Captains Log

Captain Gareth Edwards

2026 promises to be yet another adventure aboard the good ship Wales Over-40s and I am extremely honoured to have been asked to lead the team as captain once again. This year will be my 3rd season at the helm and will culminate with the World Cup in Guyana in October. Ahead of that, we have a number of games during our summer including the annual Home Nations tournament, this year with England our hosts. 

During my tenure as captain we have managed to finish 2nd twice in the Home Nations, firstly in Newport in '24 and then last year up in Stirling. On both occasions we have performed admirably and possibly punched above our weight. In 2024 we also embarked on our first World Cup adventure in Cape Town. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life in cricket particularly our win over Canada. In truth, we were highly competitive and could - maybe even should - have won at least one or more games in the tournament. 

This year our World Cup foray takes us to mainland South America where once again we will go in as one of the minnows of the tournament. However, I am very confident with the squad we have selected that we can not only be competitive but really stamp our name on the world stage. Obviously the sheer volume of players to choose from for some of the bigger Test playing nations put them at a distinct advantage. But the togetherness and squad camaraderie that we have plus plenty of cricketing ability stands us in very good stead. 

The trip to Georgetown, Guyana will be an incredibly exciting life experience for all those involved. But, it shouldn't be underestimated what is required in order to allow that to happen. Supportive families, time off work and all of our players are self-funded. As a group we will be working hard to raise funds between now and October to try and make sure that there are as few barriers for players as possible. 

The commitment shown by the players and support staff throughout the Wales 40s section is admirable. The fact that so many Welsh players are still going strong and playing club cricket at this age I think is brilliant. Remember you don't stop playing cricket when you get too old, you get too old when you stop playing cricket. 

Diolch 

Gareth