all you need to know ahead of the 2016 season... By David Currie Last Updated: 10/04/16 10:10am Luke Wright leads Sussex for the first time in four-day cricket. Can he lead them back to Division One? Just days after the heartbreak of England's World Twenty20 final defeat, our attentions turn to a summer of domestic cricket with the first set of Specsavers County Championship fixtures on Sunday. Just one team will earn promotion from Division Two in 2016, making the fight for top spot all the more competitive. Keep up to speed with the ins and outs ahead of 2016 So who has the best chance of topping the table? Can relegated Sussex or Worcestershire bounce straight back up? Will Kent's talented crop of youngsters get the job done? Or can Leicestershire replicate their footballing counterparts, going from worst to first? Here's how we see the season unfolding...

SUSSEX 2015: Eighth Division One, relegated 2016 prediction: Champions, promoted Sky Bet odds: 2/1 fav Ross Taylor arrives from New Zealand as Sussex's overseas pro Chances in a tweet: Sussex have the look of a Division One side. Complacency cost them their spot in the top division last year but expect them to bounce back. What's new? Sussex stalwart Luke Wright takes over the captaincy from Ed Joyce, with the batting further bolstered by the arrival of New Zealand's Ross Taylor, available from the start of the season through to late July. Hampshire's slow-left-armer, Danny Briggs, joins looking to resurrect his flagging four-day career, while Sussex hope he can be the replacement spinner they've tried, and failed, to find since the departure of Monty Panesar. The latest example, Ashar Zaidi, has left for Essex over the winter. Michael Yardy has retired, as has James Anyon. Wicket-taker: Ollie Robinson. The former Yorkshire prospect was signed in 2015 as cover but ended up taking 46 wickets in 11 matches at 24.71.

With Anyon gone, Chris Jordan is likely to be busy a fair bit with England, and with continued fitness concerns over Ajmal Shahzad and Tymal Mills, Robinson will likely have to step up again. Steve Magoffin is 36 and can't be expected to do it alone like always. Sussex are capable of an immediate return to Division One, says Ed Joyce Century-maker: You can't look past Luke. Wright averaged 46.53 in 2015, including a career highest score of 226 not out. It's not an anomaly either, Wright's average in the two seasons prior was above 50. Can the captaincy take his batting on even further? Young player to watch: Harry Finch (batsman) KENT Sky Bet odds: 7/1 Dan Bell-Drummond is tipped for England recognition by many Chances in a tweet: A talented team tipped for great things for a while. It could finally be their year, except second spot for once won't secure promotion. What's new? Kent have also changed their captain, with Rob Key - who will continue to play for the county - handing the role over to Sam Northeast.

Also, having not signed one overseas player last year, Kent have picked up two of the finest around for 2016. New Zealand opener Tom Latham and South African quick Kagiso Rabada are available for all formats during their spells with the club. Wicket-taker: Matt Coles returned to his home county in 2015 after a two-year spell with Hampshire and suitably impressed with 67 wickets at an average of 23.49. Veteran allrounder Darren Stevens took a next-best 61 scalps, which suggests the attack is a little thin, and is set to rely heavily on Coles again. Who are the next England stars across all three formats? Century-maker: A year on from topping the Kent run-scoring charts, Daniel Bell-Drummond somewhat disappointed in 2015, averaging only 26.44. But this 22-year-old has so much more to give, as evident by his 127 off 112 balls against the touring Australians last year.

Young player to watch: Matt Hunn (right-arm seamer) GLOUCESTERSHIRE Sky Bet odds: 12/1 Michael Klinger helped inspire Gloucestershire's Royal London One-Day cup win in 2015 Chances in a tweet: Belief in the squad will be boosted by last season's Royal London One-Day Cup success, bringing with it greater four-day form. What's new? Geraint Jones left in emotional fashion, bowing out with after that dramatic RL One-Day Cup final win over Surrey, while promising young quick James Fuller has moved on to Middlesex. But enough quality has been retained, with Hamish Marshall and Michael Klinger sticking around for another year, although young Australian opener Cameron Bancroft covers for Klinger in the early part of the season. Wicket-taker: Liam Norwell was a surprise success story in 2015, taking 61 wickets at an average of 25.00, when he'd not managed more than 30 in any previous year. In truth though, wickets are shared among the attack, with Craig Miles, Benny Howell and David Payne also striking at under 30 a pop last year.

Gareth Roderick is hopeful Gloucestershire can follow up their one-day success from last year Century-maker: It has to be Klinger. Surely no-one has come close to matching his incredible run-scoring efforts of the last 12 months across all three formats? Focusing purely on his 2015 for Gloucestershire, Klinger scored three hundreds in each the T20 Blast and RL One-Day Cup, averaging over 100 in the latter. Add to that two hundreds and two fifties in 11 first-class innings. Young player to watch: Miles Hammond (off-spinner) WORCESTERSHIRE 2015: Ninth Division One, relegated 2016 prediction: Fourth Sky Bet odds: 4/1 Kyle Abbott of South Africa strengthens Worcestershire's bowling attack Chances in a tweet: County cricket's yo-yo club won't bounce back up to Division One this time, denied Moeen Ali's runs and Saeed Ajmal's wickets. What's new? Overseas seamers, Matt Henry of New Zealand and Kyle Abbott of South Africa, add to the Worcestershire bowling attack.

