A tally of two wins and seventeen defeats suggests that 1923 was as bad as the previous summer, but there were some signs of progress, not least in that many of the defeats were not as severe as in 1922, with games going into the third day rather than ending prematurely on the second. The most heartening aspect of the summer was the other victory, in the match with the West Indians at the Arms Park over the August Bank Holiday, as the Welsh county recorded their first-ever win against a touring team. The visitors from the Caribbean began as warm favourites and dismissed Glamorgan for just 115 in their first innings, before securing a useful first innings lead of 86.
A spirited fight-back then followed as opening batsman Eddie Bates – who emulated Norman Riches’ achievements in 1921 by scoring over a thousand runs in the season – drew on his vast experience with Yorkshire stretching back to before the Great War to carefully see of the new ball. Jimmy Stone, the former Hampshire player, and Frank Pinch then shared an attractive partnership of 136 in just an hour and a half minutes, before some stoic support from the tail, allowed the 46 year-old Stone to become Glamorgan`s first-ever centurion against a touring team.
His brave efforts meant the West Indians needed 239 to win the contest and, with George Challenor unfurling a series of elegant strokes to reach a fine hundred, the tourists appeared to be cruising to victory. Only fifty more runs were required with six wickets in hand, when seamer Jack Mercer, a recruit from Sussex, trapped Challenor l.b.w. with a well disguised slower ball. Frank Ryan, the former Hampshire left-arm spinner then claimed three quick wickets, before Mercer polished off the visitors innings by claiming two more victims as the men from the Caribbean dramatically lost their last six wickets for just 24 runs.
Great celebrations then followed in the Cardiff pavilion with Mercer and Ryan being toasted long into the night by the delighted officials and their loyal supporters. Each had arrived, in very contrasting ways, in South Wales in search of regular 1st XI cricket. Mercer’s journey was much more conventional having left his native Sussex at the end of the 1921 season. Having recovered from shell-shock, sustained in the Great war, Mercer had been in and out of the team for several seasons and, with Maurice Tate’s emergence, a regular place looked unlikely in the immediate future. Having heard from the Gilligan’s and others about Glamorgan’s spirited victory over Sussex at Cardiff in 1921, Mercer opted to join the Welsh county – a decision he never regretted.
In contrast, Ryan had enjoyed a brief and often acrimonious career with Hampshire and in particular, their captain, the Hon. Lionel Tennyson. After one dispute, following a heavy night`s drinking, Ryan literally walked out on the South Coast club. With barely two pennies to rub together, he hitch-hiked his way to Bristol to see his friend Charlie Tayler about the possibility of joining Gloucestershire. Tayler knew of Ryan’s reputation for heavy drinking and a tendency for flying off the handle if he did not get his way. Knowing that Glamorgan were looking to bolster their attack, he suggested speaking to another old friend, Jack Nash, who was the groundsman-professional at Cardiff.
Ryan heeded the advice and headed off to South Wales where Nash listened to his story about looking for new employment, besides offering him a bath in the lofty changing rooms, giving him a decent meal and even placing a few notes in his back pocket, before waiving him on his way to Swansea where the county were playing. He continued his journey through torrential rain and was soaked through to the skin by the time he arrived at St. Helen’s. But his efforts were well worth it, as Nash had tipped off his friends in Swansea that the maverick spinner was on his way, and after a brief chat with the county`s officials, Ryan agreed to qualify for the Welsh county.
The left-arm spinner subsequently won a regular place in the Glamorgan side and met with greater success on the field than before. On his day, and given the right wicket, Ryan could bowl any side out, but he continued to live life to the full off the pitch. An example came in 1923 after the defeat to Lancashire at Blackpool when Ryan opted rather than returning immediately with his colleagues by train to South Wales to remained in the north-west for a couple of hours and to socialise with some old acquaintances from his time playing in the Lancashire Leagues.
Ryan was still there in the early morning, before realising that with a match starting a few hours later at Cardiff, he should head back to South Wales. The maverick spinner duly hailed a taxi and around 10 a.m. walked into the Arms Park pavilion saying “Ryan never let’s you down”, before leaving an ashen-faced Treasurer to deal with the bill charged by the driver. Ryan’s cavalier attitude led to a reprimand from Tom Whittington, although the captain quietly added, “If you go on and take 100 wickets this summer, I think that most of the committee will forgive you.” During the first week of September, Ryan became the first Glamorgan bowler to reach the century mark in the closing game against Hampshire. To his delight, his match haul included that of Lionel Tennyson and having claimed his 100th scalp, Ryan added six more and duly secured a fresh contract for 1924!