On July 5th 2014, Stephen and Ellis Hedges, son and grandson of ex Glamorgan cricketer Bernard Hedges, will begin a 1,050 mile walk around the perimeter of Wales.
The walk will follow the Wales Coastal Path and Offa’s Dyke and will climb a height equivalent to over four times that of Everest, lasting approximately 51 days. All money raised by the walk will go to supporting the development of cricket in Wales. The target set by Stephen and Ellis is £10,000.
Bernard Hedges was born in Pontypridd in 1927. He was a gifted sportsman who showed his talent on the rugby field and the cricket pitch. He played rugby for Pontypridd and Swansea. In 1950, he made his debut for Glamorgan and played for eighteen seasons, amassing nearly 18,000 runs. He remains seventh in the all-time run scorers list for the county.
He was the first Glamorgan batsman to ever score a hundred in one day cricket winning a Gillette Cup man of the Match Gold Medal in 1963. The medal is now held by the Museum of Welsh cricket at the SWALEC stadium. On news of his death earlier this year, he was variously described as ‘outstanding’, ‘a great games player’ and ‘a great bloke’. Like many stalwarts of the County Game in his era, Bernard would not have recognised these descriptions.
He was a very humble man who simply played his sport for the love of it. He epitomised the grit and determination of the many Welsh sportsman who came from the Valleys. The way he met his death from bowel cancer was the way he lived his life. Quietly , with bravery and dignity. Such a life deserved to be remembered in some way.
Cricket Wales is the national governing body for junior and recreational senior cricket in Wales. It works closely with Glamorgan County Cricket Club, which governs the men’s professional game. For information visit www.cricketwales.org.uk
Chance to Shine is a charitable campaign run by the Cricket Foundation. Two million children are playing cricket today thanks to the Chance to Shine schools’ cricket campaign. It is leaving a legacy of cricket in schools and educating thousands of children at the same time. Chance to Shine will continue beyond 2015, until it has reached the remaining state schools and given every child in every school the opportunity to play competitive cricket.
The walk will begin at 10:00a.m on Saturday July 5th 2014 at Trams Café in the Mumbles Swansea. This is where Bernard spent his retirement with his wife Jean who survives him. The walk will finish there on or around Monday 25th August 2014.