But the batting has been significantly weakened by the retirement of Alex Gidman, Moeen's likely absence with England, and the sad loss of 2015 top run-scorer, Tom Fell, who is undergoing a course of chemotherapy in his battle against testicular cancer. Wicket-taker: Joe Leach. Leading wicket-taker in 2015 with 59, but Leach's personal highlight for the year actually came in Worcestershire's RL One-Day Cup match against Northamptonshire, albeit in a game they lost. The medium-pacer took a hat-trick with the first three balls of the match, following in Chaminda Vaas' footsteps when he did it for Sri Lanka at the 2003 World Cup against Bangladesh. Tom Fell has taken part in training for the first time since starting chemotherapy Century-maker: Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit his maiden first-class century in the final game of the 2015 season against Middlesex, putting on 229 in partnership with Fell. His absence for likely much of 2016 requires Kohler-Cadmore to do it alone this time, filling that hole left behind by Fell.

Young player to watch: Ed Barnard (all-rounder) ESSEX Sky Bet odds: 4/1 Alastair Cook is available for Essex in the early part of the summer Chances in a tweet: Having captain Cook available for the first few games will help, but a winter of change sees this very much a rebuilding year. What's new? A lot. Former Essex allrounder Ronnie Irani has arrived as chairman. After eight years as head coach, Paul Grayson has left the club by mutual consent, replaced by ex-England bowler, Chris Silverwood. England white-ball international Reece Topley has moved to Hampshire, and Mark Pettini, Leicestershire. Spinning allrounder Ashar Zaidi arrives from Sussex, while fellow left-arm-spinner - but most definitely not an allrounder - Monty Panesar leaves for Northamptonshire. Wicket-taker: Surprising bowling sensation from the last two seasons, Jesse Ryder returns, and will be called upon again by a reasonably depleted bowling attack that relies too heavily on the aging David Masters (37) and Graham Napier (36).

England squad members freed for County Championship opening matches Century-maker: Nick Browne excelled in his first full season in county cricket, scoring 1,157 runs at an average of 42.85, with five centuries. Can the opener's early season pairing with Alastair Cook at the top of the order inspire, and can he in turn help develop England Under-19 international Daniel Lawrence? Young player to watch: Daniel Lawrence (opening batsman) GLAMORGAN 2016 prediction: Sixth Sky Bet odds: 12/1 Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph will be relied upon heavily again to score runs at the SSE Swalec Chances in a tweet: Well run, and well led club by skipper Jacques Rudolph. Not enough squad depth to launch a sustained promotion push though. What's new? Ex-England offspinner, but also fiercely proud Welshman, Robert Croft, is the county's new head coach for 2016. A few low key additions to the squad have been made, Craig Meschede's loan from Somerset has been made permanent, while it's Harry Podmore who arrives on load this time, from Middlesex, for the early part of the season.

Dutchman Timm van der Gugten also joins. Wicket-taker: Michael Hogan. At 34-years-old, the Australian UK passport holder is no spring chicken, but he was quite considerably Glamorgan's best bowler in 2015, taking 48 wickets at 27.02. How much do you know about County cricket? Century-maker: Rudolph is still the star draw at the SSE Swalec. The former South Africa batsman fell just short of the 1,000 run mark last year, in part due to a poor conversion rate, with only one hundred to seven fifties - something he'll want to rectify in 2016. Young player to watch: Aneurin Donald (batsman) DERBYSHIRE Sky Bet odds: 14/1 Can Derbyshire replace Mark Footitt's wickets in 2016? Chances in a tweet: Underachieved in 2015, finishing second from bottom. Set to struggle again in 2016 without leading left-armer Mark Footitt, left for Surrey. What's new?

It's pretty much as you were for Derbyshire in terms of personnel from 2015, but the county will hope that's not the case too in terms of results. Andy Carter arrives from Nottinghamshire to bolster the bowling and fill the void left behind by Footitt. New Zealand opener Hamish Rutherford adds strength to the batting too. Wicket-taker: Footitt took 76 wickets in 2015, with Tony Palladino managing a paltry next-best of 31. Therefore, Derbyshire must hope the former Notts man, Carter, can bring with him a lorry load of wickets. He played only once in 2015, although did at least take decent match figures of 5-91 against Worcestershire. Sky Bet odds: 20/1 Australian Clint McKay has made a big impression at Grace Road Chances in a tweet: Baby steps. Leicestershire registered their first win since 2012 last year, but still finished bottom. Moving up one spot would be progress. What's new?

Seasoned county pros, Paul Horton (Lancashire), Mark Pettini (Essex) and Neil Dexter (Middlesex) arrive, significantly bolstering the batting. Australian Clint McKay's return as their overseas pro brings further optimism, although don't quite expect the type of 'worst to first' turnaround currently being experienced by their football team. Wicket-taker: McKay is the unquestionably the leader of the attack, but formed one part of a triple-threat of seamers who all managed over 50 wickets in 2015. Ben Raine led the way with 59, Charlie Shreck 57, and McKay sandwiched in-between with 58. Clint McKay thinks Leicestershire's County Championship struggles are now in the past Century-maker: Angus Robson. He needs to improve on his woeful conversion rate, with only two centuries to show against 18 fifties, but his one ton last year was a crucial one, helping earn Leicestershire that long-awaited win with 120 first-innings runs against Essex, plus 71 just as important ones in the second innings when chasing 163.

