Thomas Ford, who was Mayor of Swansea in 1872, played once for Glamorganshire, against Carmarthenshire at Dolgarreg on 28 and 29 June 1865, Batting at number six, he scored 2 and 32, besides taking a pair of catches, in the drawn contest.
The following year Thomas, who was a wine and spirit merchant based in Swansea, played for Carmarthenshire against Glamorgan at Merthyr Mawr. Opening the batting, he made 21 in each innings, but his efforts could not prevent Glamorganshire easing to a comfortable victory by an innings and 81 runs. In 1868 he also played for the Gentlemen of Swansea against the Australian Aborigines at the Bryn-y-mor Field. Thomas scored 1 and 0 in what proved to be his last match of note.
Born in Devon, Thomas had been a resident in Swansea since, at least, the early 1850s and he initially ran a successful bonded store in the Docks before becoming a highly respected wine and spirit merchant and JP. Indeed, a measure of the success of his trading activities can be gleaned from the fact that he left an estate – valued in 1883 at £42,199 – which would be worth around £6.5 million today.
FORD, Thomas
Born – Dartmouth, Devon, 18 July 1823.
Died – Woodlands Villa, Swansea, 22 December 1883.