Glamorgan have begun their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign with a victory over Gloucestershire, followed by defeat to Surrey. A reasonable start, but Richard Thomas has been distracted and has his head in a publication that salutes the off-field contributions of the county’s past players.
Every spring over the past few years, there has been a welcome thud on my doormat. No, not that elusive tax rebate but the delivery of Beyond The Boundaries, the magazine of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
It’s a special edition this year, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PCA which has honed a reputation as one of the best organised players’ associations, not just in cricket, but in any sport. It has led the way in helping professionals, whether that be in terms of welfare, future careers or benevolence. It has also played a big part in instigating mental health and anti-corruption programmes, too.
Just reading through this very well put together magazine it occurred to me that the contribution from Glamorgan to the PCA deserved to get more than just a passing mention. The Welsh county has been, and still is, very well represented by former players.
Perhaps the most striking piece in the magazine was a feature on the founding fathers of the PCA, including Glamorgan legend Don Shepherd, pictured in 1967 listening to the late Jimmy Hill – who campaigned successfully to end the maximum wage in football – giving advice to county cricketers on the setting up the equivalent of the Professional Footballers Association.
“I went up to London for the first meeting. I don’t think Wilf Wooller, the Glamorgan secretary, was very impressed at all – I think he thought we were setting up a trade union!” remembered Don.
“I don’t think I can be credited with very much. We just set it up, although I did propose John Arlott as the PCA’s first president.
“The PCA has grown enormously since those days and well beyond our expectations back in 1967. It now does remarkable work in a number of fields.”
After Don Shepherd’s role as a founder member came his county colleague Peter Walker who was PCA chairman from 1975 to 1980.
And Glamorgan continue to have a major influence within the PCA. For instance, Mark Wallace, who was PCA chairman for the past two years, has now been appointed as a personal development and welfare role reporting to another former Glamorgan player, Ian Thomas, who has just been appointed head of development and welfare.
Perhaps the most poignant piece in the magazine was one on John Derrick, the former Glamorgan player and coach, who had had a dinner organised on his behalf by the county in association with the PCA’s Benevolent Fund. Tragically, John, who had had brain surgery following a stroke, passed away three months after that dinner at the age of just 54.
And just as Glamorgan started their 50-over campaign last week it is worth reflecting on John’s time in charge of Glamorgan, because he ended up being the county’s most successful coach, steering them to two one-day titles in 2002 and 2004.
As well as that, he guided them to promotion in the Championship and also took them to a T20 finals day.
These are achievements that should serve as reminders of his influence and inspiration for this season and those following.