By Neil Fissler
Mike Powell believes that the key strength of Glamorgan at the turn of the millennium was that the core of the side were all Welsh.
And he says that the vast majority of those who weren’t born in Wales had all come through the Glamorgan and Welsh system so were considered Welsh.
In the space of five years they won the Second Division of the Sunday League as well as the First Division twice as well as reaching a Lord’s final.
They clinched the Second Division title with 48 points, six more than second-placed Durham and eight ahead of third-placed Worcestershire.
“We had a Lord’s final in the Benson & Hedges in 2000 when we lost to Gloucestershire, we went up from the Second Division in the Sunday League in 2001,” said Powell.
“And we won the First Division in 2002 and then again in 2004.
So it wasn’t a bad time for Glamorgan really.
“If you look at that team, we had a lot of Welsh players in the squad who had come through the system. Myself, Darren Thomas, Adam Davies, Maynard, Watkin, Robert Croft. Adrian Dale was born in South Africa but was brought over when he was very young.
“So there was a solid core of Welsh talent and that seemed to get us through the hard times and work towards the common goal and that’s how we all got on so well.
“Owen Parkin wasn’t Welsh but played in Wales for a long, long time. I know Steve James was born in England but he came through the Glamorgan system.
“But it was a very, very proud Welsh Glamorgan side, other counties probably had to manufacture it but we didn’t. We were proud to play for our county. It wasn’t a job.
“In many ways you feel that you are playing for Wales because you are representing the only county side in Wales.
“So it did feel like that and it did have its good, bad and ugly side. The whole country is watching you because you are the only cricket team so there is no other team to go and watch.
“So when things are going well like they were then it’s great but then we had a few lean years later.”
BACK ROW (left-right):
Dan Cherry: A batsman who retired from the game to become operations manager at Glamorgan and is now head of operations after a spell as stadium manager.
Mark Wallace: Wicketkeeper batsman is still playing for Glamorgan having joined the county in 1999 and is the current PCA Chairman.
Adam Davies: Still living and working in his native South Wales, the batsman’s father Hugh also played for Glamorgan.
Simon Jones: Now runs ultimate cricket with Darren Thomas, the fast bowler followed his father Jeff in playing for Glamorgan and England.
David Harrison: A seamer who retired in 1999 and is now Glamorgan’s elite performance analyst and an assistant coach.
Ian Thomas: The opening batsman was a personal development coach for the ECB and is now national personal development manager with the PCA.
Jonathan Hughes: The batsman is still living in his native Maeycoed, Pontypridd, where he is the director of a heating and plumbing company.
Ryan Watkins: The all-rounder is now a community support officer with Gwent Police based in Abertillery.
CENTRE ROW:
Byron Denning: First-team scorer who lived in Ebbw Vale until his death in November 2001.
Alun Evans: Works as a residential child-care officer. The right-handed batsman also captains Ammanford.
Keith Newell: A batsman who was one of three cricketing brothers, he was head coach at National Cricket Centre in Cardiff and is now Head of Cricket at St Benedict’s School.
Owen Parkin: The seamer became housemaster at Milton Abbey School and now teaches Maths at Canford in Dorset.
Alex Wharf: A first-class umpire since the summer of 2013. Previously the seamer had a brief England one-day international career.
Mike Powell: The batsman is back living in Cardiff, where he works in business development for Thomas Carroll PLC.
Dean Cocker: The former England A spinner is now 38 but is still on the playing staff at Glamorgan having joined the county in 1996.
Andrew Davies: Right-arm medium pace bowler, he worked for OSTC Foreign Exchange and is now an investment strategist for Walker Cambria in Swansea.
Erjan Mustafa: The county’s long-serving physio is now running his own Cardiff-based practice, Osteo Relief.
Gordon Lewis: After a career in the RAF, he succeeded Denning as scorer until his sudden death in April 2004.
FRONT ROW:
John Derrick: A former Glamorgan player who left the coaching staff in 2007 and is now performance manager for Cricket Wales.
Jimmy Maher: The Australian one-day batsman is back living in his native Queensland where he is the managing director of non-profit making organisation Bulls Masters.
Darren Thomas: All-rounder who became an equipment designer with a bat firm and is now head coach of a company formed with Simon Jones.
Steve Watkin: The England fast bowler stayed on at Glamorgan firstly as academy director but now as bowling coach.
Adrian Dale: South African-born England A all-rounder is the Community Cricket Manager for the Auckland Cricket Association.
Steve James: England Test batsman, he went into the media and is now rugby correspondent of The Sunday Telegraph and is a successful author.
Matthew Maynard: A batsman who played for England, he is currently the director of cricket at Somerset CCC.
Robert Croft: An England spinner who was three times voted Glamorgan’s player of the year. Was appointed head coach of the county in February.
Adrian Shaw: Wicketkeeper who also played for Wales. Has coached at Glamorgan and is Neath’s director of cricket.
Jeff Hammond: The former Australia fast bowler worked for Telecom Australia before returning to coaching and left Glamorgan for the wine industry.
This piece originally featured in The Cricket Paper, Friday May 27 2016
