Bangor’s new cricket director and former Glamorgan pace bowler Will Owen talks to Grassroots North Wales

Exciting news for Bangor CC – former county championship pace bowler Will Owen will become its director of cricket this year.

Ex-Glamorgan star Owen’s appointment at Ty Newydd will involve reviewing the whole structure of the cricketing side of the North Wales League Premier Division club.

A major emphasis will be placed on developing the junior section.

It was a great pleasure to talk to Will this week. He is a player whose career I have covered since his junior days.

Dave Jones

Will, it is great to learn you are back in North Wales cricket where I saw you win the Merseyside and Southport Alliance Championship as an 18-year-old with Prestatyn CC in 2005.
This year you become Bangor CC’s director of cricket. How did the appointment come about, how much are you looking forward to it, and what will your role entail?

Will Owen

I had a call from Robbie Marshall who was extremely passionate about the club and the potential that it has…I was immediately engaged by him and can’t wait to get started. The role will be to look at the whole structure of the cricket side of the club; starting at dynamos/all stars all the way to the senior sides. From building relations in the community to coach and player development to just plain and simply inspiring people to play the game and be the best they can be. We will look at various ways to extend our reach and attract people to the club. Bangor has a big catchment area and we have to utilise this.

Dave Jones

Bangor won the North Wales League Premier Division title in 2019, but in the two full seasons since then, they have somewhat dropped off the pace with St Asaph and Menai Bridge dominating. What do you think Bangor needs to get back up there challenging?

Will Owen

In my experience every club has transition periods and it is about getting the best out of each and every player along with creating a strong team environment. St Asaph and Menai have led the way the last couple of years like you have said but I think the league as a whole is getting stronger so watch this space!

Dave Jones

What were your thoughts on the Wales NC North side last year? We did pretty well overall against some strong opponents. Is this something that should stay for good to boost the game in the north?

Will Owen

There is no doubt this has to stay…it has been inspirational to cricketers in this region and given them something bigger to strive for along with being a shop window that has never been available in this region before. These players are playing good level cricket right on their doorstep where in years gone by they have had to travel 4 hours to Cardiff and beyond. Our links and relationships in Cardiff have never been so good so it is vital we capitalise on this, Matt Thompson (Cricket Wales) and Rich Almond (Glamorgan) play a pivotal role in our development and they are onboard with our vision which is great.

Dave Jones

Jason Foulkes of St Asaph made his full Wales debut last year. Can you see others in North Wales following him?

Will Owen

Absolutely! No doubt there is talent in the region, it just needs guiding, Bangor’s Owen Riley is a super talent and has been net bowling with Glamorgan thanks to our links with David Lloyd, but there are others that will have these opportunities moving forward.

Dave Jones

Back to around the turn of the millennium. How big was Prestatyn CC in your development? It wasn’t long after 2005 that you were signed by Glamorgan

Will Owen

Prestatyn played a huge role in my development and I was very lucky they treated me the way they did. I had a great opportunity at 14 to take the new ball for the first team in a very competitive league. This experience I believe was vital in my development and I progressed at a much faster rate than a lot of similar aged competitors whose clubs were not giving the same opportunities. I feel every club has a responsibility to one identify and produce good talent, but then also give them the opportunities to excel and be the best they can be. Without Prestatyn I know I would not have reached my dream to play professionally with Glamorgan.

Dave Jones

In 2007, you made your Wales Minor Counties debut and followed that by appearing for Glamorgan’s first team. How much of a rise in standard did you experience?

Will Owen

Yes, things started happening quite quickly. Minor Counties cricket was very competitive, but the jump to first class cricket was significant. Competing against world-class players in Hamish Marshall and Craig Spearman for Gloucestershire on my debut was a challenge and the margin for error for a bowler in extremely small and something I had to come to terms with very quickly.

Dave Jones

You were forced to retire from professional cricket in 2015 due to long-term back and hip injuries. Looking back, what were the highlights of your time with Glamorgan?

