LYDNEY cricketer Steve James produced the innings of his life for Glam-organ against Suss-ex last week.
Steve amassed a remarkable 309 not out in the County Championship match at one of his favourite grounds, Colwyn Bay, and in the process smashed a string of records reaching back over 60 years.
•He broke the previous best ever individual Glamorgan score of 287 achieved by Emerys Davies in 1939.
•He became the first Glamorgan player ever to score a triple century.
•He became the first Glamorgan player to score five double centuries.
•He shared the club's best ever opening partnership, as he and Australian Matt Elliott put on 374 for the first wicket to better the previous best of 330 achieved by Roy Fredericks and Alan Jones in 1972.
Steve, son of Peter and Margaret James, owners of the well known sports shop in Lydney, helped Glamorgan to their best ever score of 718 for three.
His Colwyn Bay innings was achieved in 409 balls and included 41 boundaries. His previous best was an unbeaten innings of 259 against Nottinghamshire last summer.
His innings has brought huge praise in the Welsh media and a clutch of congratulatory messages from his many friends in the Forest of Dean and Monmouth where he went to school.
Former rugby playing colleagues at Lydney where Steve enjoyed a couple of seasons as full-back, have also been full of praise.
"Most Lydney people look at the Glamorgan score to see how Steve has done before they check on Gloucestershire. He is highly regarded at the club and we are always keen to check his progress. Steve also checks our score and watches us play pretty regularly," said team manager Gordon Sargent.