Glamorgan to return to Newport

County cricket will return to Newport in 2016 following confirmation that Glamorgan CCC will play their List A one-day game against the Pakistan A tourists at Spytty Park on Friday, July 15th.

  

Since 1997 Spytty Park has regularly staged Second Eleven matches for Glamorgan, as well as Wales Minor County games since 1998. The ground has also been used by Cardiff MCCU, the Glamorgan and Wales Academy, plus Wales age-group teams.

 

Glamorgan have a long history of playing cricket in the city, playing regularly in Newport following their merger with Monmouthshire in 1935, with the Rodney Parade ground continuing to staging fixtures in the County Championship until 1965.

  

Owned by Lord Tredegar and boasting an impressive pavilion, the ground hosted 27 Championship and four List A matches, as well as being regularly used by junior sides from the Gwent area.

  

Without doubt the most famous first-class match staged at Rodney Parade was in 1939 when Gloucestershire were Glamorgan’s opponents. Visiting captain Wally Hammond scored 302, before Emrys Davies replied with an unbeaten 287 – a score which remained the highest individual score for the county until 2000 when Steve James scored 309* at Colwyn Bay against Sussex.

  

Glamorgan’s final game at the Rodney Parade ground came on June 24th, 1990, but the One-Day League match against Yorkshire was washed out without a ball being bowled. Since then the pavilion has been demolished and the historic ground redeveloped, with Newport CC moving to the impressive developments at Spytty Park in the south of the city.

  

The Pakistan A clash won’t be the first time international talents have visited the venue as during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, several of the international teams used Spytty Park for practice matches ahead of their tournament group matches at The SSE SWALEC.

  

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will visit Cardiff during 2016 as England return to the Welsh capital for two One-Day Internationals this year, with the final game of each five-match ODI Series at the home of Glamorgan CCC. Tickets for both games are available now from www.glamorgancricket.com