1937 was Glamorgan’s most successful season to date, both at a collective and individual level, with the Club rising up into 7th place in the table and twice defeating the New Zealanders. Maurice Turnbull struck a career-best 233* during a batting masterclass against Worcestershire at Swansea, whilst Arnold Dyson and Emrys Davies shared a record opening stand of 274 at Leicester where the latter also achieved the rare feat of a century and a hat-trick in the same game.
Opposite – Arnold Dyson and Emrys Davies. Photo Credit – Glamorgan Cricket Archives.
But, as commendable as their personal efforts were, the honours in 1937 went to Johnnie Clay who claimed a Club record 176 wickets during a wonderful summer which also at Swansea against Worcestershire saw the 39 year-old spinner take 9/66 in the first innings, followed by 8/146 in the second to finish with a Club record analysis of 17/212, and all on a shirt-front wicket at St. Helen’s. Clay enjoyed a purple spell in mid-summer, taking 9/59 against Essex at Westcliff and their bewildered batsmen must have been downright sick of the sight of the tall and wiry spinner as the following week he claimed a further 13 wickets against them at Llanelli as Glamorgan recorded another emphatic victory.
1935 had seen the England selectors call up Clay for the Third and Fourth Tests of the series against the Springboks, but he was 12th man on each occasion before being included in the starting line-up squad for the Fifth and final Test at The Oval. He went wicket-less in his 32 overs in England colours, but was sounded out again during 1936 to play against the Indians. He politely rebuffed each request, suggesting that the selectors should choose someone younger, but during his outstanding summer in 1937, he received another invitation from chief selector Sir Pelham Warner to play in the first Test against the 1938 Australians at Trent Bridge.
By this time, Turnbull was also on the selection panel and was optimistic that his pal would agree to play against the tourists and Don Bradman in particular. But shortly before receiving the invite, Clay had strained his leg, ironically in the garden of his home on the outskirts of Cardiff, as he attempted to demonstrate to his children how Golden Miller had won the Cheltenham Gold Cup by leaping over a chair. But, unlike the great steeplechaser, Clay came to grief and withdrew from the squad, fearing his leg would not stand up to the rigours of a five-day match.
Clay was not the only bowler in the wars that summer as Jack Mercer damaged tendons in his left leg duing the match with Lancashire in early July. The old warhorse spent three weeks receiving treatment as George Lavis was pressed into service as an opening bowler. But he lacked the skill and guile of Mercer, leaving the buoyant Glamorgan side bereft of an experienced medium-pacer. Mercer briefly, and perhaps too hastily, returned to the side at the end of the month for the match against Essex at Llanelli, but his leg was still not right and so Turnbull called up Austin Matthews, the former Northamptonshire seam bowler.
Matthews was an old friend of Turnbull’s with the pair having played cricket and rugby together back in the mid-1920s. Matthews had then moved to the East Midlands to play rugby for Northampton, but his good form in club cricket, saw him make his first-class debut for Northamptonshire in 1927. For the next ten years the fast-medium bowler spearheaded the Northants attack before a dispute over the terms of new contract saw him accept a coaching appointment at Stowe School. At the end of the summer term, he returned to see his family in South Wales, and harboured few thoughts about playing any more county cricket. Quite remarkably, within three weeks he was also a Test cricketer.
The remarkable chain of events followed his Glamorgan debut on 28 July against Gloucestershire at Newport where he delivered a fiery opening burst. His pace and movement also caused problems for the New Zealanders when they made another fruitless journey to South Wales, going down to a massive 332-run defeat at Swansea as the Glamorgan bowlers scythed through their batting once again with Matthews taking four wickets in their first innings, before Clay and Emrys Davies took five apiece in their second innings.
Matthews continued his purple patch in the next match against Sussex at Hastings, as he took seven wickets in each innings, and all in front of England selector Percy Perrin who had travelled to the South Coast, ostensibly to watch Emrys Davies who was enjoying a fine summer with both bat and ball. Although Emrys struck a sound hundred, it was Matthews’ bowling that caught Perrin’s eye and after a further six wickets against Somerset at Weston-super-Mare, the England selectors drafted him into their squad for the Third Test match. With Bill Bowes and Ken Farnes both injured, Matthews duly got his chance at The Oval and claimed two Kiwi wickets.