Young player to watch: Rob Sayer (off-spinner) NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Sky Bet odds: 12/1 Can Monty Panesar resurrect his England career with a move back to Northamptonshire? Chances in a tweet: The loss of David Willey, to Yorkshire, and veteran opener Stephen Peters, to retirement will nudge Northants to the bottom. What's new? Quite a bit. Willey - so impressive for England at the World T20 - has moved on to the greener pastures of The Oval, and after nearly a decade with the county, Peters called it a day at the close of the 2015 season. There is at least one return for fans to celebrate - the Monty masks will be dominating at The County Ground crowd once again as Monty Panesar comes home. Wicket-taker: Olly Stone, the 22-year-old quick, kicked on with his development last year, appearing in 12 of Northamptonshire's 18 fixtures, taking 38 wickets at 30.21.

His ascent will need to continue for Northants as they look to cover the loss of Willey, and help an aging seam attack of Azharullah (36) and Rory Kleinveldt (33). History of Glamorgan Cricket Vacancies History Glamorgan CCC celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2013 and this introductory film explores some of the key issues relating to the identity of the Club and what it means to play for Wales’ only representative in county cricket. A series of players – both past and present – speak about what is means to them to represent Glamorgan. Like the other films in this historical section, the anniversary documentary was a project undertaken by the Club and CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket, with generous assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Skillset Media Academy Wales. 1890’s: Minor County Status The 1890s saw Glamorgan develop from a third-class county into a Minor County side. The man responsible for this transformation was Jack Brain - a member of the famous brewing family who owned the Old Brewery in Cardiff.

Brain had previously played with success for Gloucestershire but during the late 1880s he moved to South Wales, before taking over as captain and secretary of Glamorgan CCC in 1891. As befitted someone from the world of commerce, Brain brought a more business-like approach to the affairs of Glamorgan CCC and by using his contacts in the sporting and business world, Jack was able to secure the services of better players, including several professionals who had previously played for English counties. Jack was adamant that Glamorgan should have a visible Welsh identity and he was instrumental in the appointment of Billy Bancroft - the Welsh rugby international - as Glamorgan's first-ever full-time professional in 1895. It was therefore very fitting that the talented all-round sportsman from Swansea should shine with both bat and ball as Glamorgan entered the Minor County Championship in 1897. 1900’s: Success Fuels Ambition A measure of Glamorgan's progress came in 1900 when they were joint winners of the Minor County Championship. Their success fuelled the ambition of the Welsh officials who duly began a campaign both for first-class and international cricket to come to South Wales.

Improvements took place to the facilities at the Arms Park, including the construction of a lavish pavilion, whilst an approach was made to the MCC for Glamorgan to host the first Test of the 1905 series with Australia. Glamorgan missed out by one vote, but they secured a three-day fixture in August with the cricketers from the Southern Hemisphere who met a South Wales XI as Glamorgan combined forces with Monmouthshire. The 1900s saw Glamorgan enjoy further success on the field as on three further occasions they were runners-up in the Minor Counties competition, and allied with the emergence of players like Norman Riches, a dentist from Cardiff, and Tom Whittington, a solicitor from Neath, this led to the start of a campaign for Glamorgan to be elevated into first-class cricket. 1910’s: War Takes Priority The 1910s saw Glamorgan's players - both amateurs and professionals - enjoy further success in the Minor County Championship, with Norman Riches in 1911 becoming the first batsman in the history of the competition to score over 1,000 runs in a season.

This helped to further fuel Glamorgan's campaign for first-class cricket, but their bid for elevation into the County Championship was dealt a series of blows - firstly, by the slump in the local economy leading to uncertainty about the size of the financial support required for regular county cricket. But a second and greater blow came in 1914 with the outbreak of the First World War. The hostilities led to the cancellation of fixtures at the end of the season, as well as the cessation of games for the next four years. However, the most substantial blow to Glamorgan CCC was the loss of life during the bloody hostilities. A generation of emerging cricketing talent gave their lives to King and Country, with amongst those to die including Archer Windsor-Clive, the son of the Earl of Plymouth, and the President of Glamorgan CCC who was tipped as a future captain of the Welsh county. Many of those who were fortunate to come home were also mentally scarred by the horrors of War, and Dyson Williams of Swansea CC, who also served as Glamorgan's Treasurer, suffered so much from depression that he took his life in the early 1920s.

1920’s: Dream becomes a nightmare There was a great mood of optimism in South Wales as a whole as Glamorgan resumed in 1920 in the Minor County Championship. During the summer, the campaign for elevation into first-class cricket was successfully resurrected, and enough fixtures were secured with existing teams in the County Championship for Glamorgan to be awarded first-class status for 1921. On May 18th, 1921 Glamorgan played their first match in the County Championship, against Sussex at the Arms Park, and to the delight if all concerned, the Welsh county defeated their English opponents. But the Club's dream of first-class status rapidly turned into a nightmare as Glamorgan encountered a series of difficult seasons during the 1920s. There were though a few rays of sunshine during a series of difficult seasons, starting in 1921 when Billy Spiller struck the Club's first hundred in Championship cricket. In 1923 Glamorgan defeated the West Indians at the Arms Park, whilst at the end of the 1927 season, they achieved an astonishing victory at Swansea to prevent Nottinghamshire from clinching the county title.

