There was good news shortly before the start of the 1957 season when Jim McConnon agreed to return to Glamorgan after a year in exile with Burnley CC. The off-spinner had helped the club win the Lancashire League, claiming 52 wickets at just seven runs apiece, and his success had prompted an approach by Warwickshire. But Glamorgan had shrewdly retained his registration, and with a new contract on the table with the Welsh club, and talk of a Benefit being awarded in due course, McConnon returned to South Wales.
The outcome was a haul of 99 wickets and the formation of a fine partnership with Don Shepherd, with the two bowlers playing a leading role in the victory over Lancashire at Old Trafford. This was one of five handsome victories between mid-May and early June as Glamorgan completed an unbeaten run of seven games. Their collective morale was clearly in evidence a fortnight later as the Welsh county turned the game at Trent Bridge on its head after Nottinghamshire had enforced the follow-on. Half-centuries from Willie Jones, Jim McConnon and Louis Devereux, the former Worcestershire and Middlesex all-rounder saw Glamorgan convert a 193-run deficit into a 102-lead before Wilf Wooller, Hugh Davies and Don Shepherd scythed through the home batting as, for only the second time in the Club’s history they won after following-on.
The jubilant team though were brought back down to earth in the next match, against Gloucestershire at Swansea as George Emmett, the visitor’s opening batsman, underpinned their commanding total of 422. A heavy smoker, George had a nervous cough and cleared his throat on a regular basis at the start of his innings, much to the annoyance of Wilf Wooller at short-leg. “Cough, cough, cough, splutter, bloody splutter,” Wilf angrily said. “I hope you choke before you get off the mark!” Emmett’s response was to quietly look over his shoulder and say ”Thank you, Wilfred for being so concerned about my health,” and went on to score a match-winning 170. For the second successive match, Glamorgan were forced to follow-on but it was not a case of lightning striking twice as Gloucestershire eased to an innings victory.
The return game in late July at Bristol saw the debut of 20 year-old Alan Jones, a man who was to go on and become the Club’s leading run-scorer in first-class cricket and a tally in excess of 40,000 runs in all formats for the 1st XI. Few at the County Ground might have predicted such an outcome as the left-hander was bowled by Tony Brown for a duck in his maiden innings.
Opposite – Alan Jones. Photo Credit – Glamorgan Cricket Archives.
The return game in late July at Bristol saw the debut of 20 year-old Alan Jones, a man who was to go on and become the Club’s leading run-scorer in first-class cricket and a tally in excess of 40,000 runs in all formats for the 1st XI. Few at the County Ground might have predicted such an outcome as the left-hander was bowled by Tony Brown for a duck in his maiden innings.
Playing in the County Championship proved to be a tough baptism for Alan and the other young colts as the second half of the season saw Glamorgan slip down the table. Both Northamptonshire and Somerset completed ten-wicket victories, whilst the summer ended with an embarrassing defeat inside two days against Yorkshire at the Arms Park. Set a target of 173 by the Tykes, a composed half century by Bernard Hedges appeared to have put Glamorgan into a winning position on a wicket of variable bounce, but they alarmingly collapsed from 156-5 to 168 all out as Ray Illingworth and Fred Trueman bowled the visitors to victory.
By 1957 Llanelli, Ebbw Vale, Pontypridd and Neath had all become regular venues in the Glamorgan fixture calendar with the Welsh county committed to flying the flag for county cricket at these outgrounds. During the summer, Glamorgan played at eight other out-grounds and Festival venues – Ilford, Gravesend, Sheffield, Coalville, Chesterfield, Portsmouth, Hastings and Weston-super-Mare – rather than at the county headquarters. Being a Glamorgan supporter that summer certainly required a good road atlas and compass!