Award-winning manager takes over at famous Cardiff pub

Nation.Cymru staff

Croeso Pubs Ltd, the Cardiff-based pub chain, has welcomed David Rowlands as the new manager of its Pontcanna venue, The Cricketers.

David has extensive experience in the pub trade, having been an event day manager at the Principality Stadium and city centre cocktail bars before he took over the licence of the North Star in the Maindy area of Cardiff in 2020.

Following a successful five years at the North Star, where the venue won many awards, David reassigned the lease last year and enjoyed some time off, before joining the management team at Croeso Pubs, taking over the reins at The Cricketers.

Originally from Abergavenny and a fluent Welsh speaker, Dave said he was keen to get back to hospitality, and the chance to run The Cricketers was an opportunity he couldn’t miss. He explained: “The team at Croeso Pubs only took over The Cricketers in 2025 and since then they’ve made great strides in making it a pub that is truly for the locals and that’s what I’m keen to carry on, but with my own twist.

“At the North Star, we were really successful at hosting events and comedy showcases, and I’m very keen to replicate some of that at The Cricketers and increase that portfolio and the community reach the venue already has. I’m really excited for the future and look forward to welcoming people who haven’t visited in a few years through the doors.”

Mike Haygarth, Area Director of Croeso Pubs, said of Dave’s appointment: “What Dave and his team achieved at the North Star speaks for itself really – he made it a “go to” venue for students and locals alike in Maindy. We are over the moon that he’s joined our management team and can’t wait to see what he does at The Cricketers.”

Croeso Pubs Ltd has a great track record of breathing new life into city centre venues and turning failing community pubs into local hubs. In 2017, it took over the lease for The Philharmonic following a £1million refurbishment, transforming it into Cardiff’s most popular nightspot. Croeso Pubs also took over former Brains’ pub 33 Windsor Place in December 2022 and reopened it as the Daffodil, and in 2021, it refurbished the former Goat Major pub on High Street, opposite Cardiff Castle, and reinstated it to its original name Blue Bell, further extending it in 2024.

For more information about Croeso Pubs Ltd and its venues, visit: https://croesopubsltd.co.uk/

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