However, for most of the decade Glamorgan remained towards the foot of the County Championship table, and only in 1926 did they finish in the top half of the table. Thirteen matches were lost in succession in 1925, and on many occasions just achieving a draw was a major feat. With their financial reserves remaining shaky, they were unable to hire top-class professionals from English counties, and they largely relied on the local amateur talent, augmented by cast-offs from other teams. Many of the acquisitions struggled after joining the Welsh county, but there were a couple of very notable acquisitions. Jack Mercer, the jovial seam and swing bowler who moved to South Wales from Sussex in the early 1920s and duly became the lynchpin of the Glamorgan attack, as well as Frank Ryan, the garrulous left-arm spin bowler, whose subtle crafts with the ball outweighed his fiery temper and ferocious thirst, and the maverick bowler formed a fine spin combination with Johnnie Clay, the amateur from Chepstow, who had switched from being a tearaway pace bowler into a canny off-spinner.

Several other Welsh-born players established a first-team place, including Dai and Emrys Davies from Llanelli, Cyril Walters from Neath as well as Maurice Turnbull from Cardiff, who duly went on to turn around the fortunes of the Club during the 1930s. 1930’s: Progress under Turnbull After the difficult years of the 1920s, surely things could not get any worse for Glamorgan but for a while they steadily did. At the end of the 1931 season, the Club's deficit was so severe that many professionals had to be released as a cash-saving measure, and when the finances failed to pick up again the following summer, the committee discussed whether or not the Club should continue. Maurice Turnbull and Johnnie Clay were adamant that Glamorgan should remain as a first-class county, so the Club's captain and secretary duly led a major fund-raising campaign, drawing on their business contacts throughout South Wales. Both men realised that one answer to Glamorgan's woes was a sharper and more evident Welsh identity so in 1933 the daffodil emblem was introduced, whilst encouragement was also given to nurturing home-grown talent.

To boost their Welsh identity Glamorgan played at a number of new grounds across South Wales. Pontypridd had been added to the fixture list in the 1920s, and during the 1930s, Glamorgan duly played County Championship cricket at Neath, Cowbridge, Llanelli and Newport. Investments were also made in the practice facilities at the Arms Park, whilst a coach was hired to help groom the new generation of Glamorgan cricketers. In 1934 Glamorgan also merged with Monmouthshire, allowing Glamorgan 2nd XI to field a team in the Minor County Championship and for the youngsters - such as wicket-keeper Haydn Davies, batsman Willie Jones and off-spinner Closs Jones - to gain valuable experience. The merger also extended the pool of talent available to the Glamorgan selectors, and the likes of Phil Clift and Allan Watkins, both of Usk CC, duly won a place in the Glamorgan side. The 1930s had begun with Maurice Turnbull making his England debut during the MCC tour to New Zealand, and in 1935 his great pal Johnnie Clay followed in his footsteps by playing against South Africa.

Two years later, Austin Matthews also won an England cap, just a fortnight after the Penarth-born seam bowler had switched from Northamptonshire to Glamorgan, whilst in 1939 Emrys Davies scored a Club record 287* against Gloucestershire at Newport and was chosen in the MCC party for the winter tour. 1936 also saw Jack Mercer write his name into the Club's record books by taking all ten wickets in an innings at Worcester, whilst in 1937 Clay also enjoyed a superb season as the spinner claimed a Club record of 176 wickets. With Glamorgan also rising up to 7th place in the table, it was a worthy reward for all of the hard work and fund-raising in turning around a debt-ridden club into a profit-making one with a bright and rosy future. 1940’s: From Tragedy to Triumph The outbreak of the Second World War brought an abrupt end to Glamorgan's upward rise. It also, quite tragically, brought an end to the career of Maurice Turnbull - the man who had overseen the survival of the Club during the 1930s and its transformation into a viable playing unit.

He had signed off in typical fashion in the closing match of the 1939 season by scoring a century, but five years later, shortly after the Normandy Invasion he was killed in the small French town of Montchamp as he was leading a counter-attack by the Welsh guards on an advancing column of German tanks. The news of the death of the influential and charismatic Glamorgan leader looked like dealing Glamorgan a crippling blow, but Johnnie Clay was determined that his old pal's work in the 1930s would not be in vain, and in 1946 the veteran spinner agreed to lead the Club when county cricket resumed, besides grooming a new leader to follow in Maurice's shoes. His choice was Wilf Wooller, another former Welsh rugby international who had spent much of the War as a POW in the Far East. Wilf had played for Glamorgan in 1938 and 1939, and was looking for a new challenge. He duly took over the captaincy in 1947 and the following summer - to the dismay of many of the English press - the colossus of a Welsh sportsman led Glamorgan to their first-ever County Championship title.

Wilf had overseen some shrewd acquisitions such as spinner Len Muncer and seamer Norman Hever, whilst Gilbert Parkhouse from Swansea developed into a top-class middle-order batsman. Allan Watkins also played a leading role with both bat and ball, and his all-round abilities led to an England call-up as the Usk-born cricketer duly became the first Glamorgan cricketer to appear in an Ashes Test Match. Allan's call-up by England left a potential hole in the Glamorgan side as they pressed for the county title. But Wilf had the trump card up his sleeve as he recalled Johnnie Clay to the side in August, with the veteran spinner bowling his side to victory over Surrey at the Arms Park and leaving Glamorgan needing just one more victory to clinch the title. It was therefore very fitting that in the Club's next game, against Hampshire at Bournemouth, Clay should take the final wicket as Glamorgan secured the victory they needed to become County Champions for the first-ever time in the Club's history.

