Glamorgan’s cricket greats to attend special 125th celebrations at Llandaff …

The great and the good of Glamorgan cricket are set to descend on Llandaff Cathedral tonight to celebrate the county’s 125th anniversary.

We felt it was right to give thanks and commemorate the illustrious history of this great club.

We mentioned this to the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Reverend Dr Barry Morgan, who was present at one of the successful ICC Champions Trophy held in Cardiff last summer.

He immediately welcomed the prospect of inviting Glamorgan to celebrate their 125th anniversary at a special Choral Evensong and Service of Thanksgiving at the cathedral.

Dr Morgan will lead this evening’s event, which will be attended by a number of the county’s cricketing stars past and present, with an address given by Giles Clarke, England and Wales Cricket Board chairman.

There will also be readings by Hugh Morris, Glamorgan’s incoming chief executive and director of cricket, and chairman Barry O’Brien.

We are encouraging supporters to attend this occasion and celebrate the club reaching such a special landmark.

The fans have been the backbone of our great organisation and deserve to share in the celebrations.

Glamorgan has achieved a huge amount in its 125 years which deserves to be remembered.

I have been very lucky over the years to have been involved in the ECB and the International Cricket Council (ICC) as an administrator.

But I take as much pride as being Glamorgan chairman between 1993 and 1997 and now President from last year.

What stands out in my mind is the three county championship successes in 1948, 1969 and 1997.

These teams were all very different but all had unique attributes and were excellent sides.

As a young boy, I remember the first triumph under the stewardship of the legendary Wilf Wooller.

They were successful in the view of many people because of Wilf’s dominating character and wonderful leadership skills.

Twenty one years later, it was Tony Lewis’ side who lifted the trophy. That included some wonderful players like Alan Jones, Majid Khan, Don Shepherd and Peter Walker.

In 1997, Matthew Maynard’s team led Glamorgan to glory and I was very lucky that was in my last year as chairman.

This side had a rock-solid opening partnership in Steve James and Hugh Morris, some fine middle order batting, headed by Maynard himself, and excellent bowlers such as Waqar Younis, Steve Watkin and Robert Croft.

Glamorgan will also be remembered for that famous day in 1968 when Sir Garfield Sobers struck Malcolm Nash for six sixes in an over at Swansea. That certainly put St Helen’s on the world sporting map!

Glamorgan’s more recent achievements have been off the field, with hosting the inaugural Ashes opening Test in 2009 and setting new standards for customer care.

Glamorgan Cricket is known throughout the world and has created an identity and profile for Wales that might not have been possible. It’s important to note here a strong Glamorgan is vital to the future of cricket in Wales.

I have heard the arguments for an enhanced national cricket team, most recently debated in the National Assembly.

I know a fair bit about the international affiliated and associate structure from my times with the ICC. I have no doubt that Welsh cricket is far safer in the hands of Glamorgan and the ECB than it would be as an affiliate member of the ICC.

Glamorgan’s future looks brighter, especially with the appointment of Hugh Morris.

He has had a wonderful career as an administrator with the ECB where the Test team have won the Ashes three times during his tenure as managing director.

Hugh is respected throughout the world of cricket and will bring a dynamic leadership to the county that will be the envy of many sides around the world.

That is coupled with an improved financial structure and good leadership under Barry O’Brien.

The improved relationship with Cricket Wales means the future of the sport in the Principality looks bright. We have improved off the field in recent times and I am sure we can look forward to improvements on the field in the not-too-distant-future.But while looking forward to what the future holds, tonight will be all about recognising our wonderful past.

The special Choral Evensong and Service of Thanksgiving for Glamorgan Cricket will be held tonight at Llandaff Cathedral starting at 5.30pm.