The leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Steve Hunt, has welcomed Glamorgan Cricket Club’s recent visit to Neath for two one day matches which attracted thousands of visitors.
Glamorgan used Neath Cricket Club’s Gnoll Ground to stage two Metro Bank One Day Cup fixtures against Notts Outlaws and Sussex Sharks on Wednesday, July 31st and Friday, August 2nd.
It was the third year in a row that Glamorgan used the popular Gnoll Ground for first class cricket.
Cllr Hunt said:
“We were delighted to welcome Glamorgan back to the Gnoll Ground once again. Glamorgan games put Neath on the map and are a big help in attracting crowds to the centre of Neath.
“I’d like to thank Glamorgan for choosing the Gnoll Ground as a venue and I’d also like to pay my thanks to the team at Neath Cricket Club for maintaining the high standards that allow first class cricket to be played here.”
The games, played in hot sunshine, were a success for Glamorgan with the Welsh team beating Notts by eight wickets and Sussex by one wicket.
Neath Cricket Club was formed in 1848 and from 1871 the ground at The Gnoll, Neath, was shared with Neath RFC.
Glamorgan first played at the venue in the 1930s and it soon proved popular with both players and spectators.
The first record of cricket in Neath dates back to the mid-1840s and in 1848 a cricket club was formed, based at The Gnoll. The ground staged its inaugural first-class fixture against Essex in 1934 and a series of annual games were subsequently staged by Glamorgan at The Gnoll until 1973.