1950’s: Consolidation under Wooller The 1950s saw Glamorgan consolidate under the leadership of Wilf Wooller, as the Welsh side built on their achievement of winning the 1948 County Championship. A number of young players were successfully integrated into the team as older members retired, and the Welsh county, through the dynamic and fierce leadership of Wooller, maintained their reputation as one of the country's finest fielding teams. Indeed, their superb close-to-the-wicket fielding led to a number of victories, especially their thrilling victory over the 1951 Springboks at Swansea, as Allan Watkins, Phil Clift, Jim Pleass and Wooller himself all excelled in the leg-trap as the tourists dramatically collapsed to give the Welsh county a stirring victory. Jim McConnon was another star of the victory over the 1951 Springboks and the tall off-spinner subsequently won a place in the England side. Gilbert Parkhouse also progressed from the county side into the Test team, whilst Allan Watkins continued to be chosen for the English side and provide yeoman service as a senior professional on overseas tours.

Following the retirement of Emrys Davies and Willie Jones, a number of new batsmen emerged, including Tony Lewis from Neath and Alan Jones from Clydach. Another new face to emergence during the 1950s was Don Shepherd. The Gower-born cricketer had started his Glamorgan career as a pace bowler but in the mid 1950s, after advice from senior players including wicket-keeper Haydn Davies, he switched to off-cutters. The change was nothing short of sensational as in his first season in this new mode, 'Shep` claimed 156 wickets and together with Alan Jones and Tony Lewis, he went on to play a major role in the success of Glamorgan during the 1960s. 1960’s: The Successful Sixties The 1960s were arguably one of the most successful decades in the history of Glamorgan CCC, as the Welsh county won the County Championship again in 1969, besides inflicting back-to-back victories over the Australian tourists in 1964 and 1968.

All of these three great victories were achieved under different captains - Tony Lewis, Ossie Wheatley and Don Shepherd - but Wilf Wooller remained the guiding force behind the Club having retired as a player at the end of the 1960 season to become the club's Secretary. Ossie took over from Wilf in 1961 and inherited a side with some well-established players including Bernard Hedges, Peter Walker and Alan Jones, as well as emerging talent such as left-arm fast bowler Jeff Jones who - like Peter - also went on to represent England. Jim Pressdee also formed a fine spin bowling combination with Don Shepherd, and the victory over the 1964 Australians at Swansea bore testament to their abilities, as well as the outstanding close to the wicket fielding of the Glamorgan side. Indeed Peter Walker was the best short-leg fielder on the county circuit, whilst on the batting front Alan Jones was one of the most consistent openers in the country.

When Australia visited Swansea again in 1968, Tony Lewis was unable to play so Don Shepherd stepped into his shoes and, with all his guile and cunning, led Glamorgan to another thrilling victory over the men in baggy green caps at the St.Helen's ground, as for the second time in four years, the ground was then engulfed by joyous Welshmen eager to celebrate with the Glamorgan team after another iconic moment in Welsh sport. The year before Glamorgan had played for the first time at their new ground in Cardiff following the redevelopment of the Arms Park and the creation of the National Stadium. The final county match took place at the Arms Park in August 1966 before Glamorgan moved a mile or so to the north-west to Sophia Gardens where they met the 1967 Indians in the opening match at their new ground. Indeed, it was at Sophia Gardens in September 1969 where Glamorgan clinched the Championship title for the second time in their history as they defeated Worcestershire.

This was a match where Majid Khan, their overseas star from Pakistan played a decisive innings on a capricious wicket, before deputising behind the stumps for the injured Eifion Jones as Don Shepherd claimed the final Worcestershire wicket before Tony Lewis' team once again celebrated their outstanding success. 1970’s: A first trip to Lords After their successes during the 1960s, there were high hopes for Glamorgan in the 1970s. Tony Lewis' team duly ended the 1970 season as runners-up, whilst during the summer Alan Jones played for England at Lord's in a series against the Rest of the World that is not now regarded as an official Test. In 1972, the West Indian batsman Roy Fredericks made a huge impact and shared a Club record opening stand of 330 with Alan Jones against Northamptonshire at Swansea, whilst at the end of the summer Tony Lewis was appointed captain of the England side for what proved to be a successful winter tour of India and Pakistan.

For the rest of the decade, Glamorgan met with less success as a rebuilding process saw a number of young and home-grown cricketers being integrated into the team for both the Championship and one-day games. Indeed, the short-form of the game took off during the 1970s. Following the successful introduction of the Gillette Cup in 1963, the John Player Sunday League was inaugurated in 1969, followed by the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1972. Several Glamorgan players shone in these limited-overs games, including Malcolm Nash, the left-arm swinger who proved to be amongst the frugal opening bowlers on the county circuit. In 1973 Swansea also hosted the first One-Day International in Wales as England met New Zealand at the St. Helen's ground. A full house saw Warwickshire's Dennis Amiss score a century before Sussex's John Snow helped to bowl England to victory. Four years later, the same ground also witnessed a thrilling semi-final game in the Gillette Cup as Glamorgan met Leicestershire.

