Sophia Gardens
Cricket
County Championship
Cardiff
Score:
38
/ 60
Overview
It’s all the more depressing that watching the Championship at Sophia Gardens is such an immiserating experience because everyone who works there is so nice. The volunteers in the Museum of Welsh Cricket are welcoming, knowledgeable, and full of stories about Glamorgan’s glory days. But they’re presiding over a fire sale of books from their library, presumably to raise enough funds just to keep the lights on. I visited the ground on Champions Cup final weekend, likely a big enough event in a city that values rugby far higher than cricket to deplete the crowd. Still, though, there are very few spectators on site. The sound of bat on ball echoes glumly off empty stands. Glamorgan have catered for small numbers, a lonely coffee van under one of the large stands and a single bar in the pavilion building. It’s a sad sign of the times that a talented Glamorgan side, bolstered in the match I attended by Australian internationals Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Kuhnemann, can draw only 100 or so people on a May Bank Holiday weekend.
Score Summaries
Atmosphere & Experience: 4
The lack of atmosphere is palpable. It’s brought home starkly as every strike of a ball, every shout of encouragement from a fielder, every call for a second run reverberates from row upon row of empty seats. These four points come solely from the warmth of the staff. Security guards, shop clerks, and especially the volunteers at the Museum of Welsh Cricket are some of the friendliest around. Their charm and passion for cricket are enough to take the edge off the pall of sadness that otherwise hangs over this near-abandoned ground.
Seats: 8
You’ll find plenty of seats right behind the bowler’s arm. You’ll be depressingly spoilt for choice thanks to the sparse crowd.
Catering: 4
Avoid the Welsh cakes, unless you’re into eating raw margarine. Do try Glamorgan Brewing Company’s 1888 Down the Gully ale, which is delicious. There’s very little else for you to choose from.
Facilities: 4
You’re certainly not going to have to queue, but some of the bathroom blocks are not fully enclosed making them extremely cold on a windy day.
Getting There: 9
A very pleasant 15-minute walk from Cardiff Castle in the city centre, partially along the banks of the Taff, through Sophia Gardens park is a lovely preamble to a day at the cricket.
Getting Away: 9
A repeat of the same walk. More enjoyable still if you take the Millenium Walk along the Taff past the Principality Stadium if you’re heading to the station.