Will Owen

The highlights for me were the games in Colwyn Bay as that was where i was inspired to go on and play for Glamorgan, also having family and friends coming to watch was always nice. We used to always have great games there, Lancashire and Yorkshire to name a few, North Walians need that fixture back!

Dave Jones

You soon returned to cricket with Cheshire and Chester Boughton Hall. How did that go? How is your fitness these days with regards to playing and coaching?

Will Owen

Chester Boughton Hall were great to me and I had some good years there, I still have some very close friends there. Arguably one of the biggest and best clubs in the UK, it gave me everything I needed to focus on my coaching career and I look back at those times fondly. My fitness is improving. Two years ago I had bi lateral hip resurfacing (same as Andy Murray) which has given me a new lease of life, I can do everything I want to do now without being held back by pain.

Dave Jones

Back to Bangor, I believe you have persuaded Robbie Marshall to take over the first team captaincy this season? How important is this to the club? Robbie batted very well last season, has he got a lot more to offer the game?

Will Owen

Robbie is a great lad and so important for the club, Bangor are looking strong approaching pre-season and with good commitment we should be right up there. Under the leadership of Robbie, I am sure the team will flourish and I know we are looking to make a mark in the league this year so watch this space.

Dave Jones

What excites you most right now about the future of cricket in North Wales and Wales as a whole? What will you be looking to achieve in summer 2023?

Will Owen

North Wales has been a sleeping giant for too long. The most exciting thing for me is we have the talent up here, we need to inspire players and expose them to quality coaching along with giving them opportunities to progress to the higher levels of the game. As North Walians we are very proud of who we are and we need to use that to our advantage. Nothing that is good comes easily but there is living proof in David Lloyd (current Glamorgan captain) that talent plus hard work and dedication you can get to the top in this game no matter where you are from.

WILL OWEN – GLAMORGAN CC RECORD (2007-15)

FIRST-CLASS MATCHES: 24

RUNS: 363

WICKETS: 51

BEST SCORE: 69 (v Derbyshire 2011)

BEST BOWLING 5-124 (v Middlesex 2011)

LIST A WICKETS: 37

T20 WICKETS: 17

BANGOR CC JUNIOR SECTION

One of the key roles for Will Owen and first team captain Robbie Marshall will be to reignite the junior set up to where it was a few years ago, producing a conveyor belt of talent.

This is what the club has to say about its junior section.

“Bangor Cricket Club junior section have a number of members from age 7-16 years. We are an inclusive club and welcome young people who are interested in playing cricket, regardless of ability. All we ask is that your child has an interest in cricket.

We train on a Friday evening between 6pm and 7.30pm during the cricket season. We have experienced coaches who will guide your child from beginner cricket – show them how to bowl, hold a bat and field and teach them all aspects of this beautiful sport up to playing for our senior teams, Regional and National squads.

Bangor CC have produced numerous national and regional players over the years, most recently Bethan Hughes, Tomos Davies and Owen Reilly (national and regional) Cian Williams (regional).

We currently have junior players representing Bangor CC for the regional squads, at different age groups within the Cricket Wales North Regional Pathway, travelling the length and breadth of the country playing other regional teams. They also represent the club on a senior level, debuting during the 2022 season were: Hari Williams, Oliver Dawson and Daniel Flynn.

Friday evening training sessions are an ideal opportunity to learn the beautiful game and be coached by experienced and highly respected coaches.

The recent pandemic meant that our junior member numbers saw a slight decline. Luckily this improved during the 2022 season. Smaller group numbers meant our juniors received intense coaching.

The future of Bangor CC junior section is looking bright, and there isn’t a better place to learn with idyllic backdrops to play cricket.”

For more information regarding junior cricket during the forthcoming season please get in touch with either Will Owen or first team captain Robbie Marshall via:

bangorccjuniors@gmail.com

willo42@hotmail.com