Up until that season, Glamorgan's form in one-day cricket had been quite patchy, but in 1977, under the captaincy of Alan Jones, they reached the final of the Gillette Cup after defeating the East Midlands side at Swansea. Middlesex were Glamorgan's opponents in the final of the 1977 Gillette Cup at Lord's, and after losing the toss, the Welsh batsmen struggled at first in the damp conditions. Mike Llewellyn led a spirited recovery and during the course of his innings almost struck spinner John Emburey over the roof of the famous pavilion. Nash then struck with his opening delivery but a vital catch was later dropped as Clive Radley guided Middlesex to a comfortable victory and spoil the romantic dreams of the travelling band of Welsh supporters. 1980’s: Centenary Year and Beyond The 1980s saw further rebuilding by the Welsh county as they strove for further success in the Championship and one-day competitions.

It was a decade during which some top-class international cricketers appeared for the Club including the talented Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri, West Indian pace bowlers Ezra Moseley and Winston Davis, plus gifted Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad. In 1981, the latter scored over 2,000 runs in the season and struck a series of brilliant double hundreds, but Javed enjoyed perhaps his finest hour in Glamorgan colours during an astonishing match against the 1985 Australians at Neath as together with fellow countryman Younis Ahmed they shared a record and unbeaten 306 for the fourth wicket against the touring team. Neath was one of the out-grounds which Glamorgan revisited during this decade as they once again took county cricket to venues such as Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberystwyth, Abergavenny and Llanelli.

Annual visits to North Wales were also re-introduced as the Rhos-on-Sea ground in Colwyn Bay returned to the county's fixture list, whilst the Club's Centenary Year was also launched in July 1987 with a special match against Gloucestershire attended by their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Princess Diana. During this decade, Rodney Ontong developed into an outstanding all-rounder, and in the match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1985 he completed one of the greatest all-round performances for the Club, scoring a glittering century and taking thirteen wickets in the game. The 1980s also saw new home-grown talent emerge with Hugh Morris developing as a brave and determined opening batsman, whilst in 1985 Matthew Maynard burst onto the county circuit with a brilliant hundred on his first-class debut. Steve Watkin also developed into a top-class seam bowler, and together with Hugh and Matthew he went on to win England honours. Tony Cottey, Adrian Dale, Robert Croft and Steve Barwick also emerged during this decade as a nucleus of a new and successful team was forged.

1990’s: A Championship and a One-day title The 1990s were another outstanding decade for Glamorgan CCC as the Club enjoyed success in both the Championship and one-day competitions. The seeds though for this success had been sown during the 1980s with a nucleus of home-grown youngsters emerging in the side, augmented by some shrewd signings from other counties, including Alan Butcher, the experienced opening batsman from Surrey and Colin Metson, a wicket-keeper from Middlesex. Alan, together with Hugh Morris, each scored over 2,000 first-class runs in the 1990 season. However, it was the marquee signing of Viv Richards, the legendary West Indian cricketer which proved to be the catalyst and in 1990 the former Somerset batsman scored a brilliant century at Southampton as Glamorgan completed a remarkable run-chase against Hampshire.

Three years later Viv shared in a club record stand of 425* with Adrian Dale in the Championship match against Middlesex at Sophia Gardens, and the great batsman from the Caribbean was fittingly out in the middle at Canterbury, together with Tony Cottey when the latter struck the winning runs as Glamorgan lifted their first one-day trophy, under the captaincy of Hugh Morris, by defeating Kent to clinch the AXA Equity and Law League for 1993. Glamorgan's very own Canterbury tale saw the likes of off-cutter Steve Barwick, all-rounders Adrian Dale and Robert Croft, form a potent bowling unit with Steve Watkin and Dutchman , Roland Lefebvre - another astute acquisition from Somerset. Hugh Morris formed a productive opening partnership with Steve James, whilst in the middle-order Matthew Maynard blossomed into a potent and match-winning batsman. Four years later, Matthew was the Club's captain as together with many of the class of '93, he led Glamorgan to their third Championship title.

The summer of 1997 also saw Waqar Younis, the great Pakistani fast bowler, play for the Welsh county, and like Viv in 1993, Waqar played an integral role in Glamorgan's title success, delivering a series of match-winning spells, including one at Liverpool as Lancashire were dismissed for just 51. 1997 also saw Glamorgan endure the heart-break of losing their NatWest semi-final against Essex at Chelmsford by just one-wicket as the home side's last batsman hit the winning runs in a pulsating finish. But Matthew's team, astutely coached by Duncan Fletcher, did not lose heart and defeated Somerset at Taunton in the final match of the season to lift the Championship title. Hugh and Matthew each scored superb centuries in gloomy light, before young bowler Darren Thomas produced a destructive spell of bowling, and after Dean Cosker, another youngster, had claimed the final Somerset wicket, it was left to Steve James to hit the winning runs. 2000’s: More One-Day Titles and a Test Match in Wales.

