Cricket memories at St Helen’s celebrated with blue plaque

It was the ground where West Indies legend Sir Garry Sobers hit an historic six sixes in an over in 1968.

Now the contribution St Helen’s has made to cricket in Swansea has been honoured with a blue plaque outside the historic ground.

Swansea Council is behind the blue plaque, which has been placed on the wall by the side of the entrance gates on the corner of Gorse Lane and Bryn Road.

Queen Victoria was on the throne when Swansea Cricket Club played their first game at St Helen’s in the summer of 1873.

In 1921, the ground staged its first County Championship match as Glamorgan played Leicestershire.

Glamorgan County Cricket Club have played many historic games at St Helen’s over the years, including victories over South Africa in 1951 and Australia in 1964 and 1968.

In 1976, Clive Lloyd hit an unbeaten 201 at St Helen’s for the West Indies in just two hours. In 1985, Glamorgan’s Matthew Maynard hit a century against Yorkshire in his first-class debut at the ground.

Hugh Rees, of Swansea Cricket Club, and former Glamorgan batsman Huw Morris were at the blue plaque event, which took place in a break during the Glamorgan against Northamptonshire match.s

The plaque was unveiled by Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration.

He said: “Our blue plaque scheme isn’t just about celebrating people from Swansea who have achieved great things over the years to put the city on the map. It’s also about recognising places across the city that have made their mark across the UK and overseas in areas like sports, literature and the arts.

“The contribution St Helen’s has made to cricket is thoroughly deserving of recognition. It’s home to so many fantastic cricketing memories, from Sir Garry Sobers’ six sixes in 1968 to the countless hours of entertainment both Swansea Cricket Club and Glamorgan County Cricket Club have given millions of fans over the years.

“St Helen’s isn’t just part of Swansea’s sporting folklore – it’s part of the world’s sporting folklore as a whole because of the moments it’s produced and the calibre of cricketers it’s hosted.”

The contribution St Helen’s has made to rugby in Swansea has already been recognised with a blue plaque close to the clubhouse steps that lead to the main pavilion.

St Helen’s was the venue for Wales’ first home rugby international in 1882 against England. It also played host to Swansea RFC’s famous 11-3 win over the All Blacks in 1935 and the 1992 win over the world champion Wallabies.

Cwmdonkin Park, which inspired a young Dylan Thomas in early 20th century Swansea, was also honoured with a blue plaque in 2014.