Three times county champions - now look where we are

There was a moderately encouraging start to the season and a great win to complete it, but Glamorgan disastrously sagged in the middle of 2018. The county's difficulties were an extreme example of what is afflicting England at the national level: a lack of resolute batsmen at the top of the order. It is surely right to recruit Welsh talent, but there has been a problem of development. Partly I suspect that this has been caused by the policy decision some years ago to concentrate on the one-day game because that was where the income was seen to be. The recruitment of experience from abroad needs to be looked at too, especially as the batsmen chosen were given little time to adjust to English conditions before being called away on international duty - or in Stephen Cook's case, by the end of the season in an already dispirited side. I welcome the independent inquiry which was announced earlier this week and Hugh Morris's acceptance that nobody's position will be secure as a result.

Little blame can be attached to the bowlers and I hope the county can hold on to an effective seam attack and a commendably varied spin armoury.

Below is Graham Wagg about to bowl in yesterday's final innings of 2018 at Sophia Gardens.