The first decade of the 21st century saw Glamorgan win further silverware in the one-day competitions as well as secure a Test Match at their headquarters following the redevelopment of the Sophia Gardens ground. The decade began with the disappointment of losing another final at Lord’s as Glamorgan, despite a superb century from captain Matthew Maynard, lost by five wickets to Gloucestershire in the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup. The Club bounced back and in 2001 won Division Two of the One-Day League, before winning the Division One titles in 2002, and again in 2004. Their victory in 2002 was clinched against Kent in another gripping Canterbury Tale as, after a fine innings from Michael Powell and some probing bowling from Andrew Davies, Michael Kasprowicz – the Australian international – delivered a frugal final over as Kent were defeated by the slender margin of four runs. Steve James was the Club’s captain in 2002 but the man who two years before had struck a Club record 309* against Sussex at Colwyn Bay was injured for the decisive match at Canterbury so Robert Croft stepped in as acting captain.

Croft was at the helm in 2004 as Glamorgan reached Finals Day of the Twenty20 competition, held at Edgbaston, besides winning the one-day league, with the all-rounder leading by example as he struck a match-winning century at Colwyn Bay as Glamorgan defeated Lancashire by five wickets to secure the title. In 2005 the Sophia Gardens ground was awarded Category A status by the ECB, pending the redevelopment of the ground and the creation of a 16,000-seater stadium. This building work was duly undertaken during 2006 and 2007, and following generous sponsorship, the SWALEC Stadium came into being. In July 2009, the new Stadium duly staged the first Test Match in the Ashes series between England and Australia, with the five-day contest, watched by millions of television viewers, proving to be a thrilling encounter with England’s last pair of batsmen playing out the closing overs to clinch a draw. In addition, Glamorgan’s headquarters became the 100th ground to be used worldwide for Test Match cricket, thereby achieving one of the dreams of the Club’s administrators over a hundred years before.

2010’s: More Tests and Making Wales Proud. Following the success of the Ashes Test in 2009, Glamorgan’s headquarters has staged further Test Match cricket as well as other high profile international and domestic matches. In 2011 England defeated Sri Lanka in a Test Match at Cardiff, whilst the following year, the ground successfully staged Finals Day of the Twenty20 competition. This was followed in 2013 by Cardiff – along with The Oval in London and Edgbaston in Birmingham – being one of the venues for the ICC Champions Trophy. This resulted in a series of One-Day Internationals being staged in the Welsh capital city and involving the world’s major cricketing nations. The itinerary for the competition included the semi-final between India and Sri Lanka, staged in front of a capacity crowd and watched by millions world-wide. 2013 saw Glamorgan celebrate their 125th anniversary, besides enjoying further success in one-day cricket, with the side – astutely led by Mark Wallace – reaching the showpiece final of the Yorkshire Bank40 competition at Lord’s.

The Notts Outlaws were Glamorgan’s opponents, but despite a hostile spell of pace bowling by Simon Jones, in what proved to be this final appearance for the Welsh county, the English side won by 87 runs. 2013 also saw Hugh Morris, the Club’s former opening batsman and captain, return to the Welsh county as Chief Executive and Director of Cricket. He was delighted to see Ashes cricket return to Cardiff in 2015 with the SSE SWALEC hosting the opening Test Match of the series during July, as well as later in the summer hosting back-to-back Twenty20 Internationals as the men and women from England and Australia went head-to-head at Glamorgan’s headquarters. The England teams won all three of the matches as once again the Cardiff Test Match proved to be a pivotal match in deciding the outcome of the series in favour of the home team. In 2016 England faced the tourists from both Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the fifth and final One-Day Internationals of each Series. Against Sri Lanka a series whitewash wash was secured, but the more competitive Pakistan team were victorious in the early September fixture of that year.

Under Hugh’s leadership, Glamorgan have established a coherent plan for the further development of the Club, as well as cricket throughout the Principality. This includes making cricket the summer game of Wales, as well as other key goals, including “Making Wales Proud”. As the Club continues to rebuild it’s playing resources and homegrown talent is nurtured, further success in domestic competitions besides the successful staging of international matches are other strategic goals as Glamorgan County Cricket Club proudly moves towards the third decade of the 21st century. Future internationals in Cardiff ICC Champions Trophy (four tournament fixtures to be confirmed) England v South Africa (NatWest T20 International) 2018: England v India (NatWest T20 International) England v Australia (Royal London One-Day International) 2019: ICC Cricket World Cup (four tournament fixtures to be confirmed) England v Pakistan (NatWest T20 International) A brief history of the County Championship | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo A brief history of the County Championship List of winners | Competition sponsors | Wooden spoon At least four possible dates have been given for the start of county cricket in England. The first, patchy, references began in 1825.

The earliest mention in any cricket publication is in 1864 and eight counties have come to be regarded as first-class from that date, including Cambridgeshire, who dropped out after 1871. For many years, the County Championship was considered to have started in 1873, when regulations governing qualification first applied; indeed, a special commemorative stamp was issued by the Post Office in 1973. However, the Championship was not formally organised until 1890 and before then champions were proclaimed by the press; sometimes publications differed in their views and no definitive list of champions can start before that date. Eight teams contested the 1890 competition - Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Yorkshire. Somerset joined in the following year, and in 1895 the Championship began to acquire something of its modern shape when Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire were added. At that point MCC officially recognised the competition's existence.

