Cardiff's catcher in the deep
Thrifty Champions Trophy organisers in Cardiff have come up with a scheme to prevent too many balls being lost to the River Taff that flows behind one end of Glamorgan's ground: a man with a net in a boat
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-May-2013
Karl Chattington in his coracle gets a helping hand from Glamorgan player Owen Burgess • Glamorgan CCC
Thrifty Champions Trophy organisers in Cardiff have come up with a scheme to prevent too many balls being lost to the River Taff that flows behind one end of Glamorgan's ground: a man with a net in a boat (or, to be specific, a coracle).
With the likes of Chris Gayle - who last month hit a world-record 17 sixes during one IPL innings - Eoin Morgan and MS Dhoni expected to play in Cardiff, coracler Karl Chattington may also need a helmet to protect from flying projectiles.
The first coracle to set sail on the Taff will also save Glamorgan a few quid each time its operator fishes another ball out of the water.
"Chris Gayle is renowned for hitting sixes and with the number of big hitters appearing in the ICC Champions Trophy games in Cardiff, we just can't be too careful," Simon White, Glamorgan's finance director, said. "Although this tournament is a significant contributor to our finances we have to manage the cost of bills and every time a ball is saved that's £50 to us as a business."
The Champions Trophy will commence next Thursday in Cardiff, with India v South Africa the first of five games to be held in Wales. Despite hopes for an exciting tournament, Glamorgan can be sure no one will make too much of a splash in Wales.