Glamorgan’s former England batter and ECB boss Hugh Morris dies aged 62

Hugh Morris, the former England and Glamorgan batter who went on to hold senior positions with both country and county, has died aged 62.

Morris became Glamorgan’s youngest ever captain aged 22 before returning to the role later in his career, leading them to the Sunday League title in 1993, their first trophy in 24 years.

The recipient of three Test caps in 1991, where he was unable to make much of an impression as he averaged 19.16, Morris also led England A on tours of South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

After ending a 17-year playing career in 1997 that yielded 19,785 first-class runs opening the batting at an average of 40.29, Morris had a series of off-field roles at the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Following a stint as deputy and acting chief executive, Morris served as England’s first managing director from 2007 to 2013, which coincided with the men’s team reaching number one in the Test rankings, winning three Ashes series as well as the 2010 T20 World Cup.

Morris returned to south Wales in 2013 and enjoyed nine years as Glamorgan chief executive. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2022, which spread to his liver, and the county announced his death on Sunday.

Devastated

Dan Cherry, who succeeded Morris as Glamorgan’s chief executive two years ago, said: “Everyone here at Glamorgan County Cricket Club and further afield are devastated on hearing the awful news about Hugh.

“As a player and administrator, Hugh led from the front. He leaves us with an outstanding legacy, not least a stadium here at Sophia Gardens of international calibre.

“(It is) a far cry from the ground when he first played for Glamorgan as a teenager – plus a Welsh Fire franchise poised for even greater success in the cricketing landscape of the 2020s and beyond.

“The club, Welsh cricket and the game as a whole has lost a great player, a tireless administrator, and a fine human being of great dignity and integrity.”

Morris, who overcame throat cancer after his diagnosis in 2002, was a patron of Heads Up, a charity which focuses on head and neck cancer, and helped to raise £300,000 over an eight-year period.

He was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to cricket and charity.