Glamorgan glam it up

David Hemp believes he has a good chance of lifting a trophy

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Glamorgan’s players are eagerly anticipating their 2008 campaign after the winter saw a new state-of-the-art stadium built on their site in Cardiff.

David Hemp, their captain, spent much of the winter abroad and admitted that the ‘wow factor’ really surprised him when he returned for pre-season training.

“I hadn’t seen much of the development, but when I walked in five weeks ago it is just special,” he told ecb.co.uk.

“It was hard to imagine it when I saw the plans drawn up and the concrete go in. From a ground which held 4,500 without any temporary seats to one which now holds 16,500 permanent seats - it's incredible.”

Glamorgan start their season with a championship match against Middlesex at Lord's on Wednesday, but everyone is awaiting their first game at the SWALEC stadium.

Hemp thinks that the new ground will give the Glamorgan team a boost and encourage them to lift their games to a level commensurate with their surroundings.

“The fact that Glamorgan are serious about the ground and where they want to go, as a player you get a buzz from that,” he confirmed.

“It shows that the club mean business and we need to jack ourselves up and start playing the way this ground lends us to play.”

Hemp hopes that crowds will flock to Cardiff to christen the stadium, but admits that the gladiatorial feeling in the ground is the same regardless.

The SWALEC stadium in Cardiff holds 16,500 people © Andrew Hignell/Glamorgan Cricket Archives

“Obviously it would be nice if it is full or at least semi-full,” he said. “But even if there is no-one sitting there, the fact that you are playing in this magnificent stadium does have an impact on you.”

For the players themselves, the facilities have been greatly improved by the new building, but that pales when compared with the stadium as a whole, according to Hemp.

“The changing rooms are a lot more spacious - you get a better view as they are higher,” the 37-year-old added.

“But for me, it is more the visual impact of ‘wow, we are actually playing in a Test ground’. Well, it is going to be a Test ground in a couple of years time.”

Cardiff is set to hold an Ashes Test in 2009 but Glamorgan themselves will be hoping to reap the rewards from their new environment.

“You walk out and you see the ground as it is and you want to take the field for our first game there on May 9,” Hemp admitted.

“We have got a new coach which makes an impact as players he wouldn’t have seen want to impress him.

“Because we made some signings there is more competition for places, but you tend to find that every pre-season players are hungry and want to get back into playing.”

Jamie Dalrymple has signed for Glamorgan © Getty Images

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Glamorgan have signed some high-profile players during the off-season and Hemp is looking forward to seeing the whole squad in action.

“Everyone is fit, which is important, and looking forward to the season ahead,” he said.

“Matthew Maynard has taken over as cricket manager and we have made some good signings in Jamie Dalrymple, Matthew Wood, Adam Shantry and Jason Gillespie.”

Hemp knows that Glamorgan have not been as successful as they should have been in recent years, but believes their young squad should be pushing for trophies this season.

“As long as we get ourselves into a winning position, I think that is important,” he said.

“We did that last year, even if with the inexperienced side that we had. If we replicate that with experienced players then we will certainly win a lot more games than we did, without question.”

With Twenty20 making such an impact on the international game, it is no surprise that Hemp is keen for Glamorgan to taste success in that format.

“Twenty20 is something that everyone feels they can compete in because of the nature of the game, so we believe we can be very competitive in that,” he said.

“The Pro40 is another competition we feel we can do well in, but the Friends Provident Trophy - because of the time of year it is being played - there are a lot more variables in terms of the weather and the wickets that you play on, so that can go against you.

“But now, with the advent of quarter-finals, there is room to manoeuvre if you don’t start off too well, so you can catch games up.

“In the championship we have got a good all-round squad in the variation that we have so there is no reason why we can’t compete and do well in that.”