Head coach Matt Maynard has named a 13-man squad for Glamorgan’s three day friendly against Cardiff UCCE starting tomorrow.
Club captain Chris Cooke will lead the side, while vice-captain David Lloyd is expected to open the batting. Andy Balbirnie will make his first Glamorgan appearance in whites, with Builth Wells’ own Jamie McIlroy also named in a Glamorgan squad for the first time after impressing during the winter with his left-arm seam.
13 players have been named in the squad, with 12 set to feature in the friendly against the Cardiff UCCE set-up coached by former ‘Crimson Cap’ and Glamorgan 2nd XI player, and current member of the community department at Sophia Gardens, Michael Clayden.
All-rounder Ruaidrhi Smith (hamstring) and spinner Prem Sisodiya (shoulder) are both out through injury and are currently being assessed by the club’s medical team.
Cardiff UCCE’s squad contains Wales NC’s leading bowler in 2019, Andrew Gorvin, and Cornwall/Nottinghamshire 2nd XI player Tim Wyatt. Steven Reingold and Lorenzo Machado have previously featured for Glamorgan 2nd XI, with Glamorgan Academy off-spinner Tegid Phillips also included in the squad. Thomas Bevan is another Glamorgan Academy product in the squad, while Bridgend-born Sam Pearce and AJ Woodland both have experience in 2nd XI cricket with a number of counties.
View from the skipper:
“We’re very excited to get back out on the grass and play. We had our intra-squad game last week, which was a good exercise for everyone and a chance to find rhythm out in the middle.
“The weather looks pretty good and the evenings are getting longer and everyone is pretty excited.
“Guys have been working really hard in pre-season. Fringe players are really making a statement for places in the top six or seven, the competition is really healthy and the next two games are another opportunity for guys to get some form.
“We saw with a couple of the guys from the intra-squad game that the Cardiff UCCE team have some really useful bowlers and we won’t underestimate them. They have some talented players.
“We know what Somerset are about and it’ll be nice to ramp up the intensity ahead of Yorkshire, and it’s a great test away at Yorkshire first game, one of the most historic counties with a really good side.”
Glamorgan squad:
Chris Cooke (Captain and wicket-keeper)
Andy Balbirnie
Lukas Carey
Kiran Carlson
Joe Cooke
Dan Douthwaite
Michael Hogan
David Lloyd
Jamie McIlroy
Billy Root
Nick Selman
Callum Taylor
Timm van der Gugten
Cardiff UCCE squad:
AJ Woodland (captain)
Thomas Bevan
Chris Gibson
Andrew Gorvin
Lorenzo Machado
Elliot Mason
Sam Pearce
Tegid Phillips
Steven Reingold
Salman Saeed
Alex Simpson
Harrison Ward
Tim Wyatt
Match Details:
The game will be played behind-closed-doors, due to the current restrictions on crowds. The game will not be live-streamed, with the Club using the fixture as an opportunity for further testing of the live-stream set-up, but highlight clips will be posted on social media throughout the day along with score updates.