Having been unexpectedly crowned One-Day Cup champions at a sodden Trent Bridge last September, there was an air of optimism at Sophia Gardens as the new year moved into focus.
While eight draws in the Championship last term saw Glamorgan finish sixth in Division Two, Grant Bradburn’s men had improved their 2023 points total by seven, and their season’s silverware-lining suggested a club moving in the right direction.
Glamorgan’s plans for the new campaign were, however, abruptly derailed when Bradburn was sacked, with immediate effect, on December 30, 2024, following a charge of discriminatory misconduct by the independent Cricket Regulator.
The county acted swiftly, appointing the experienced Richard Dawson as interim coach for the new season but due to commitments with England Lions in Australia and the Women’s IPL, the former Gloucestershire coach and England off-spinner’s arrival was delayed until March. Glamorgan’s pre-season was suddenly shrouded in uncertainty rather than expectation.
Two inauspicious friendlies did little to ease those fears and when the first month of the Championship was complete, they not only propped up the table, but could barely see their nearest rivals. Hope had been replaced by resignation and that familiar sense of déjà vu had returned to Cardiff – “perennial strugglers” was their label for a reason.
It wasn’t just the results that were alarming, but the manner too: a 10-wicket defeat at home to Leicestershire, a draw in which they followed on at Gloucestershire, and a nine-wicket loss to Middlesex at Lord’s yielded a solitary point (subsequently deducted for a slow over-rate). After three rounds of fixtures, Glamorgan had compiled an almost impossibly low 15 points. Gloucestershire, who sat second-bottom, had racked up more than double on 34.
What followed was a turnaround of staggering proportions.
In those first three games, Glamorgan’s average first innings total was 271 with the average number of overs batted just 84. In May, a draw against Derbyshire and three consecutive wins over Kent, Northants and Middlesex saw the average first innings runs rise to 447 and number of overs faced jump to 121.
Rather than any of the wins, it was the draw against the Falcons which Dawson identified as the hinge-point of Glamorgan’s season. “Obviously, we started off slowly and then we had that break and then played some really good cricket. We nearly got over the line, and it changed the mindset, especially at home – we could score runs, take wickets and force victories.”
Another key factor in Glamorgan’s upturn was the introduction of 21-year-old Jersey international Asa Tribe who replaced Eddie Byrom at the top of the order. Byrom made 175 runs at 29.16 in the first three matches, while Tribe scored 227 runs in May at an average of 45.4.
Tribe agreed the Derbyshire game was the catalyst. “We had a game off and then into round four and that’s where we spun it around. It was just about starting games quicker and being straight on it in the first session or two, that was a clear focus.”
Since coming into the side, Tribe has been ever-present and finished the season with 731 Championship runs to his name at 45.68, to go with 401 runs at 80.20 in the One-Day Cup. Alongside fellow 21-year-old, Ben Kellaway, who scored 813 runs at 54.20 and took 25 wickets at 32.12, Tribe has undoubtedly been the season’s break-out star.
What does Dawson attribute the young players’ success to? “They’re talented, they have high skill-level and they’re still developing as well. They’re not the finished article but bottom line is, when you give people an opportunity, you get surprised, and that’s the beauty of it, young players come in without baggage, want to express themselves, and show people how good they are.”
And people are noticing. Kellaway has been strongly tipped for a place on the Lions tour this winter, while Tribe has picked up a gig in next year’s SA20 with the Paarl Royals.
The opener has certainly bought into Dawson’s mantra. “Obviously, we’ve had a new coach come in this year and he’s given everyone in the changing room a lot of trust and the chance to flourish and just said ‘go and show your skills’.” Outgoing skipper, Sam Northeast concurs, "Richard Dawson hasn't tried to reinvent the wheel, he just wants us to play good, hard cricket and do the basics well."
It’s not just been the young players who have thrived under Dawson’s tutelage; hardened campaigners Colin Ingram, Chris Cooke, Kiran Carlson and Northeast all averaged above 40 and it was this blend of youth and experience that has served Glamorgan so well as the season progressed.
“The young players can learn off those senior players, watching them day-in day-out, but it works both ways,” explains Dawson, “Getting youngsters in the dressing room gives those senior players another spark. It brings an excitement and energy to the changing room.”
With five wins and five draws since April, astonishingly, promotion was achieved with a match to spare. Not even defeat to Lancashire could dull the excitement and energy on full display in Cardiff come Saturday night – including a toast to Dawson’s recent three-year contract extension no doubt.
