Away to Wales part 2

posted by John Winn

Walking through the attractive Bute Park adjacent to the Swalec Stadium I noticed a large queue of people waiting for the opening of the RHS Cardiff Flower Show. No such demand at the gate of the Stadium as I purchased my ticket, had the barcode swiped and agreed with the gatemen that the weather was much improved  with the warm sunshine no longer chilled by a strong wind.
 I had made  my way to the ground in good time in order that I might visit the recently opened Museum of Welsh Cricket. The museum is situated above the members' lounge and has some fine displays of old photographs and other memorabilia focussing on Glamorgan cricket. There were excellent videos on the careers of two of Wales' greatest sportsmen, Maurice Turnbull and Wilf Wooller and a display case devoted to one who might have become such, but whose life ended so tragically last year, Tom Maynard.

Play began on time but just to prove that nothing lasts for ever, even summer in Cardiff, there was a short break in play when a brief shower drove the players from the field. The pace of play was much as the day before but some last wicket frolics from Cosker and Reed added 36. Reed's innings in particular seemed to give pleasure to his teammates who cheered enthusiastically from the players' balcony when he edged a four through the slips. The tall quick bowler's batting average last season was under four from seven innings and he more than doubled his higest score before being bowled by Russell. This left Worcestershire a tricky little spell before lunch and in that time they lost Pardoe for 0.

I had lunch in a pub just fifty yards from the ground, Y Mochyn Du, translated for me by the ever helpful gateman as The Black Pig as he supervised the swiping of my ticket and on my return to the ground (barcode swiped again) advised me of other places where I might have taken lunch.

Worcestershire's batting line up for the first time since 1994 does not contain Solanki, lured to The Oval by Surrey's youth policy, think Lewis, Smith, Ponting and Keady, and this has rather left skipper Mitchell and Moeen Ali as the mainstays. Mitchell made ten off sixty seven balls before being well caught by Bragg. This brought new overseas player and former Sri Lankan test batsman, Samaraweera to the crease. On a pair he took time to get off the mark but he was not out at the close when Worcester were 14 ahead with five wickets in hand. I left at 5:30 to catch the 5:55 train which was on time in two languages. I could not, of course escape the ground without one last encounter with my friend the gateman and my ticket was swiped for the fourth time that day. First Great Western and Cross Country trains combined to get me back into York spot on time at 10:30 and relieved that a 'hen party' that had boarded at Sheffield was only going as far as  Leeds.