Glamorgan Season Review 2017

Disappointing in the four-day game and imposing with the white ball, Glamorgan’s season review could be more or less copied and pasted from years gone by.

In last year’s, the aim for 2017 was for patience to be shown and boundaries pushed but in first-class cricket, it was something that very much struggled to materialise.

Thankfully there was some solace in the T20 campaign. A place atop the South Group was no less than Glamorgan deserved, playing a brand of attacking cricket that those at the SWALEC have yearned for.

It continued in the quarter-finals, as it should for any team topping the group and playing at home, though a last-four place at Finals Day was a step too far. That, right there, was effectively season over.

In a division boasting frequent yo-yoists Worcestershire, big fish in small pond Nottinghamshire and perennial challengers Northants, Sussex and Kent, promotion was always going to be a tough aim.

But to finish only above Derbyshire, points-deducted Durham and Leicestershire, with three wins from 14 games, marks a year to be put on the past sooner rather than later.

Losing in two days, by an innings, to Northamptonshire in the first game rather paved the way for an underwhelming campaign. By the time they reached the white-ball break, the record stood at two defeats and one draw.

But as May came around, there was hope. Trailing by 261 runs in the first innings to Nottinghamshire at Cardiff looked to spell disaster. That was until Colin Ingram stepped up.

Batting almost ten hours for his 155 not out, he and Chris Cooke put on nearly 250 together, limiting Stuart Broad to 34 wicketless overs.

It was not surprising, therefore, that a first win was to come against Durham at Swansea next up. Then champions Worcestershire put to the sword and suddenly all looked rosy again.

But from June 11 onwards came just one further win, the hope of seasons past suddenly extinguishing.

Thankfully the white-ball campaign provided some solace, losing just three times in 14 Blast games to fly high and into the quarter-finals.

If that had been solid, then their route to Finals Day was nothing short of convincing, battering Leicestershire by nine wickets after bundling the Foxes out for 123.

But a clash with Birmingham for a place in the final wasn’t to go their way, with a painful 11 runs all that separated them from a showcase finale with Nottinghamshire.

But that, coupled with a Royal London One-Day Cup fourth place, ensured the season was not to be a complete write-off.

SSCC: 7th, Division Two

T20 Blast: Semi-finals (1st in South Group)

RLODC: 4th in South Group

Leading run-scorers:

SSCC: Nick Selman, 872 runs

T20 Blast: Colin Ingram, 462 runs

RLODC: Colin Ingram, 564 runs

Leading wicket-takers:

SSCC: Michael Hogan, 50 wickets

T20 Blast: Michael Hogan, 20 wickets

RLODC: Marchant de Lange, 18 wickets

Player of the Season:

He was at times a lone figure when it came to run-scoring in limited-overs cricket, so it’s little surprise to see Colin Ingram atop this list.

The South African international harbours ambitions of touring the world in the shortest format and with two centuries in this year’s Blast, you wouldn’t bet against it.

The first came against Sussex at Arundel, an unbeaten 101 from 47 balls, but what was to follow – 114 in a successful chase of 220 at Chelmsford – was nothing short of genius. And just seven days after his Sussex heroics, it was no fluke either.

Three centuries were to come in the Royal London One-Day Cup too, averaging 70 with the bat with some more stunning displays of hitting.

Could have done better:

It’s perhaps slightly remiss that a man who scored a big century in his penultimate outing should have a could do better tag by his name, but unfortunately for Kiran Carlson, that is what he has.

In fact, his 191 and 53 against Gloucestershire is the example of why Glamorgan fans would have wanted more.

That century and half-century were the only ones in the 19-year-old’s season, all after breaking through as the youngest centurion for the club last season.

He is still a teenager after all but, with Division Two cricket likely to be his bread and butter for some time, 2018 is the time to kick on.

What next:

Whether a return to the top flight is achievable for the Welsh side is yet to be seen. Their talent is breaking through but with Michael Hogan not getting any younger, they’ll need to stitch everything up all at the same time to celebrate success.

Season review:

A T20 semi-final and an RLODC fourth place suggest a season of prosper. But a disappointing four-day campaign will be the overriding thought.

Mark: 5/10

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