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By Gareth James
Matthew Maynard insists it will be the business of winning and not emotion driving him through his final match as Glamorgan coach which starts on Tuesday.
The Glamorgan stalwart – as superb batsman, trophy-winning captain and in recent years in coaching – will end his time as head coach at Sophia Gardens when the county play their final match of the County Championship season at home to Derbyshire.
With the opportunity of promotion gone and Glamorgan heading for a mid-table finish in Division Two, Maynard announced two weeks ago that he was standing down.
https://twitter.com/nickwebb2017/status/1706284696835867018?s=20
He told BBC Wales, “”Not emotional, I spoke to the players after day two (of the draw against Yorkshire) because I wasn’t happy, and I told them it was my penultimate game in charge.
“I didn’t want to go back to the way we were playing before I took over, (I said) we’ve got to show more resilience, more character and it got the response I wanted.”
Maynard quit his job as Glamorgan’s red-ball coach, with a high-scoring draw against Yorkshire leaving them outside the promotion picture.
But with a year still left on his current contract, his decision indicated his frustrations in the role and the way his influence at the club had diminished after responsibility for one-day cricket was taken off him.
Glamorgan's County Championship coach Matthew Maynard is in charge of the Welsh county for the final time as they host Derbyshire from on Tuesday.#BBCCricket
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) September 25, 2023
In an interview with BBC Sport Wales, Maynard said that he had been frustrated with Glamorgan’s failure to sign “a match-winning spinner” since his appointment as head coach in 2019, which had contributed to them drawing 11 of their 13 Championship fixtures this season.
“I feel very rewarded with the time I’ve had here but there are certain frustrations as well,” he said.
“Maybe a little bit [in results] but I’ve been after a match-winning spinner since I’ve come here, there’ve been a couple available in that time that we didn’t get.”
Can Derbyshire win in the County Championship for the first time this season? It's their last chance this week in Cardiff where they take on Glamorgan#DCCC #BCCricket
— BBC Sport Derby (@BBCDerbySport) September 26, 2023
Maynard was unhappy to lose his role as white-ball coach last year and noted that the club had struggled again under Mark Alleyne, who took over for the T20 Blast.
“I fully understand our results weren’t what they could have been, but they weren’t this year [either],” Maynard said.
“I love being involved in white-ball cricket,” he added. “It’s a different kind of satisfaction. You get great highs and lows, and I miss that. l love the Championship but I also want to do white-ball cricket and that opportunity isn’t available to me at Glamorgan.”
Alleyne was due to coach Glamorgan in the One Day Cup this year but instead joined up with Welsh Fire in the Hundred as one of Mike Hussey’s assistants – ironically, alongside Maynard – and handed over to assistant coach David Harrison in the 50-over competition.
Now Maynard is keen to see a strong finish despite the defeat at Worcestershire in the opening round of September games effectively killing off promotion hopes.
“Towards the back end of the season it’s easy for players to (think) ‘that’s the end of the season’, but please don’t switch off.
“I gave them a gentle reminder about batting in four-day cricket, because after one-day cricket (in August) it’s about the mindset,” said Maynard.
“If we take that same attitude into the Derbyshire game and bowl as we have done, because I think our bowling’s been pretty good with the squad of bowlers at our disposal.”
