150 Not Out . . . St. Helen's Left Stranded As Innings Ends For Famous Cricket Location

The trim, white-haired gentleman, dressed in a pale blue sweater and light slacks strolled slowly around the boundary’s edge.

Every few minutes he would be approached by enthusiastic cricket fans, delighted at the opportunity to engage a Glamorgan legend in nostalgic conversation.

In his pomp, Alan Jones was arguably the finest batsman Wales has produced.

On Sunday afternoon, the record-breaking opener was back at the ground where he played some of his finest innings. 

Out on the pitch, the players of Swansea CC Second XI and Pontardawe CC were giving their all to provide St Helen’s with the final cricket match the grand old ground so richly deserved.

Their South Wales Cricket Association Division Three clash would be the final competitive cricket fixture in the venue’s storied history, which stretches back to 1875.

On Monday, the Ospreys rugby region will move into the ground which last hosted county cricket in 2019.

For Jones, who was born just a few miles away in Felindre, Sunday’s match was one he could not have missed.

A spectator watches the final cricket match at St Helen's. Pic. Owen Morgan

“I had to be here today.” said the man who scored more than 40,000 runs for Glamorgan and represented England in a remarkable career stretching from 1957 to 1983. 

“It’s sad that it’s going. I never thought I would see this day. Unfortunately, it's arrived.

“But we've got the memories. We’ll live with the memories. And we’ll enjoy the memories.”

And what memories they were. Jones’ heyday coincided with that of St Helen’s, where he and Glamorgan enjoyed many of their greatest achievements.

Among them were victories over Australia in 1964 and 1968, a century against the fearsome West Indies pace attack, a County Championship triumph in 1969 and a Gillette Cup semi-final win which secured Glamorgan’s first appearance at Lord’s in 1977.

Looking out over the seaside venue, fittingly bathed in late summer sunshine on Sunday, Jones said: “It was my favourite ground, and also Eifion my brother's favourite ground, and a lot of other cricketers as well.

“To think that there's no more cricket going to be played at St Helen’s after today, it's a very sad. 

“Having said that, I will look back and have some very happy memories of playing here in great games, like beating the Australians twice. Also skippering the Glamorgan team that won the semi-final of The Gillette Cup. 

“But there were so many others, playing Essex here in the Championship-winning year of 1969 when Ossie Wheatley did that brilliant bit of fielding at third man, throwing the ball into Eifion to run out John Leaver right at the end.

“And Eifion hitting the six in the last over to win against Middlesex here the same year.”

Glamorgan great Eifion Jones with BBC cricket’s Edward Bevan at St Helen’s. Pic. Owen Morgan

Jones said the ground wasn’t just a favourite of his, but of many players, officials, broadcasters and cricket correspondents throughout the cricketing world.

The hugely respected cricket writer and broadcaster John Arlott, considered St Helen’s one of his favourite grounds.

Arlott was a close friend of legendary Swansea poet Dylan Thomas, who wrote a poem about the sport at Swansea.

Jones explained why the ground was so beloved by so many.

“St Helen’s, was always a ground where you could get a result. The wicket spun a little bit, which helped the spin bowlers.

“There weren’t often drawn matches at St Helen’s, it was usually a victory for one side or the other more often than not. We always did very well here. 

“But speaking to other counties over the years, they all preferred to play at St Helen’s rather than at Cardiff.

“There was a terrific atmosphere on the ground, even when you walked down the road outside here, when you walked down the steps to bat or to field at St Helen’s, there was something different about the ground. 

“Then, if you looked down from the pavilion you could see the sea, the Mumbles train and the main road going down to the Mumbles, it was always special playing here.

“John Arlott used to say it was one of his favourite grounds for watching cricket because of the views that you had from the press box.”

One of the final Swansea batsmen making the famous climb to the St Helen’s pavilion. Pic. Owen Morgan

Asked to choose his personal favourite innings played at Swansea, the 86-year-old said: “Well, I suppose I scored more hundreds here than any other ground that I played on, so there are lots of happy memories of batting here.

“Two of my favourite knocks here were on an August bank holiday weekend. We tied a match against Essex, and I got 104, I think it was not out, on the Friday. 

“And then we were playing the West Indies the following day, and I got 161 not out against Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith. 

“Those two knocks stand out in my mind. But, you know, there are lots of others which I enjoyed playing. It was a great ground to play on.”

Sady, the players of Pontardawe and Swansea CC, who will relocate to a new ground next season, will be the last to enjoy the pleasure of playing cricket at St Helen’s.

They follow in the footsteps of some of the game’s greatest ever players, including Don Bradman, Viv Richards, Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar.

And, of course, the great Garry Sobers who famously hit Glamorgan’s Malcolm Nash for six sixes at the ground.

From next year, St Helen’s, which is equally famous as a rugby venue, will exclusively host the oval ball game.

Accompanying Jones at St Helen’s on Sunday was hugely respected cricket writer and broadcaster Edward Bevan, himself an accomplished player, who walked down the famous pavilion steps on a number of occasions in club cricket.  

The Guildhall clock tower overlooks the final cricket match at St Helen’s, Swansea. Pic. Owen Morgan

Bevan said: “It's a very sad feeling, and quite emotional really, to come down here and see so many people. They all feel the same way.”

The former BBC Wales cricket correspondent, who hails from Trebanos in the Swansea Valley and played for Pontardawe as well as Gowerton CC, feels more could have been done to secure the future of cricket at St Helen’s.

“Other things could have happened,” said Bevan, who helped Gowerton win the Village Cup at Lord’s in the 1970s. 

“The local council, there's nothing been done to try and help keep this ground for cricket. For a club that's been going so many years and so much history attached to it, I think it's desperately sad.

“It's hard to believe that the Ospreys are going to play here. Will there be an Ospreys next year? 

“The way that it's been done, I just think that there was no need for it. When you’ve got an iconic ground like this, it could have been saved, and those are the thoughts of so many people. 

“The council own the ground, if they could have put some money in, it didn't need a huge amount of money, and just repair what needed repairing. That wasn't huge. 

“They could have asked Glamorgan to put some money in, surely it wouldn't have cost a huge amount. 

“As I say, it’s an iconic ground which everybody in the cricket world used to love coming to.”

Recalling his own memories of playing at St Helen’s, Bevan said: “All the clubs would look at the fixture list at end of April and ask, ‘when are we playing at St Helen’s’? 

Swansea CC batting during the last game at their St Helen's home. Pic. Owen Morgan

“It was an absolute pleasure to play here, and the amenities were good then. And also, you know, you've got the sea behind you. It was the only ground in first class cricket where you could see the sea.”

As a cricket correspondent and fan, Bevan said he had witnessed countless memorable moments at the ground. “Don Shephard bowling 52 overs to beat the ‘68 Australians and, of course, the Garry Sobers, six sixes. So much history.

“And the great Alan Jones scoring two hundreds here, one on a Friday, one on a Saturday - successive days!

“It’s been great walking around with him today, an absolute legend.”

For the record, Pontardawe beat Swansea by six wickets with Owen Barton scoring the winning runs just before 6.45pm on Sunday evening – 57 years to the day after Sobers smashed his famous six sixes in one over.