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Telegraph calls for Welsh Fire cricket team to be rebranded and play games outside Wales

22 Aug 2021 2 minute read
Welsh Fire star players Jonny Bairstow and Sarah Taylor

‘The Hundred’ cricket team Welsh Fire should be rebranded as Western Fire and play games outside of Cardiff, according to the Telegraph’s main cricket correspondents.

The Welsh Fire men’s and women’s team, who play out of Sofia Gardens in Cardiff, finished 7th and 8th in the eight-team league.

Under a joint byline, the Telegraph’s cricket correspondents  said that the team should represent south-west England as well as Wales.

“The number of teams does not have to be increased from eight: the talent is spread thinly enough as it is, although the standard should rise if Covid restrictions ease and more starry names from overseas can attend,” they wrote.

“But the South-West, one of England’s great cricket hotbeds, is completely excluded at present. So turn Welsh Fire – and it is not as if they have set Wales on fire, judging by the team’s performances or the crowds that have gone to the Swalec Stadium – into Western Fire, and have them play at Cardiff, Bristol and perhaps Taunton.”

The article did not mention that Welsh Fire’s crowds were capped for much of the season at just over 3,000 by Welsh government regulations.

Despite their name Welsh Fire represent Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Somerset. ‘Western Fire’ was registered as a trademark on behalf of the organisers, in the hope of attracting more supporters from the West of England rather than exclusively from Wales.

However, organisers ultimately plumped for Welsh Fire.


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Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas
2 years ago

Set up another team then no one in Wales will go to see western fire

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

And that’s how you put people in Wales off imperialist cricket for good.

Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

Yes let’s bring back Welsh baseball introduce it in schools and push it as uniquely Welsh

Penderyn
Penderyn
2 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Thomas

well its called Welsh rounders

Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas
2 years ago
Reply to  Penderyn

I do believe it was called baseball It was played in Cardiff and Newport the ladies league still exists and there was a game against England annually

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

And while we are at it, lets start calling England France instead.

defaid
defaid
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

“Lowest Saxony”.

j humphrys
j humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  GW Atkinson

East Wales?

Martin Hughes
Martin Hughes
2 years ago

Is John Redwood editing the Telegraph ?
now??

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago
Reply to  Martin Hughes

Makes a change from miming it I suppose.

Penderyn
Penderyn
2 years ago

Are we still listening to these pompous colonialists in the media? Bad times haha

Penderyn
Penderyn
2 years ago

Welsh language in second place is pointless…….I read whatever is first….first…..might as well be Welsh ..people who dont speak Welsh can just skip it.
Welsh second makes me read things twice

Franchize
Franchize
2 years ago

I agree with the Torygraph.

Call the team “Western something” and let them play in Gloucestershire / Somerset.

It will be no less and no more Welsh than it is now.

defaid
defaid
2 years ago

Let’s invite Cornwall instead. Then we can satisfy the Torygraph’s desire to eradicate all mention of Wales by rebranding as Celtic Fire.

George
George
2 years ago

What is going on at the Telegraph? Where do they find people to say that “Welsh Fire” is bad but “ECB” is fine?

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
2 years ago

There’s so much unionist symbolism being fired at Wales from these London rags and the Westminster Government at the moment (“Western Fire”, “Great British Trains, “our” English national anthem, union jacks on Welsh public buildings, etc.) that it must be a deliberate and concerted propaganda campaign. But do they seriously believe that it’s going to rope Welsh — or Scottish — people back into the unionist fold? Pro-independence sympathy might only represent a quarter of the Welsh population atm, but the genie’s out of the bottle.

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

This isn’t about cricket but about how how Wales is treated as a nation – and it’s getting more and more sh*t. We’ll hit them for six upon independence, they’ll be stumped by how we’ve become so successful in the future!

Kevin Morgan
Kevin Morgan
2 years ago

Although it would be good to broaden the playing field, It depends if those areas still identify as being a part of Wales. South West England used to be part of Wales last I remember. The G7 Summit in Cornwall not long ago was technically in Wales, not England. I recall there were a few other areas just north of Wales’ border that is still part of Wales aswell, all of which has somehow become lost, but not forgotten. Maybe we should ask a fact checker to refresh people’s memory’s. As a child I was always a bit blown away… Read more »

Rob
Rob
2 years ago

I am Welsh, not English. Wales should have its own team.

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