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Emrys Davies

DAVIES, EMRYS, died at Llanelli on November 10, aged 71. In the course of a career of thirty years, he played a big part in raising Glamorgan from an habitual position near the bottom of the table to Champion County. His success gave particular pleasure to the county's supporters as he and his namesake, Dai, were the first home-born pros of any consequence to win places in the side after its promotion. Emrys was not a natural cricket genius. He reached the top only by hard work and his progress was very slow. Indeed, but for the insistence of that fine judge, J. C. Clay, the county would have let him go.

He first appeared in 1924 and it was not till 1932 that he made his place secure by scoring over 1000 runs, a feat he was to repeat for the next fifteen seasons. It was in this year also that he started his long association with Dyson as the county's opening bats: they were soon recognised as one of the most formidable and consistent pairs in England and in 1937 beat the Glamorgan record by putting up 274 against Leicestershire. An even more prolific stand was against Essex in 1948 when Emrys and W. E. Jones added 313 for the third wicket. In 1935 he became the first Glamorgan player to achieve the double, taking his hundredth wicket with the last ball of the season. Two years later he went one better by making 2000 runs as well as taking 100 wickets. His highest score, 287 not out against Gloucestershire in 1939, is still a record for the county.

Left-handed in both departments, he was essentially a sound and imperturbable batsman and a good player of fast bowling, but he was also quick on his feet, a fine driver whether straight or to the off and by no means deficient in leg-side strokes. He bowled slow, sometimes over the wicket and sometimes round, kept a good length, flighted the ball skilfully and was never afraid to toss it up, but, lacking the vicious spin which makes his type dreaded when the ball is turning, he was primarily a hard-wicket bowler. A good field, usually at a distance from the wicket, he had a remarkably safe pair of hands and it was quite an event when he dropped a catch.

Retiring in 1954, Emrys Davies was on the first-class umpires' list from 1955 to 1960 when ill-health forced him to resign. He had twice officiated in Test Matches. Later he coached at Llandovery College and also in Johannesburg. He was a man universally loved and respected, not least by shy young players whom he went out of his way to help and put at their ease. One of his contemporaries in the Glamorgan side writes, He was an example to all both on and off the field in everything. No one could have had higher standards of conduct, thought or belief than Emrys.

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