The Balconiers’ Committee take pleasure in inviting all admirers of Chris Cooke’s twelve-year plus career representing Glamorgan County Cricket Club to his testimonial lunch. The cost is £30 per person.
RSVP no later than Saturday 10th November 2024.
Invitation and reply card are below:
The Towers Hotel, Jersey Marine, Swansea on Monday, 30th September at 6:45pm for 7:30pm
After 52 years the Awards Dinner this year will be the 51st and last arranged by the St. Helen’s Balconiers in support of Glamorgan CCC.
For details on how to attend please read the letter below and note that bookings need to be made by the 23rd September 2024.
Last year’s main awards were awarded as follows:
2nd XI Player of the Year: Asa Tribe
Gerry Munday Award for the most improved young, uncapped player: Zain ul Hassan
David Evans Award – this is a special award in grateful appreciation and recognition of unstinting and wholehearted commitment during a playing career and for the past 10 years as Chief Executive of Glamorgan CCC – Hugh Morris MBE
Balconiers Player of the Year: Kiran Carlson
The very first Balconiers’ Glamorgan Player of the Year was Arthur Francis in 1973.
Arrangements are in hand for a “Daffodil Tours” trip to Nottingham for the final Glamorgan v Somerset on Sunday 22nd September with a two night stay in Nottingham – please read on.
Update 7th September 2024: The initial quota of hotel rooms have been allocated (sold). There are still seats on the coach if interested, availability of hotel rooms would need to be confirmed against an expression of interest.
Saturday 21st September
Departure to Nottingham pm Saturday 21st September (Guide departure times for example pick-up points 12:30 Swansea, 14:00 Sophia Gardens, Cardiff then 14:45 Holiday Inn, Coldra, Newport).
Arrival Nottingham around 18:30.
Overnight Mercure Sherwood Hotel
Sunday 22nd September
Transfer to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground for the Final. [See note below regarding tickets which are not included in this package.]
Glamorgan v Somerset
On conclusion transfer back to the hotel.
Monday 23rd September
After breakfast return coach to South Wales.
Cost
Including coach travel and two nights B&B accommodation
Single room occupancy £195.00
Double/Twin occupancy £145.00 per person
Booking & Payment
Cheques payable to “Daffodil Cricket Tours” to John Williams (07973 479613) by Thursday 12th September. Address John Williams, c/o St Helen’s Balconiers, 41 Sketty Park Road, Sketty, Swansea SA2 9AS.
Please note
Tickets to the game are not included these can be obtained from Trent Bridge. You can book yours by clicking on the link below or by calling the Nottinghamshire Cricket Ticket Office on 0115 899 0300.
Adult ticket prices start from £26, Under 16s are £5 and there are £10 tickets for under 21s in the Family Area. Tickets can be purchased anywhere in the ground but Radcliffe Road Lower West is where a number of Glamorgan supporters are already purchasing.
County Cricket Day…. is a fan driven campaign to celebrate County Cricket inspired originally by Non League Day, which has successfully engaged football fans to attend lower league games and helped revitalise the sport at that level. This initiative aims to bring the same enthusiasm and support to county cricket.
The full Press Release can be read below but please note Glamorgan will be using the initiative on the 23rd June. “As Glamorgan are away from home on this date, they were invited by the National County Cricket Members Group (CCMG) to use the previous week’s game against Northamptonshire, June 23rd, as their involvement in the venture. Glamorgan through its CEO Dan Cherry have been very supportive of the idea. They are offering reduced price (£7) tickets if bought in advance and children to be admitted free of charge. “
Chris Cooke has been granted a Testimonial in 2024 by Glamorgan CCC in recognition of his performances and loyalty to Glamorgan. There is an extensive calendar of events dedicated to honouring Chris Cooke and supporting two causes close to him – the NSPCC and the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.
For up-to-date information about events, please visit www.chriscooketestimonial.co.uk
The Balconiers’ (John Williams) have a quantity of testimonial brochures for sale for a donation. Details of how to obtain one of these brochures are contained in the download below.
The achievements of Chris are regularly celebrated at the annual Balconiers’ Awards Evening at the end of the season. Who knows 2024 is an opportunity for “Player of the Season”.
We hope you will join fellow Balconiers’ in supporting Chris by ordering a copy of his brochure either by using the guidance in the download.
The tours to Leicestershire, Gloucestershire and Derbyshire are still open to booking, as a guide the cut off is one month ahead of departure.
For fuller details on booking please refer to the post below “February 8, 2024” which has the details.
All supporters of the Glamorgan team are most welcome to join these trips including those supporters that live away from South Wales or wish to travel independently; they have the option to join us on a hotel only basis.
Pickup points are along the M4 corridor from Swansea to Newport.
Details of the Balconiers cricket supporters trips for the 2024 County Cricket Season are published below.
All supporters of the Glamorgan team are most welcome to join these trips including those supporters that live away from South Wales or wish to travel independently; they have the option to join us on a hotel only basis.
Pickup points are along the M4 corridor from Swansea to Newport.
Please note the date for signing up to an excursion is no later than 29th February 2024.
Three documents follow: a cover letter, details of the itineraries and a booking form. Please retain a copy of the booking form.
Just out of interest an event from 1964 reproduced from the 2014 edition of the St. Helen’s Balconiers Newsletter. Read to the end and you’ll recall what happened in 1968.
The next in the series of Winter Talks organized by the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket will be held via ZOOM on Wednesday, 24th January starting at 19:00.
“An Evening with Chris Cooke” will see the batter and wicket-keeper reflect on his playing career so far, as well as a place in the Club’s record books as having scored a century in every format of the game – Championship, List A and T20 – besides holding the record for the fastest-ever hundred in the Club’s history, set last summer at Merchant Taylors’ School when Chris scored a century from just 38 balls against Middlesex in the T20 competition. 2024 is also Chris’ Testimonial Year so the evening will also look back on his career with the bat and gloves, both with Glamorgan and in domestic cricket in South Africa.
As always, attendance at the virtual meeting will be free of charge with those wishing to attend being asked to send an email to museum@glamorgancricket.co.uk by noon on Monday, 22 January. A confirmation reply will be sent out, whilst joining details for the meeting via ZOOM will be sent by email at approx. 1800 on Wednesday, 24 January. The talk will be recorded and a copy placed in due course on the Museum website.
Chris Cooke’s statistics can be viewed here: https://glamorgancricketarchives.com/chris-cooke/
As a tailpiece the St Helen’s Balconiers will be hosting a lunch on the 15th November 2024 at the Towers Hotel, Jersey Marine as one of Chris Cooke’s Testimonial events – further details to follow.
The St Helen’s Balconiers 2023 Newsletter should have dropped or will soon drop through the letter boxes of members.
The final article “Neil Harvey Masterclass by Dr Richard Bentley” was truncated, sorry for the mistake, please find the full article here:
In summary there are the usual mixture of articles including:
Chairman’s Report – John Williams;
2023 Players Awards Evening – Paul Sussex;
The 30th anniversary of Canterbury 1993 – Dr Andrew Hignell;
Awesome Innings at Neath – Dr Andrew Hignell;
Wooller’s Winning Way – Dr Richard Bentley;
Neil Harvey Masterclass – Dr Richard Bentley;
Supporting Glamorgan Cricket since 1972.