Summary of season
A mixed season with an encouraging red ball campaign, but disappointing performances in white ball cricket, particularly in their bid to defend last year’s victory in the Royal London One Day Cup
In the Championship Glamorgan remained in contention for promotion from Division Two well into the final days of the competition, eventually finishing nine points behind second placed Middlesex. On the basis of the two heavy defeats suffered at the hands of Middlesex, the relative positions were appropriate, but Glamorgan will rue their batting performance on the final day of their game against Durham at Chester-le-Street when, in pursuit of a target of 196, they collapsed from 65 for 2 to 137 all out. This was their only other defeat. They enjoyed a win and a draw against the Division Two winners Nottinghamshire, as well as wins against Derbyshire, Sussex, Worcestershire and two against Leicestershire. These were built around the runs of Sam Northeast, Chris Cooke, Colin Ingram and Eddie Byrom and wickets from Michael Hogan and Michael Neser.
Glamorgan have had disappointing Blast performances since their appearance in finals day back in 2017 and 2022 was much the same. With just five wins they occupied the lower half of the South Group table, hit by injuries to seam bowlers Timm van der Gugten and Ruaidhri Smith, with Northeast the only batter able to make regular contributions with the bat. Hogan, in his last year before retirement, belied his 41 years, returning to play in the 20-over competition and putting in performances that earned him a call up to the Southern Braves.
Similarly, in the One-Day Cup, Glamorgan were unable to reproduce the form that saw them take the title in 2021. After opening wins against Derbyshire and Kent they lost their next four games. Two wins in their final group games nearly saw them snatch a quarter-final spot, only to be edged out by Kent, who defeated Lancashire off the penultimate ball. Their chances were hurt by the selection of Hogan and van der Gugten to Hundred franchises, severely depleting the bowling resources, while the batting relied heavily on runs from Ingram and Northeast.
Results:
Vitality Blast: Sixth in the South Group
RLODC: Fourth in Group B
Leading run-scorers:
LV= CC: Sam Northeast 1189 at 59.45
Vitality Blast: Sam Northeast 510 at 51.00; Strike rate 125.30
RLODC: Colin Ingram 342 at 68.40; Strike rate 92.18
Leading wicket-takers:
LV= CC: Michael Hogan 45 at 27.44
Vitality Blast: Michael Hogan 20 at 16.65
RLODC: Kiran Carlson 9 at 17.00
Player of the season:
Undoubtedly Sam Northeast has been Glamorgan’s player of the season, picking up all of the end-of-season senior player awards. Having been signed on a three-year deal from Hampshire during the off season, the 32-year-old was at the heart of the batting effort throughout the summer. He scored 1189 Championship runs at an average of 59.45 with two centuries and five fifties. One of those centuries was a record-breaking 410 not out against Leicestershire, the third highest score in County Championship history, setting up an unlikely final day win. He also scored 510 runs in the T20 Blast, where he led the team twice and 291 in seven One-Day Cup matches. He came to the club with the aim of contributing in all formats and undoubtedly has delivered.
Breakthrough Player
Tom Bevan started the summer playing for the Wales National County team and Glamorgan seconds, but consistent scoring from the 23-year-old opening batter earned him a call up to the first team for the final two games of the Blast campaign. He went on to make four appearances in the One-Day cup, scoring 158 runs at 39.50, including 134 from 103 balls against Hampshire. He completed the hat trick of formats when he stood in for an unwell Shubman Gill in the Championship game against Derbyshire, making a creditable 48. A full contract will undoubtedly be on offer for 2023.
Could have done better
Having been given the vice-captain role following his success leading Glamorgan to victory in the One-Day cup last season, it has been a disappointing season for Kiran Carlson. 491 runs at 23.38 led to his omission from the Championship side for the last two fixtures of the season. He had a similarly disappointing Blast campaign although did manage a couple of half centuries in the One-Day cup. As someone who in recent years has been touted as an international prospect, he and Glamorgan will be hoping he can recapture his form in 2023.
Need to work on
Given the importance of the Blast to county coffers, Glamorgan will be looking to improve their performances in this format. There is unlikely to be a significant change in personnel, other than the loss of Hogan and it will need the members of the current squad to improve the consistency of their performances. Chris Cooke was previously one of the go-to batters in white ball cricket and Glamorgan will be looking to him for some explosive innings next season.
A recurrent cry around the county grounds is what is being done to encourage spin bowling. Off-spinner Andrew Salter had his most productive Championship season with 33 wickets at 32.81 and hopefully pitches next season will promote the development of more spin bowling. A problem is the lack of the wear seen in the majority of day four pitches throughout the season.
What’s next?
With the recruitment of Northeast and Byrom and contributions from Chris Cooke and David Lloyd, Glamorgan’s batting should be strong enough to mount a challenge next season, particularly in the Championship. With it being an Ashes summer, a replacement for Labuschagne will be required and it may be that Ingram will be given another contract in light of his strong performances this season. The headache for Glamorgan is in the bowling department. 82 of their 214 Championship wickets in 2022 were taken by Hogan and Neser and with Hogan retiring and Neser potentially involved in the Ashes they will be working hard to recruit some additional seam options, particularly after releasing Smith, James Weighell and Lucas Carey. James Harris looked a more potent force later on in the season and the hope will be that van der Gugten and left-armer Jamie McIlroy stay fit.
Season Rating
While the Championship campaign can be rated as a success, the performances in the white ball competitions were far too inconsistent.
Mark: 6.5/10
