2002 saw Glamorgan win Division One of the National League after a cliff-hanger of a match against Kent at Canterbury. The dramatic victory led to comparisons being made their success at the ground in 1993, but whereas nine years before they had Viv Richards, the great West Indian batter in their ranks, in 2002 they had Michael Kasprowicz, the 30 year-old seam bowler from Queensland, who had been the leading wicket-taker in domestic cricket in Australia during the 2001/02 season.
However, the wily Kasprowicz did not immediately transform Glamorgan’s form as, for the second summer in a row, they lost all of their matches in the Benson and Hedges Cup. But Kasper came good in the Championship match at Worcester as Glamorgan won by 110 runs, with the Australian taking 5/77 in a wholehearted display of seam bowling, wheeling away for over two hours unchanged. This was followed by a ten-wicket performance from Darren Thomas in the Championship encounter with Durham with the five-wicket victory lifting the Welsh county into the upper echelons of the Division Two table.
Opposite – Michael Kasprowicz (left) with Simon Jones. Photo Credit – Glamorgan CRicket Archives.
Early season wins over Durham and Leicestershire meant that the Dragons were also riding high in the One-Day League, and they consolidated their position with a thrilling tie against Kent at Cardiff Needing six runs to win with four wickets intact, Geraint Jones was caught off the second delivery, and when Mark Ealham was out to the fourth, Kent still needed six runs to win. James Golding struck the fifth ball for a boundary but could only scramble a single from the final delivery to leave the game all-square.
The final two weeks of June was the defining period of the summer with a couple of very different and truly remarkable games highlighting the collective spirit and self-belief of the Glamorgan players. Firstly, they were involved in an amazing one-day game in the fourth round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy against Surrey at The Oval. The home side posted an astonishing 438-5 as Alistair Brown made 268. Both were world records – for the highest-ever team total, and the highest ever individual innings, with Brown striking 30 fours and 12 sixes in his record-breaking knock.
Glamorgan responded with some batting fireworks themselves with Robert Croft striking a blistering 119 as he reached his hundred off just 56 balls. For most of their innings, Glamorgan were ahead of where Surrey had been at the same stage, as David Hemp made 102, whilst Darren Thomas hit a quick-fire 71 off just 41 balls. But in the end, they faltered in the closing overs as Surrey won by nine runs in a game that had produced 867 runs – another world record.
Five days later, the majority of the Glamorgan squad were involved in a ground-breaking Home International at Sophia Gardens as the England one-day side played a Wales team as part of their preparations for the triangular tournament with India and Sri Lanka. The seeds for the match had been sown after the success the year before of the full One-Day International between Australia and Pakistan at Sophia Gardens, so with England, under the coaching of Duncan Fletcher, looking for a warm-up and the Glamorgan officials eager to boost their international credentials and Welsh identity, the first in a series of three home-internationals was agreed upon.
Somerset’s Steffan Jones, who had been on the Glamorgan staff during the early 1990s, Sussex’s Tony Cottey plus South African Jacques Kallis joined the bulk of the Glamorgan squad for the 50-over friendly with the English side. The match may have been friendly in name, but Steve James` side were eager to win. Right from the start, Wales were the superior team, as firstly Kallis and Andrew Davies bowled accurate opening spells, before Jones and Darren Thomas ripped the heart out of the English middle- order. The English bowlers were then put to the sword as Croft gave his side a flying start with Matthew Hoggard bowling eight wides and two no-balls in a seven-over spell which yielded 63 runs. James and Hemp continued the good work with a stand of 132 as the Welsh side strolled to an eight-wicket win.
Two and a half weeks later, Glamorgan won at Cheltenham after another vintage display of batting by Matthew Maynard. On his previous visit to the College ground in 1991, Maynard had struck a century in each innings of the match, and he repeated his feat with scores of 140 and 118*, oozing class and a cool temperament. After Glamorgan had been set a target of 317 to win on the final day, he drew on all of his experience, quietly playing himself in, picking off the singles and then peppering the boundary boards again, before Simon Jones came in and finished the contest with a six and a four into the tents lining the boundary’s edge.
Opposite – Matthew Maynard batting in a National League game at Cardiff during 2002. Photo Credit – Glamorgan Cricket Archives.
A high-scoring draw then followed at Chelmsford where James made 249 – his sixth double-century for the Club – followed a few weeks later by 184 against Nottinghamshire at Colwyn Bay as the Club’s captain continued his good form at the ground. But during the Championship game at Rhos-on-Sea, Kasprowicz left the field with a leg injury with the medical diagnosis ruling him out of the Norwich Union League match at Headingley. Then on the morning of the match against Yorkshire, the Dragons also lost Darren Thomas with a back spasm, and it looked as if injuries were going to hit the Welsh county at the most vital time of the season.
But up stepped young all-rounder David Harrison, and despite having never taking a wicket before in the competition, the 21 year-old seamer took 5/26 as Yorkshire were bustled out for 167. Then after Croft and Thomas had once again struck brisk fifties, Harrison came in at number three to hit an unbeaten 37 and put the finishing touches to a comprehensive nine wicket win that further extended the Dragons’ lead at the top of the table.
With three games remaining, Maynard rolled back the years with a scintillating display of batting in the next match – the day-night encounter with their nearest rivals, the Worcestershire Royals at Cardiff. After the Dragons slumped to 24-2, Maynard and Michael Powell added 133 in 19 overs before the accurate Glamorgan attack stifled the visitors with Kasprowicz playing through the pain barrier after a cortisone injection prior to the game. The brave Australian was also supported by some outstanding ground fielding and catching, with Dean Cosker excelling at backward point. The victory against Worcestershire meant that a win, or two points, against Kent at Canterbury would clinch the title and as in 1993, there was an exodus of Welsh sporting fans down to the St. Lawrence ground.
Click here to read about the game at Canterbury and Glamorgan’s thrilling victory.
The celebrations went on long into the night, illustrating the fantastic team spirit. Michael Powell, who had played a crucial innings at Canterbury later recalled “A lot of other teams admired us for this togetherness, and our desire to play for each other. Apart from Kasper, we had all come up together through the Welsh Schools system. After the presentation ceremony had finished, Kasper sat us all down in the dressing room and got everyone to say a few words about what winning the League meant to them. It was very emotional to hear everyone say their bit. None of it had been scripted beforehand, and we all spoke from the heart. For me, that day at Canterbury was what all those long hours of winter training running up and down the hills in pouring rain, were about.”