:00:18. > :00:22.Welcome to the home of cricket, where on Saturday, Glamorgan's
:00:22. > :00:29.players could win the county's first piece of silverware for nine years.
:00:29. > :00:35.So stay with us for Sport Wales at Lords, with all this to come. We hit
:00:35. > :00:45.the road with Glamorgan ahead of their big day at Lords. It's a very
:00:45. > :00:47.special occasions we have to make sure we keep level and are ready to
:00:47. > :00:50.special occasions we have to make on the big day. The renaissance man
:00:50. > :00:59.Danny Gabbidon opens up on Wales, Premier League and life away from
:00:59. > :01:02.football. You see the food of right on the pitch on Saturday and you
:01:02. > :01:07.don't really know what goes on in their personal lives. -- the
:01:07. > :01:11.footballer out on the pitch. And we preview the match between Cardiff
:01:11. > :01:15.City and big spending Spurs. So, it's 13-years since Glamorgan played
:01:15. > :01:18.in a final here at Lords, but on Saturday they face Nottinghamshire
:01:19. > :01:21.in the YB40 Final. Before then though they've played a four-day
:01:22. > :01:35.match and Sport Wales followed the Glammy boys all the way to Essex. A
:01:35. > :01:44.glamorous part is playing in the Lord's finals. It is a game that
:01:44. > :01:47.times, it is a life on the road. At this time of the season it is
:01:47. > :01:56.winding down as far as county ticketing goes. It is all about how
:01:56. > :02:05.we approached the four-day game. -- the county ticketing goes. I have
:02:05. > :02:11.mine the lawn. We are hanging around trying not to annoy each other too
:02:11. > :02:18.much. -- I have my kit on. It is tough in the number nine or ten
:02:18. > :02:26.batsmen sometimes. That is part of cricket. My wife asks what I do all
:02:26. > :02:36.be. It is about mentally visualising. This is what it is all
:02:36. > :02:41.about. It used to be in the old days a game of cards or something like
:02:41. > :02:51.that. With thick knowledges today it will be playing little game season
:02:51. > :02:55.dear. -- with technology today. The biggest challenge is trying to keep
:02:56. > :03:04.them off Twitter for a few hours. They are all into social networking.
:03:04. > :03:11.I might send a couple of e-mails or something like that but nothing too
:03:11. > :03:15.exciting. As far as they won the season has gone, it's gone extremely
:03:15. > :03:24.well. They really should have qualified. They have underperformed
:03:24. > :03:29.in county cricket. In championship cricket we have underperformed. It
:03:29. > :03:33.has been disappointing. Towards the end of year we have had to
:03:33. > :03:40.prioritising one-day cricket and rest some of the players. The change
:03:40. > :03:48.between the formats is something we're very used to doing. Hopefully
:03:49. > :03:53.that will roll on into Saturday. The head coach will leave the county the
:03:53. > :03:57.end of the season. He will return to his native Australia. The more
:03:57. > :04:05.urgency they will start looking for a new coach. It is a time limit on
:04:05. > :04:12.it. The call for home or strong which it always was. You are having
:04:12. > :04:18.a great time. I could have stayed for another couple of years or get
:04:18. > :04:22.back, my young fella is starting school in January in Australia so
:04:22. > :04:27.that was a pretty big one. It is a bittersweet moment to be honest.
:04:28. > :04:33.We've obviously had a couple of tough years. At times we have
:04:33. > :04:38.recruited quite well. We are on the verge of winning a title. It's
:04:38. > :04:43.probably been an eventful three years. I will look back on it with a
:04:43. > :04:49.lot of pride and joy. You have in some good moments in the. If we go
:04:49. > :04:57.to cap won Lord's on Saturday and win a trophy it will be a great week
:04:57. > :05:05.to sign off. -- a great way to sign off. Successful periods are
:05:05. > :05:10.hopefully the norm rather than the exception. We will find him for the
:05:10. > :05:23.things he has put in place during his time. -- thank M. It is like an
:05:23. > :05:30.FA Cup final. Nerves play the part. Hopefully the will do their best and
:05:30. > :05:38.give a good account for themselves. The batsmen had signed a new
:05:38. > :05:43.four-year deal with the club. We have to practice our one-day skills.
