Cricket Club CC50 Web | Page 68

Neath FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/CRICKETCLUBMAG Neath CRICKET CLUB Neath CC is a fine example of the important role that a club can play in their local community with their first team currently competing in Premier Division One of the South Wales Premier Cricket league. They are led by the team of President Martyn Davies and Chair Huw Davies and the club is progressing well under their guidance. The first record of cricket being played in Neath dates back to the mid-1840s, and in 1848 a cricket club was formed, with the Gnoll being its base. During the middle of the 19th century, housebuilding took place on the land but the owner, Henry Grant, refused to sell the cricket field and the club went from strength to strength. A number of quite prestigious fixtures were held over the next few years as Alex Cuthbertson, a social solicitor, helped to arrange three-day fixtures in 1855 and 1856 between an Eleven of All-England and a XXII of Neath and District. Since their early days the club has gone on to put together a history of which they have every right to be proud. So far this season their first team has been in fine form, having put together a record of six wins and four defeats from their ten matches played. This sees them sitting in second place in the table with 136 points on the board, just one behind the current leaders. This should provide them with the perfect platform from which to go on and mount a serious title challenge. As long as they are able to keep their current group of players and can put together a good run of form it should not be long before they find themselves top of the pile. It will certainly be interesting to see how they finish the season. Neath CC is not a club to focus solely upon their senior section and this is reflected by the fact that 68 Issue 50