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Logo of Welsh fire cricket team who play in the England and Wales cricket board.
Tom Maynard batting for Glamorgan against Somerset in a 2010 Twenty20 match

Campaign for a Wales cricket team (Welsh: Ymgyrch dros dîm criced Cymru) is a movement for the re-establishment of a national cricket team representing Wales.[1]

Status Quo

Wales is currently represented by the England and Wales Cricket Board, however, the team is known as ‘England’.[1]

Clubs in Wales

Welsh Fire is a cricket club that plays in the hundred series.[2]

The only "first-class cricket club in Wales" is Glamorgan County, a team that plays in the English county competition.[3]

Previous Existence

A Wales team existed in the 1920s and 1930s playing against touring sides such as the West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand and secured a win against the West Indies. Wales competed in the 1979 ICC Trophy, winning two of four matches and narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-finals.[4]

Calls for a national cricket team

Wales Online noted that Scotland and Ireland have their own international cricket team despite fewer cricket players than Wales.[1]

The institute of Welsh affairs also published an article in 2019 titled "Why is Wales not a cricket nation like Scotland and Ireland?" questioning why a national Welsh cricket team did not exist.[5]

Jonathan Edwards MP called for a national Welsh cricket team in 2019 saying; “The greatest honour in any sport is to play for your national team – Welsh cricket players are denied that opportunity,”.[1]

Bethan Sayed, Plaid Cymru's spokesperson on heritage, culture, sport and broadcasting argued in 2015 that “Wales is the second-oldest cricket playing country in the world, yet it is alone in the British Isles in not having its own national side. Even Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have their own teams. Rugby and football players get to grow up dreaming of playing for Wales. But for those who love cricket, there is no Welsh team to dream of playing for or to support.” [4]

In 2022 North Wales live published an article citing Welsh cricket fans who were calling for a national Welsh cricket team.[6]

There have been suggestions that the Hundred makes a Wales national cricket team more likely.[7]

In 2002 there was a call for Wales to be represented by its own national team, as in other sports, in the same way that Scotland is.[8]

Conservative, member Mohammad Asghar has stated, “if Afghanistan can play world cricket, then for God’s sake Wales should.”[9]

Former Labour First Minister, Carwyn Jones has called to reintroduce the Wales one-day team stating, “It is odd that we see Ireland and Scotland playing in international tournaments and not Wales.”[9]

Plaid Cymru included a commitment to re-forming a Welsh cricket team in its 2016 manifesto, but this was not part of negations with the Welsh Labour party.[9]

There was a motion to establish a "Welsh International 20-20 and one day cricket team" in the UK Parliament tabled on 07 June 2010.[10]

According to some sources, there has "always have been demand for a separate Wales team" and discussions have arisen about whether a Welsh team would be successful, with some suggesting it would be.[11]

Former Plaid Cymru MP, Jonathan Edwards has proposed multiple reasons as evidence to support a Welsh national cricket team via a document to the Senedd.[12]

In October 2011, a petition was made to the Senedd for a Wales national cricket team.[13][14]

Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price has called for a Wales national cricket team saying, " "There are a great number of cricket teams in Wales, equal to those of football and rugby, yet unlike those sports there is no national side. In Carmarthenshire there are a number of very talented cricketers who could go on to represent Wales given the right opportunities. Wales have beaten England in One Day International in the not so recent past and there is no reason to believe that as a test nation they could not compete with sides at least of the calibre of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh." Price also added, "Many people argue that Wales is already represented in the England and Wales Cricket Board (the EWCB). But how often do you hear the second letter pronounced by the media or even game officials? A new national team would be able to ask the Welsh Assembly Government for support and the ICC has development funds available to new nations."[15]

Opposition to the England cricket team structure

Some have questioned the naming of the "England and Wales" cricket team and the attitude of the "English establishment", calling for a Welsh cricket team.[16]

Welsh football Dean Saunders has questioned the current naming of the England cricket team which uses "England cricket team" and an English flag for fixtures. He also stated "“I thought it was the England and WALES cricket team!?” and “How come it only says England in the fixtures!”.[9]

Some suggest that "there is a significant section of the Welsh population who totally reject the England Cricket team as representative of our country."[17]

There has been criticism of the England and Wales Cricket Board using only the England name even though it selects Welsh players such as Simon Jones and Geraint Jones, both of whom were instrumental in England regaining the Ashes from Australia in 2005.[8]

Opposition to a Welsh team

In 2018, the Glamorgan cricket chief executive said that a Wales cricket team would make 'no sense'.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Call for Wales cricket team after England World Cup win". Nation.Cymru. 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  2. ^ "The Hundred team names, kits and badges revealed for the first time". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  3. ^ "GLAMORGAN CRICKET". Visit Cardiff. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  4. ^ a b Says, John Fielding (2015-02-24). "The case for a Welsh national cricket team". Gair Rhydd. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  5. ^ Furet, Marine (2019-09-06). "Why is Wales not a cricket nation like Scotland and Ireland?". Institute of Welsh Affairs. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  6. ^ Lewis, Thomas (2022-01-18). "Some fans think Wales should declare independence from England - at cricket". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  7. ^ "Why the Hundred makes a Welsh cricket team more likely - but why that's probably not good for Welsh cricket". Nation.Cymru. 2022-09-03. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  8. ^ a b "Tîm criced i Gymru - Welsh Cricket Team". criced.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  9. ^ a b c d "105 ICC Members: Should Wales have a national cricket team? – Park Life Sport". Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  10. ^ "WELSH INTERNATIONAL 20-20 AND ONE DAY CRICKET TEAM".
  11. ^ Jashan. "A separate Wales cricket team?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  12. ^ "Towards a National Future for Welsh Cricket" (PDF).
  13. ^ "Owzat, butt!: Should Wales have national cricket teams?". State of Wales. 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  14. ^ "P-04-335 The Establishment of a Welsh Cricket Team". business.senedd.wales. 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  15. ^ "Calls for a Welsh National Cricket team". Tivyside Advertiser. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  16. ^ "Welsh cricket". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  17. ^ "Why is it the English and Welsh Cricket Board but the England Cricket team? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  18. ^ "Morris says Wales team makes 'no sense'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Campaign_for_a_Wales_cricket_team&oldid=1110965932

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