:05:43. > :05:49.I thought we would have a couple of weeks training in Cardiff rather
:05:49. > :05:51.than that capable weather out on the Australian coast! It is a big
:05:51. > :05:59.build-up with a lot of hype, you have got to enjoy that. If you shy
:05:59. > :06:02.away from it it is not for you. Jones has confirmed he will retire
:06:02. > :06:12.from first-class cricket after Saturday. He hopes to continue
:06:12. > :06:17.playing cricket. I am 34, not getting any younger. I want to try
:06:17. > :06:25.to target the G20's and see where that takes me. There's a huge date
:06:26. > :06:28.of expectation and that the main that takes me. There's a huge date
:06:28. > :06:33.thing the boys have to deal with. There will be a great number of fans
:06:34. > :06:40.bear who will travel up. It is huge for everyone. Hopefully we can bring
:06:40. > :06:47.some decent silverware back to Wales. We have had a tough couple of
:06:47. > :06:52.years. People have been rightly critical of us. We have not
:06:52. > :06:59.performed as well as we could. We will do the job at the end of the
:06:59. > :07:02.day and what will be will be. And you can hear ball-by-ball commentary
:07:02. > :07:07.of Glamorgan's final on Radio Wales on Saturday. To football matter now
:07:07. > :07:10.and on Saturday Swansea face this Crystal Palace side likely to
:07:10. > :07:13.include a Welshman who's making something of a comeback, he's back
:07:13. > :07:21.playing for Wales after retiring from international football and he's
:07:21. > :07:32.back in the Premier League big time. So, Ian Hunt went on a Palace visit
:07:32. > :07:36.with Danny Gabbidon. What do you know and what do you see on the
:07:36. > :07:47.surface? Danny Gabbidon, Premier League star. Wales international for
:07:47. > :07:54.the past 11 years. Talented, successful, well rewarded. What you
:07:54. > :07:58.do not see is the darkness. The physical and mental struggles, the
:07:58. > :08:03.personal problems that remind you footballers are only human like the
:08:03. > :08:10.rest of us. Danny Gabbidon has come through times like those. It's been
:08:10. > :08:16.cut off. I'm not going to live. My first season and a half I lead
:08:16. > :08:22.really well. Some of the best food all I played in my career. -- I lead
:08:22. > :08:28.really well. Then I had an injury and I ended up being out for another
:08:28. > :08:34.season and a half. I just felt useless. I was picking up my wages
:08:34. > :08:40.but not burning them, that's what it felt like. I wouldn't see it was
:08:40. > :08:46.like depression or anything like that but I had some personal stuff
:08:46. > :08:55.off the pitch as well. I had away fat tea-time. I don't have now. -- I
:08:55. > :09:03.had a wife at the time. I don't have now. We got forced. That played a
:09:03. > :09:09.big part. -- we got divorced. I don't want to go into it but I was
:09:10. > :09:13.trouble we focusing on my efforts to get fit and you probably don't
:09:13. > :09:20.realise what is going on in your head. You think everything's OK but
:09:20. > :09:28.you're not. For a while I was pretty low with that and the food all side
:09:28. > :09:31.of things as well. They do not realise how hard you have to work
:09:31. > :09:37.and what goes on in your personal life? The fans like Twitter and
:09:37. > :09:44.stuff like that because you get to know a little bit more about the
:09:44. > :09:49.footballer. As you see, what you see is the footballer on the pitch every
:09:49. > :09:58.Saturday. You don't really know what goes on so much in their personal
:09:58. > :10:03.lives. Yes, I am human being. I go through the same issues, life
:10:03. > :10:07.issues, that everyone else does. For me it is just a case of trying to
:10:07. > :10:15.get back and moving everyone wrong. People were saying I would not come
:10:15. > :10:19.back. I knew myself if I worked hard and kept focused and was strong
:10:19. > :10:26.mentally then I would come back and play. I have done that. You live and
:10:26. > :10:30.learn. I think I'm a better person for all the things that have
:10:30. > :10:35.happened -- happened. There was a brief dalliance with QPR before
:10:35. > :10:41.Crystal Palace offered a lifeline when he was out of work. Last week a
:10:41. > :10:54.first competitive Wales game for 2.5 years. Life is good at the minute.
:10:54. > :10:59.Just seeing the setup, the players who are coming through, it is really
:10:59. > :11:08.exciting. Me still to be part of is great for me. You sound like the old
:11:08. > :11:13.man of the team now? Yes, I would then that same situation. That is
:11:13. > :11:21.part of my role now to give advice to the young dad -- the young lads.
:11:21. > :11:27.There are so many of them. It's not just about me playing in the team
:11:27. > :11:33.now. I have to try and educate the young lads as well and make them
:11:33. > :11:42.feel part of the squad. There will soon be the union with the club that
:11:42. > :11:50.launched his career, Cardiff City. Cardiff face Swansea at the weekend.
