2017 was an exciting year for Glamorgan and The SSE SWALEC. We saw some thrilling matches across all competitions, while we also hosted some of the biggest events in Wales. Here we look at some of our best moments on and off the pitch…
1. Young talent comes to the fore
Glamorgan’s five-wicket win against Kent in the last match of the season was a proud moment for the club. The team, consisting of eight young players - Selman, Brown, Murphy, Carlson, Lloyd, Salter, Carey and Smith - were able to defeat a strong Kent team in Canterbury by five wickets.
All in all it’s been a good season for Glamorgan’s young cohorts with Kiran Carlson's career-best 191 against Gloucester and Lukas Carey's 35 County Championship wickets the highlights.
2. Glamorgan reach Finals Day
Last year saw Glamorgan reach T20 Blast Finals Day for the first time since 2004. Captain Jacques Rudolph was the standout player for Glamorgan on the day with a hard fought 65, however Glamorgan fell just short in the first semi-final against Birmingham Bears.
Despite the result it was overall a fantastic campaign for the Welsh county as they topped the south group despite four home matches called off due to the weather.
3. International cricket thrills crowds
Spectators flocked to Cardiff in June to watch the best cricketers in the world take part in four matches at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, before England took the field against South Africa in an IT20.
There were sell-out crowds for three of the matches with England and New Zealand, the semi-final between England and Pakistan and the IT20 all reaching capacity at The SSE SWALEC.
4. Marchant moves to Cardiff
The signing of South African fast bowler Marchant de Lange on a three-year contract was a big coup for Glamorgan. De Lange thrilled crowds throughout the year with searing pace and thunderbolt yorkers and was particularly effective in Glamorgan’s white-ball campaigns.
His best moment came away at Taunton against Somerset in the T20 Blast where a win would secure a place in the quarter-final for the third time in four years.
De Lange caused chaos at the death, running out Jim Allenby, before clean bowling Johann Myburgh in the same over which all but sealed Somerset’s fate.
5. Aston Martin get on board
Glamorgan entered into an exciting new three-year sponsorship deal with luxury car brand Aston Martin in 2017. The partnership was formed after Aston Martin moved to Wales and St. Athan. The prestigious Aston Martin wings now has pride of place on the collars of our kit.
The team were even invited to an Aston Martin experience day at Millbrook to celebrate our ongoing partnership where they drove various Aston Martin cars.