2008 witnessed a series of major changes in many aspects of Glamorgan Cricket, not least in the name of the Club’s headquarters following a deal, worth in excess of £1.5 million over a ten-year period, with local electricity provider SWALEC. There were changes as well in governance with the members club becoming a Friendly and Provident Society, whilst 2008 was also the final year when David Hemp was in charge – in fact, it was also his final year with the county.
Glamorgan’s first game in their re-developed and re-named ground took place on 9 May and saw the Welsh county lose by six-wickets to Gloucestershire. It was not until mid-June that they secured a win at the SWALEC Stadium as Somerset were defeated in a T20 match, whilst the first Championship victory did not come until mid-September, shortly after rain had seen the One-Day International between England and South Africa to be called off after just eighteen balls.
On the field, Glamorgan rose up to 8th place in the Championship but only victory was secured in the Friends Provident Trophy. They enjoyed better fortunes though in the NatWest Pro40 League and finished in third place in the Second Division besides securing a play-off with Worcestershire. During the List A competition, there was plenty of evidence of the way Jason Gillespie, the worldly-wise Australian, was passing on advice to the young Glamorgan bowlers who. with David Harrison and Alex Wharf struggling with injuries, were given extended opportunities.
Their 40-over campaign began with a 78-run victory over Surrey in a floodlit game at Cardiff with Tom Maynard confirming his rich potential as he shared a century stand with Mark Wallace. The latter also played a key role in a high-scoring game at Colwyn Bay where needing 17 off the final over against Leicestershire’s Jim Allenby, Wharf took a single off the first ball, before Wallace calmly struck a four and two huge sixes to see Glamorgan to one of their highest run-chases in 40 overs cricket.
Photo Credit – Glamorgan Cricket Archives.
Warwickshire were then humbled by 130-runs in another floodlit encounter at Cardiff where Tom Maynard made another promising half-century before Gillespie rolled back the years by taking 5/13 and putting Glamorgan into the promotion hunt. Their aspirations took a blow at Colchester where only Jamie Dalrymple was able to counter a probing Essex seam attack, but another victory followed at Northampton with Maynard to the fore again with the bat, plus niggardly spells by James Harris and Dean Cosker.
Bad light and drizzle at Scarborough then saw Yorkshire win under the D/L Method before a place in the play-offs was clinched by a 50-run defeat against Derbyshire at Cardiff with Wallace to the fore with the bat and a fit-again Wharf with the ball. But it proved to be a game too far for the Welsh county as they subsided to Worcestershire by 103 runs, with the visitors dismissing the Dragons for 83.
Their T20 campaign had been badly affected by the weather and in the matches which reached a conclusion, but Herschelle Gibbs, the prolific South African batter, who had been signed as the overseas batter for the competition, struck a fine 98 against the Northants Steelbacks, but his efforts could not clinch a victory. For much of the T20 campaign, it was only when the Croft-Cosker spin combination was in operation that the Dragons had any semblance of control. After rounding off their zonal campaign with a rousing run-chase led by Wallace at Worcester, it looked like the Welsh county had missed out on qualification for the last eight having had four games washed out.
But their progression to the quarter-finals belatedly came after Yorkshire were disqualified for a registration infringement with the Dragons making a seven-hour journey by coach to Chester-le-Street to play the in-form Durham Dynamos. With concerns over the eligibility of players who had played in the Indian Champions League, Glamorgan took to the field without Gillespie, but James Harris and the fit-again Harrison made early inroads before a late rally by the home batters. Liam Plunkett then removed Richard Grant, the young all-rounder with his first delivery before removing Hemp and Michael Powell. Maynard was unluckily run out as Paul Collingwood deflected a drive onto the stumps at the bowler’s end and despite some fierce blows by Wallace, the task became too great as Glamorgan’s hopes of another appearance at Finals Day evaporated.