:11:50. > :11:55.Were probably one of my favourite teams in the week to watch playing
:11:55. > :11:59.football. I see a couple of the lads, Welsh team-mates who I play
:11:59. > :12:06.with, it's great to see Ben Davies doing so well and Ashley Williams.
:12:06. > :12:12.It is an interesting fixture with us being at home. We need to try and
:12:12. > :12:18.win our home games if we're going to stay in the league. I want to help
:12:18. > :12:22.the team stay in the Premier league. If the legs can do another year in
:12:22. > :12:29.the Premier league that would be fantastic. That would be me back
:12:29. > :12:32.playing against the top players and the top teams. I maybe did not think
:12:32. > :12:38.that would happen at this stage in my career. It is great for me. I am
:12:38. > :12:43.enjoying it and we will see where the game takes me. It's great to
:12:43. > :12:54.have a former English international join us now. Find you for joining
:12:54. > :13:02.us. Pleasure. Danny Gabbidon back to form, as he surprised you of late? I
:13:02. > :13:06.think he went through a dip in form and that coincided with injuries. He
:13:06. > :13:12.looks like he is enjoying his football. When you get to an age
:13:12. > :13:15.that you know time is against you you really want to relish every
:13:15. > :13:23.moment in your profession. He is back to form in fit this. How he
:13:23. > :13:28.responds to that is all credit to him. We've got to talk about the
:13:28. > :13:35.game on Monday night, Swansea against Liverpool. A point for the
:13:35. > :13:41.Swans, should it have been free? Liver pool played well in the
:13:41. > :13:45.first-half. Swansea came back at in the second half. I think the will be
:13:45. > :13:53.disappointed they did not win the game. And Shelby, everyone was
:13:53. > :13:57.talking about him on Twitter. What about the characters he showed in
:13:57. > :14:06.that second half? How important will he be for Swansea's success? Years
:14:06. > :14:11.important in the whole machine of Swansea. He has come in as an astute
:14:11. > :14:20.signing. We talked about characters in the game. Shelby to showed great
:14:20. > :14:25.character coming back in. He imposed himself on the game and that is
:14:25. > :14:35.exactly what you want to see. Flores and Williams, how important are the
:14:35. > :14:40.two the club's success? Consistency of performance and partnership,
:14:40. > :14:53.centre have so as well, you need to ill as strong and good relationship
:14:53. > :14:57.with Europe at the alongside you. Crystal Palace this weekend for
:14:57. > :15:08.Swansea, do they really need to win this one? Crystal Palace are newly
:15:08. > :15:13.promoted, a lot of new players, a tough game. It is one Swansea should
:15:13. > :15:17.come out on top of. We will talk more, shortly.
:15:17. > :15:21.Do you know someone who goes the extra mile to help others take part
:15:21. > :15:27.in sports question not if you would like to nominate your Sport's Unsung
:15:27. > :15:29.Hero, who has to be a volunteer and 16 or over at the start of the year,
:15:29. > :15:46.please go to the website. Now to a sport where Wales can
:15:46. > :15:51.justifiably claim to be the best in the world. Welsh women have one four
:15:51. > :15:56.world triathlon titles since the turn-of-the-century, that is four
:15:56. > :16:01.from 13 World Championships. After Leanda Cave and Helen Jenkins, our
:16:01. > :16:06.latest world champion was crowned last Sunday. Gareth Rhys Owen went
:16:06. > :16:13.to meet a new Welsh sporting icon Non Stanford.
:16:13. > :16:19.There is no bathing in the Serpentine for a reason. It is
:16:19. > :16:23.freezing here, even in September. But last weekend Non Stanford
:16:23. > :16:30.emerged from the lake in Hyde Park as world champion. From the deep
:16:30. > :16:34.walkers of San Diego to London, the World Triathlon Series came to a
:16:34. > :16:41.conclusion on a drizzly morning in Hyde Park with a 1500 metres swim, a
:16:41. > :16:44.40 kilometre bike ride and ten K run between Non Stanford and the world
:16:44. > :16:49.title. It is pretty cool to be back here, not quite in the same
:16:49. > :16:54.situation as a week ago but it is more chilled out, which are like.
