Ian Thomas (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Ian James Thomas is a Welsh
cricketer
who played for Glamorgan
as a left-handed opening batsman from 1999
to 2005
. Thomas, along with Graeme Hick
, held the record for highest score in the Twenty20 Cup
from 2004 to 2006, after scoring 116 not out
to lead Glamorgan to a win with three balls to spare against Somerset Sabres in the group stages of the 2004 tournament
.
On his County Championship
debut in 2000
, Thomas made 82 in a drawn match against Essex
, described by the BBC reporter as a "dream debut". It was to be his highest score in first class cricket, and he only made two higher scores in any form of the game, the aforementioned Twenty20 century and 93 against a Durham Cricket Board
XI in the C&G Trophy
.
After the 2005 season
, where Thomas' highest first class cricket score was 42, he was released from the club, and currently plays some minor cricket for Herefordshire
. He has also represented Welsh Minor Counties.
Thomas played for Port Talbot Town in the South Wales Cricket Association between 2007 and 2008. In 30 matches, he scored 1295 runs at an average of 46.25, making three centuries with a highest score of 133. He also took 42 wickets at 29.83 with a best of 5/57. During his period at the club, Thomas formed a formidable opening partnership with his former Glamorgan
county colleague Dan Cherry
. He left at the end of the 2008 season to play for Newport
in the South Wales Cricket League
.
A bad knee injury ruled Thomas out for much of the 2009 campaign as Newport sealed a place in the inaugural South Wales Premier League. In a surprise move, Thomas left to rejoin Port Talbot just weeks into the 2010 season. His arrival signalled an upturn in form for the Pirates and his first match back saw Port Talbot record an exciting six runs victory at St Fagans. He marked his return to The New Mansel the following week with a blistering 80 from 81 balls in a drawn match against Ynysygerwn.
With Thomas back in their ranks, Port Talbot enjoyed a successful debut season in the South Wales Premier League and eventually finished in fourth position.
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played for Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
as a left-handed opening batsman from 1999
1999 English cricket season
The 1999 English cricket season saw the Sunday League changed to a new format National League with games played midweek under floodlight.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey*NatWest Trophy - Gloucestershire*National League - Lancashire...
to 2005
2005 English cricket season
Before the beginning of the 2005 English cricket season began, a resurgent English cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by...
. Thomas, along with Graeme Hick
Graeme Hick
Graeme Ashley Hick MBE is a Zimbabwean-born cricketer who played 65 Test matches and 120 One Day Internationals for England. He played county cricket for Worcestershire for his entire English domestic career, a period of well over twenty years, and in 2008 he surpassed Graham Gooch's record for...
, held the record for highest score in the Twenty20 Cup
Twenty20 Cup
The Twenty20 Cup was a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs.In 2010, it has been replaced by Friends Provident t20 as the domestic Twenty20 competition.-History:...
from 2004 to 2006, after scoring 116 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
to lead Glamorgan to a win with three balls to spare against Somerset Sabres in the group stages of the 2004 tournament
2004 English cricket season
The 2004 English cricket season saw the English cricket team record a 4-0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies. Their one-day form was poor, however. In the Natwest Trophy, they failed to make the final, which saw New Zealand defeat the West Indies by 107 runs. And in the Natwest Challenge,...
.
On his County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
debut in 2000
2000 English cricket season
The 2000 English cricket season was marked by the dominance of Surrey in first-class cricket and Gloucestershire in limited overs.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey*NatWest Trophy - Gloucestershire*National League - Gloucestershire...
, Thomas made 82 in a drawn match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
, described by the BBC reporter as a "dream debut". It was to be his highest score in first class cricket, and he only made two higher scores in any form of the game, the aforementioned Twenty20 century and 93 against a Durham Cricket Board
Durham Cricket Board
The Durham Cricket Board is the governing body for all recreational cricket in the historic county of Durham.From 1999 to 2003 the Board fielded a team in the English domestic one-day tournament, matches which had List-A status.-External links:*...
XI in the C&G Trophy
C&G Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties compete each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland...
.
After the 2005 season
2005 English cricket season
Before the beginning of the 2005 English cricket season began, a resurgent English cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by...
, where Thomas' highest first class cricket score was 42, he was released from the club, and currently plays some minor cricket for Herefordshire
Herefordshire County Cricket Club
Herefordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Herefordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. He has also represented Welsh Minor Counties.
Thomas played for Port Talbot Town in the South Wales Cricket Association between 2007 and 2008. In 30 matches, he scored 1295 runs at an average of 46.25, making three centuries with a highest score of 133. He also took 42 wickets at 29.83 with a best of 5/57. During his period at the club, Thomas formed a formidable opening partnership with his former Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
county colleague Dan Cherry
Dan Cherry
Daniel David 'Dan' Cherry is a Welsh cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler who played for Glamorgan and represented England up to under 17 level....
. He left at the end of the 2008 season to play for Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in the South Wales Cricket League
South Wales Cricket League
The South Wales Premier Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in South Wales. The league was founded in 1999 as the South East Wales League, being renamed following its accreditation as an ECB Premier League in 2001....
.
A bad knee injury ruled Thomas out for much of the 2009 campaign as Newport sealed a place in the inaugural South Wales Premier League. In a surprise move, Thomas left to rejoin Port Talbot just weeks into the 2010 season. His arrival signalled an upturn in form for the Pirates and his first match back saw Port Talbot record an exciting six runs victory at St Fagans. He marked his return to The New Mansel the following week with a blistering 80 from 81 balls in a drawn match against Ynysygerwn.
With Thomas back in their ranks, Port Talbot enjoyed a successful debut season in the South Wales Premier League and eventually finished in fourth position.
External links
- Ian Thomas, player profile from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...