Worcestershire, Northamptonshire and Glamorgan were admitted to the Championship in 1899, 1905 and 1921 respectively and are regarded as first-class from these dates. An invitation in 1921 to Buckinghamshire to enter the Championship was declined, owing to the lack of necessary playing facilities, and an application by Devon in 1948 was unsuccessful. Durham were admitted to the Championship in 1992 and were granted first-class status prior to their pre-season tour of Zimbabwe. In 2000, the Championship was split for the first time into two divisions, on the basis of counties' standings in the 1999 competition. For the first six seasons, the bottom three teams in Division One were relegated at the end of the season, and the top three teams in Division Two promoted. In 2006 this was changed to a two-up, two-down system of promotion and relegation. County Champions The title of champion county is unreliable before 1890. In 1963, Wisden formally accepted the list of champions "most generally selected'' by contemporaries, as researched by the late Rowland Bowen.

Results 3rd ODI: India v England at Kolkata Jan 22, 2017 (13:30 local | 08:00 GMT | 03:00 EST | 02:00 CST | 00:00 PST) Group A: Leeward Is v Kent at Coolidge Jan 25, 2017 (13:30 local | 17:30 GMT | 12:30 EST | 11:30 CST | 09:30 PST) 1st T20I: India v England at Kanpur Jan 26, 2017 (16:30 local | 11:00 GMT | 06:00 EST | 05:00 CST | 03:00 PST) Group A: Trinidad & T v Kent at Lucas Street Jan 29, 2017 (09:00 local | 13:00 GMT | 08:00 EST | 07:00 CST | 05:00 PST) 2nd T20I:

 India v England at Nagpur Jan 29, 2017 (19:00 local | 13:30 GMT | 08:30 EST | 07:30 CST | 05:30 PST) Cricinfo - England England List of winners | Competition sponsors | Wooden spoon At least four possible dates have been given for the start of county cricket in England.

The first, patchy, references began in 1825. The earliest mention in any cricket publication is in 1864 and eight counties have come to be regarded as first-class from that date, including Cambridgeshire, who dropped out after 1871. For many years, the County Championship was considered to have started in 1873, when regulations governing qualification first applied; indeed, a special commemorative stamp was issued by the Post Office in 1973. However, the Championship was not formally organised until 1890 and before then champions were proclaimed by the press; sometimes publications differed in their views and no definitive list of champions can start before that date. Eight teams contested the 1890 competition - Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Yorkshire. Somerset joined in the following year, and in 1895 the Championship began to acquire something of its modern shape when Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire were added. At that point MCC officially recognised the competition's existence.

Worcestershire, Northamptonshire and Glamorgan were admitted to the Championship in 1899, 1905 and 1921 respectively and are regarded as first-class from these dates. An invitation in 1921 to Buckinghamshire to enter the Championship was declined, owing to the lack of necessary playing facilities, and an application by Devon in 1948 was unsuccessful. Durham were admitted to the Championship in 1992 and were granted first-class status prior to their pre-season tour of Zimbabwe. In 2000, the Championship was split for the first time into two divisions, on the basis of counties'standings in the 1999 competition. From 2000 onwards, the bottom three teams in Division One were relegated at the end of the season, and the top three teams in Division Two promoted. County Champions The title of champion county is unreliable before 1890. In 1963, Wisden formally accepted the list of champions "most generally selected'' by contemporaries, as researched by the late Rowland Bowen.

County Championship: Kent batsmen thrive against Glamorgan - BBC Sport BBC Sport County Championship: Kent batsmen thrive against Glamorgan By Nick Webb Darren Stevens made his first-class debut for Kent against Leicestershire in April, 1997 Specsavers County Championship Division Two, Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury Kent v Glamorgan, day two Kent 488: Bell-Drummond 84, Denly 58, Stevens 58; Hogan 4-91 Glamorgan 260 & 16-1: Kent lead by 212 runs Kent 8 pts, Glamorgan 5 pts Match scorecard Kent's batsmen smashed their team into a winning position on a whirlwind day of action at Canterbury, after taking a massive first-innings lead of 228 runs. Daniel Bell-Drummond made a hard-hit 84 while there were brutal innings from Darren Stevens and Mitch Claydon, as five batsmen passed fifty. Michael Hogan with 4-91 and Craig Meschede, who took 3-105, were the pick of an inconsistent Glamorgan attack. Stevens completed the visitors' misery by removing captain Jacques Rudolph.

Kent's Daniel Bell-Drummond told BBC Radio Kent: "It was a brilliant day for the team as a whole. No-one got that big score, but everyone got a start and contributed to the team to post near enough 500. A brilliant team effort. "If partnerships come for Glamorgan now, we have to sit in and trust ourselves that the wickets will come. Hopefully we'll bowl them out short of the 228 lead but, if we don't, we need to back ourselves to get the runs. "We've got to be ruthless and try and go for the kill now, but they're a good team and, if they come back hard, it's no dramas. As long as we win, we'll be happy." Glamorgan fast bowler Michael Hogan told BBC Wales Sport: "We're behind the eight-ball a little, or a lot to be fair. We probably shot ourselves in the foot on the first day with the way we bowled. "Claydon is a dangerous player. You can't have fielders everywhere when you're behind in the game. These guys have a licence to tee off - that's the way the game goes. "My personal efforts don't mean much.

It's nice to get a few wickets but you would trade it for them being bowled out for two hundred less. It's a difficult task but we won't shirk it. It's time for us to show what we're about as a team." Share this page

Question: Which county won the 1997 County Championship in cricket for the first time?
Answer: GLAMORGAN