Cricket legend’s incredible length-of-Wales walk in WELLIES for son’s foundation

By Tom Lea

GLAMORGAN Cricket Club head coach Matthew Maynard is currently walking 230 miles from Cardiff to Colwyn Bay….in a pair of Wellington boots!

Maynard is undertaking the incredible journey to raise money for the Tom Maynard Trust, a foundation set up in 2012 to honour his son, Tom, following his tragic death.

Exposport.co.uk joined Maynard at the start of the walk, when his passion for the challenge and cause for all too evident.

“I’m excited but also a bit nervous, it’s obviously something that I’ve never really done before,” he said.

“These kind of distances day in, day out will be a challenge but I’m looking forward to it, driven by the legacy of our Tom.”

The route to Colwyn Bay was significant as it is the sight of Tom’s professional cricketing debut. He was part of a Glamorgan team that took on Gloucestershire Gladiators in a Friends Provident Trophy fixture at the age of just 18.

Maynard’s walk will see him take on the three highest peaks in Wales, an arduous challenge which isn’t lost on the former England batsman, who said: “I started in January with the prep, so that’s 10 months give or take

“I’ve been through a fair few pairs of wellies to find the best and most suitable ones for the trip.

“There’s been plenty of miles covered so I’d like to think I’m as prepared as I can be, and we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Maynard, who will always be a Glamorgan legend having played for the club for 20 years and won England honours as a swashbuckling batsman, is naturally hoping the weather is kind for his challenge.

He added: “With the hills, we’re just hoping for clear days so you can really enjoy the scenery.

“I did Merthyr to Brecon as a trial the other day and seeing the red kites in the valleys below you was just spectacular, so fingers crossed that the weather is good for those days which I’ve been told it should be.”

And it the information has come from a reliable source – Derek Brockway of BBC Wales, whose Weatherman Walking show was the inspiration for Maynard’s own ‘Wellyman Walking’ effort.

The fundraising goal for the walk stands at £20,000 which will go towards a new outdoor nets area at Sophia Gardens to provide a safe environment for young children to use on match-days.

There are further fundraising events planned over the course of the next few months and if you would like to donate to the cause you can do so here.