Outlook bright for Maynard

Tom Maynard played in all of Glamorgan's one-day games

Tom Maynard broke into the Glamorgan side during the 2008 season and he believes that the future of the Welsh county is in good hands.

Maynard’s father Matthew - former England batsman and coach - is part of the coaching set-up at Cardiff and Maynard junior reckons he has what it takes to bring the club forward.

“It is a help having him here,” Maynard told ecb.co.uk. “He is a really good coach and the players all respect and appreciate the knowledge he has got.

“It is easy for me as all the guys think he is good and they enjoy his coaching.”

Glamorgan may have finished second from bottom in Division Two of the LV County Championship but their one-day cricket has come on leaps and bounds, according to Maynard.

“It was a much improved season from last year. The signs are promising for the future,” he said.

“It would have been nice to win a couple of games, like the quarter-final of the Twenty20 or the play-off in the NatWest Pro40. If we had done that then I think it would have been a fantastic season for us.”

Maynard’s own season with the bat went from strength to strength as he started playing a few one-day matches and then broke into the championship team towards the end of the campaign.

Maynard featured in all Glamorgan’s matches in the Friends Provident Trophy and the Pro40 and he admits that gaining a regular place in the side gave him more confidence heading into the longer format of the game.

“The one-dayers were pretty good for me,” he said. “I felt comfortable in that arena. I have only really played one-day cricket before.

“In the four-day game I am still trying to develop and get used to that style, but I am now beginning to grasp the concept of three and four-day cricket.”

Maynard was delighted to be called into the first team, but confessed that he was not expecting it and that his goals were more orientated to the second string.

Mark Wallace impressed Maynard with his overall contribution to Glamorgan

“I was more concerned with my second team performances.” he admitted. “I didn’t want to put my standards too high.

“I didn’t know what to expect in the first team, but if I had set myself any goals then I think I would have been close to achieving them.”

Maynard’s finest moment came in a Pro40 game against Warwickshire when he made his highest score of the season and helped Glamorgan to a 130-run victory.

“My 67 against Warwickshire was a big highlight for me,” Maynard confirmed. “I came in at a fairly difficult time but Jamie Dalrymple and I managed to drag it back and put us into a good position to win the game.”

Jason Gillespie took five wickets in that match, and Maynard believes that what the former Australia seamer and all-rounder Dalrymple brought to the club really helped them this year.

“Jamie Dalrymple has been fantastic for us, particularly in the one-day contests. He has really brought the side forward,” Maynard enthused.

“And Jason Gillespie has really helped out all the other seamers. He is just a brilliant guy to have around.”

But he reserved the biggest praise for a fellow homegrown talent - Glamorgan’s wicketkeeper.

“Mark Wallace has been brilliant this year,” Maynard said. “He has had a really good season with the bat and behind the stumps and he is excellent behind the scenes too. He does so much.”

Of his own performances, Maynard said: “It has been very satisfying. I started in the one-dayers and did well in a couple of friendlies, but to break into the four-day side was brilliant.”

Maynard has chosen to hone his game in Australia this winter, leaving for the other side of the world less than a fortnight after the end of the domestic county season and committing himself to a five-month stint Down Under.

“I am playing some A-grade cricket over here for a club called Gosnells,” he said.

“I just want to learn a bit more about my own game and to get some more organisation into it. I am also here for the experience. It is something that is foreign and uncomfortable for me.

“I am hoping to better myself as a person and as a cricketer.”