The conversation with my family at the start of the day was about our lack of cricket knowledge. The match we were heading to watch was Glamorgan v Sussex in the Vitality Blast T20 series. and we were worried we would be confused.
WATCH a video from our visit to Sophia Gardens to watch Glamorgan Cricket
This was the first cricket match for my 12–year-old daughter and wife and my third. The three of us had nothing to worry about.
This is simple cricket. Each team has 20 overs (120 balls) and the team with the highest number of runs wins. The bowler bowls and the batsman hits the ball and chooses to run or not. Simple. The ground has a huge scoreboard so you can see what the team batting second needs to win.
It’s very family-friendly. When we walked in the ground the stewards gave us fun hats, ‘Six!’ and ‘Four! cards to wave when a batsman whacked the ball to the boundary and clappers.
The longest queues in the ground were for the free water stations dotted around the ground. Today was a scorcher so the fans were being sensible. A wide variety of food vans were available under the stands from noodles to burgers. You were spoiled for choice if you fancied a drink. I spotted real ale, gin, cocktails and lager for sale on different bars.
Glamorgan batted first and scored 173. Sussex beat them by scoring 177 with eight balls to spare.
Relaxing
My wife sneaked off to a sunny seat for an hour while we stayed in the shade. The match lasted around three hours and it was exciting and relaxing. Every whack led to a big cheer as the ball headed towards the boundaries or high in the air for a possible catch. We moved seats a few times to try out different views. The afternoon got a thumbs up from my family.
Get tickets to watch Glamorgan play cricket
Visit the ticket page on the club’s website for information on the T20 matches taking place throughout July and August.
Adults- £10 (in advance). Under 17s- Free. Students- £5 (in advance).
REACTION// Glamorgan skipper Colin Ingram was upbeat that his side ‘showed fight’ despite their defeat to @SussexCCC at @SophiaGardens #GLAvSUS #GoGlam #VitalityBlast 💥
Watch ⬇ pic.twitter.com/5DiwImxDPC
— Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) July 8, 2018
Thanks
Thanks to Glamorgan Cricket Club and the Wales Blog Network for giving me tickets to the match and a meal in the Legend’s Lounge.