Glamorgan Cricket is pleased to confirm new two-year contracts have been agreed with batsmen Ben Wright, Will Bragg and David Lloyd, as well as with off-spin bowler Andrew Salter and all-rounder Ruaidhri Smith
Two performances in the Yorkshire Bank 40 were amongst Ben Wright's most telling contributions with the bat in 2013, with an unbeaten 75 against Somerset at Taunton being surpassed by a superb 47 not out from just 28 balls during the powerplay overs at the Ageas Bowl in the semi-final which helped Glamorgan to a match-winning total and a first Lord's showpiece final for 13 years.
Will Bragg featured throughout the season for Glamorgan, and he posted half centuries in the opening one-day games of the campaign against Yorkshire Vikings and Middlesex Panthers as well as two further fifties in the LV= County Championship.
David Lloyd joined the Glamorgan playing staff in 2012, although he made his debut for Glamorgan 2nd XI as a sixteen year old in 2008, before making his first-class debut for Glamorgan in September 2012 playing against Yorkshire at Headingley and Kent at the SWALEC Stadium. In 2013 Lloyd featured regularly for the 2nd XI and was chosen to play in the final 1st XI game of the season, as Glamorgan defeated Gloucestershire in Cardiff.
Young off-spinner Andrew Salter is regarded by many as the man most likely to step into the shoes of Robert Croft, who retired at the end of 2012 to take up a position within the Glamorgan coaching team. Salter claimed a wicket with his first ball in the LV= County Championship game against Leicestershire at Swansea in mid-August , a feat no Glamorgan bowler had done for 56 years and only two had previously in Glamorgan history, Jack Johns and Billy Davies. Salter provided glimpses of his immense promise with frugal bowling during the closing group games of the Yorkshire Bank 40, whilst he proved capable of re-creating such form on the big stage with two excellent performances in the Semi-Final and in the Final of the competition at Lord's.
Teenage all-rounder Ruaidhri Smith, who was educated at Llandaff Cathedral and Shrewsbury Schools, has been rewarded with a full professional contract, which will also allow him to pursue his University education. Like Salter two weeks before him Smith made an auspicious LV=County Championship debut by taking a wicket with his first ball. Earlier in the season, Smith played for Scotland during the 2013 Yorkshire Bank 40 competition before becoming a part of the Glamorgan squad in the tournament for the closing group stages and knockout rounds.
Commenting on the announcement, Hugh Morris, who will begin as Chief Executive and Director of Cricket with Glamorgan in January, commented: "Following the recent good news that senior pros in Mark Wallace and Dean Cosker have committed to the Club, it's good to see promising young talent from both North and South Wales extending their playing careers with Glamorgan and continuing to fly the flag for Wales.
"I believe the key for our sustained success is to develop our own talent such as players like these. I was very lucky to play in a Glamorgan side the spine of which was Welsh and this is something which I will be focusing on developing with our new Head Coach and the rest of the coaching staff."
Furthermore three Academy players Aneurin Donald, Kieran Bull and Jack Murphy have also been rewarded with offers of development contracts. Aneurin Donald is a hugely promising young batsman who initially played for Gorseinon CC and this summer has enjoyed a successful time with South Wales Premier League winners Mumbles CC. Having also represented England age-group teams this summer, Donald was awarded the Most Promising Academy Player of the Year in 2012 and has been selected in the ECB's England Development Programme squad for 2013-14.
Aneurin will be involved in training camps at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough over the winter months, leading into a competitive training camp in Sri Lanka during the Easter holiday, with fixtures against the Sri Lankan Under 17 side.
This year Kieran Bull was the deserved winner of the Academy Award for the Most Promising Young Player. The young spinner appeared regularly for both the Wales Minor Counties and Glamorgan 2nd XI, taking in total 35 wickets in all competitions, besides making some telling contributions with the bat lower down the order.
Academy Player of the Year 2013 Jack Murphy has already flown out to New Zealand for the winter to further develop his cricketing skills following an exceptional season with both bat and ball, with some stand out performances for both the 2nd XI and Wales Minor Counties teams. He is an all-rounder with immense potential and another bright hope for the future.
Richard Almond, Glamorgan's Player Development Manager said, "Five years of work by the Academy coaches has started to pay dividends with the likes of Andrew Salter, David Lloyd and Ruaidhri Smith making an impact in the Glamorgan 1st XI during 2013.
"A number of young Glamorgan players have produced notable performances for both the 2nd XI and the Wales Minor Counties teams this year.
"Anuerin Donald, Jack Murphy and Kieran Bull all have the potential to succeed in cricket and I'm pleased the Club has rewarded them with development contracts for 2014. This season has been an exceptional year for our younger players and we hope these players can progress into Glamorgan first team regulars and on to further honours to inspire more Welsh youngsters to pursue and fulfil their cricketing ambitions. "
