Glamorgan's silence golden for Maynard

Tom Maynard, the Surrey batsman, was given the silent treatment on his return to Cardiff last week but responded with an emotional maiden first-class hundred against his former team-mates at Glamorgan.

The home side were told not to say a word when Maynard came to the crease even though the situation was perfectly set up for some 'chat' from the close fielders, but eventually the Glamorgan players couldn't resist having a chirp as he finished with 123 in Surrey's huge 575 for 7 declared.

"They said they were told not to speak to me," Maynard told ESPNcricinfo's Switch Hit podcast. "There was a bit of silence for a while but once I got going there were a couple of guys who chirped in with some friendly banter, but nothing malicious. They were just trying to coax me into playing one of my erratic shots."

Maynard quit Glamorgan during the acrimonious winter which saw his father, Matthew, resign in protest at how the club was being run after Alviro Petersen, the South Africa batsman, had been secretly interviewed to be the new captain in place of Jamie Dalrymple. The fixture list meant an early return to Wales for Maynard jr and he was able to reach three figures for the first time as his dad watched from the stands.

"It was fantastic to have him there," he said. "I'd like to dedicate that innings to towards the family rather than anything malicious towards the management. I'd like to be something special for us to have. It was a surreal feeling especially going into the away dressing room. I'm just delighted about the outcome it's just a shame we couldn't win the game."

Despite wanting to remember the hundred without the baggage of what happened during the winter, Maynard isn't shy at explaining why he left the club where his surname had become part of cricket history in Wales.

"I just felt I couldn't stay there with the people in charge and the management above the playing side," he said. "I couldn't stay and win games for some of the people who'd forced my father out and let the team down.

"I'm still very tight with all the players and keep in touch with them a lot. That relationship is still very strong and none of the players have any animosity towards me. A lot of them sided with me and said if they'd had the opportunity to go after what happened then they would. I took advice from a couple of the players and they said I should go."

Although scoring the hundred against Glamorgan added extra meaning Maynard was just relieved to have registered his first ton having waited 38 innings. Last season he hit a low point where he could barely score a run but now feels he has a new lease of life.

"To be honest it got to stage where I'd started so poorly in my first-class career that it couldn't get any worse so I may as well go out and play freely," he said. "It got to that stage at the back end of last year and from then on I've gone well. I'm looking forward to kicking on now this season."

The good news for Maynard is that he has another Championship match against Glamorgan at the end of May.