26th January 2009
Rhowch Dim Criced I Gymru - Give Wales a Cricket Team
It’s a mystery why a Celtic country with the strongest cricket tradition is hidden under the umbrella of England’s team when Scotland and Ireland have independent teams. Indeed, Wales has more cricket teams than Scotland and Ireland combined. For over a century, we’ve sustained a first rate team. And many of ‘England’s’ players have come from Wales.
In the two other famous team games - rugby and football - we have, luckily, national representation. And yet, cricket teams are just as numerous as football and rugby ones in Wales, indeed, even more so according to the cricket journalist Michael Blumberg. The standard of a Welsh test team would surely equal at least Zimbabwe or Bangladesh. So why not, therefore, venture in our own colours?
Opposers say that Wales is already represented in the England and Wales Cricket Board (the EWCB). But how often do you hear the second letter pronounced by the media or even game officials? Also, it’s only England that is represented in the team’s name. This is a bit like calling the West Indies team - the only other multi-nation team acknowledged by the International Cricket Committee, the ICC - Jamaica, or calling Ireland’s team Ulster or Eire.
The ICC remains neutral on the matter. So why, therefore, are Wales’ cricketers treated in this manner? The argument given states that money to Glamorgan would disappear. But why would this be the case? Glamorgan receives money because the team competes in the EWCB’s county competitions - not because the team produces players for England. In the same way, Swansea and Cardiff benefit from being part of the English football leagues but this doesn’t have any effect on Wales’ right to compete as national team
A new national team would be able to ask the Welsh Assembly Government for support, as it has a duty to support national teams as set out in the One Wales Document. Also, the ICC has development funds available to new nations. But the biggest prize of all would have to be beating England at Lords. An old-province avenging its former masters.
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Mae’n ddirgelwch pam y dylai’r wlad Geltaidd sydd a’r traddodiad criced cryfaf gael ei chuddio o dan ymbarel tim Lloegr pan fo gyda’r Alban ac Iwerddon dimau annibynnol. Mae gan Gymru mwy o glybiau criced na sydd gan yr Alban ac Iwerddon rhyngddynt. Rydym wedi cynnal tim o’r radd flaenaf ers dros ganrif. Ac mae nifer helaeth o chwaraewyr “Lloegr” wedi dod o Gymru.
Yn y ddau gem tim adnabyddus arall - sef rygbi a phel-droed - mae gyda ni gynrychiolaeth genedlaethol, diolch i’r drefn. Ac eto mae clybiau criced yng Nghymru yr un mor niferus a rhai rygbi neu pel-droed, neu hyd yn oed yn fwy yn ol y newyddiadurwr criced Michael Blumberg. Byddai safon tim prawf Cymreig yn gydradd o leiaf a Zimbabwe neu Bangladesh. Felly, pam ddim mentro yn ein lliwiau ein hunain?
Yn ol y gwrthwynebwyr, mae Cymru yn cael ei chynrychioli eisoes ym Mwrdd Criced Lloegr a Cymru (yr EWCB). Ond pa mor aml y clywch chi yr ail lythyren na yn cael ei ynganu gan y cyfryngau neu swyddogion y gem? A Lloegr yn unig, wedi’r cwbl, yw enw’r tim. Mae hyn ychydig bach fel galw tim India’r Gorllewin - yr unig dim criced arall aml-genedlaethol sy’n cael ei gydnabod gan y Cyngor Criced Rhyngwladol, yr ICC - yn Jamaica, neu alw tim unedig Iwerddon yn Ulster neu Eire.
Mae’r ICC yn niwtral ar y mater. Felly pam fod cricedwyr Cymru yn derbyn y fath sarhad? Y ddadl sydd yn cael ei grybwyll yw y byddai arian i Forgannwg yn diflannu. Ond pam? Mae Morgannwg yn derbyn yr arian oherwydd ei bod hi’n cystadlu ym nhystadlaethau sirol yr EWCB - nid am ei bod hi’n cynhyrchu chwaraewyr i dim Lloegr. Yn yr un modd mae Abertawe a Chaerdydd yn elwa o fod yn rhan o gynghreiriau pel-droed Lloegr heb newid dim ar yr hawl i Gymru gystadlu fel tim cenedlaethol.
Byddai tim cenedlaethol newydd yn medru gofyn am gymorth gan Lywodraeth Cymru sydd ag ymrwymiad i gefnogi timau cenedlaethol yn nogfen Cymru’n Un, a’r ICC sydd a chronfa datblygu ar gyfer cenhedloedd newydd. Ond y wobr fwyaf, does bosib, fyddai curo Lloegr yn Lords. Fel Indiaid y Gorllewin a’r Dwyrain: cyn-dalaith yn talu’r pwyth yn ol.
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