:16:54. > :16:57.How was it? Fantastic. It all happened so quickly, you race and
:16:57. > :17:03.the weather is pretty miserable, drizzly and cold and grey, but we
:17:03. > :17:06.always said that would work to our advantage. Everyone is in the same
:17:06. > :17:10.position. If I am cold, everybody is cold. On the last lap on my bike I
:17:10. > :17:14.was trying to move my feet in my shoes because I knew I had to run,
:17:14. > :17:19.but when I jumped off I could not feel my feet. It was like running on
:17:19. > :17:24.stumps or pins. Not pleasant. She was given a 15 second penalty after
:17:24. > :17:29.not dropping her wet suit in the right box. With the 15 second
:17:29. > :17:32.penalty I had to go out hard. The crowd was so loud, it drowned out
:17:32. > :17:35.the sound of my breathing and it helped numb the pain.
:17:35. > :17:39.COMMENTATOR: She is in first position having
:17:39. > :17:45.taken her 15 second count and the crowd responding to her effort.
:17:45. > :17:51.Brilliant. A sensational race culminating in a magnificent victory
:17:51. > :17:58.for Non Stanford. Non Stanford is the champion of the world! And you
:17:58. > :18:02.know, you are world champion. Yes, it is pretty cool. It has not really
:18:02. > :18:07.sunk in, to be honest with you. It is quite surreal. Then you are
:18:07. > :18:11.growing up you will dream of being a world champion and look up to all
:18:11. > :18:16.the other world champions and you think they are superhuman. It is
:18:16. > :18:22.actually you in that position, you realise it is just a normal person
:18:23. > :18:28.who has worked hard and always kept believing and kept persevering. If I
:18:28. > :18:31.can do it, anybody can do it. From her early days men taught by double
:18:31. > :18:36.Olympic champion Kelly Holmes, Stamford promised to reach the top.
:18:36. > :18:39.She started on the track but moved to triathlon in her late teens,
:18:39. > :18:42.ringing the under 23 world title last year before announcing her
:18:42. > :18:47.arrival on the scenic stage with victory in Madrid earlier this
:18:47. > :18:51.summer. I did not have experience of being at the front of a senior race,
:18:51. > :18:55.so I learned fast and quickly. When I won the title last year I did not
:18:55. > :18:59.dream I would be set here as world champion a year later. It is so
:19:00. > :19:05.unbelievable. Non Stanford is standing on the shoulders of giants
:19:05. > :19:11.in terms of Welsh giants -- in terms of Welsh triathlon. Leanda Cave,
:19:11. > :19:15.Helen Jenkins were both crowned, then not a bad trio when triathlon
:19:15. > :19:19.is introduced to the Commonwealth Games next year in Glasgow. Glasgow
:19:20. > :19:24.coming up next year, some others might suggest that success is an
:19:24. > :19:27.inevitability. Wouldn't it be amazing if me, Helen and Leanda Cave
:19:27. > :19:32.were able to line up together? It would be a dream team. It would nice
:19:32. > :19:39.-- it would be nice to put on the Welsh journey and represent Wales
:19:39. > :19:43.because we don't do it very often. Life in the Premier League, still
:19:43. > :19:47.going well for new boys Cardiff City. A draw away at fellow
:19:47. > :19:53.newcomers Hull last weekend but this weekend they host a team desperate
:19:53. > :19:58.for a top four finish this season. No Gareth Bale, maybe, but on Sunday
:19:58. > :20:03.big spenders Spurs are coming to town.
:20:03. > :20:09.Back in the 1961 and 1962 season, Tottenham Hotspur were reigning FA
:20:09. > :20:14.Cup and league champions with a team made up of legendary names such as
:20:14. > :20:16.Danny Bunch flower, Dave Mackay and Cliff Jones. The bobbing
:20:16. > :20:20.COMMENTATOR: Jones.
:20:20. > :20:25.But the last time Cardiff City played them in the top flight of
:20:25. > :20:29.English league, now the latest generation of Spurs include some of
:20:29. > :20:32.the star names brought in after a £110 million summer spending spree
:20:32. > :20:37.bankrolled mainly by the sale of Gareth Bale to real Madrid. You lose
:20:37. > :20:41.one player and a potential matchwinner, but if you have four or
:20:41. > :20:45.six can share the load, some of those five or six might be not so
:20:45. > :20:50.great but that is what we will see over the season, we will find out.
:20:50. > :20:55.Turner has retained his place in the side and the man who joined the club
:20:55. > :21:00.from Coventry for a fee of £750,000 two years ago has struck up a good
:21:00. > :21:06.understanding with Stephen Hawker, the £8 million summer signing from
:21:06. > :21:09.Tottenham. As he said anything about looking forward to facing his old
:21:09. > :21:13.team? I am sure he is excited about it more than the other games,
:21:13. > :21:18.because it is his old club and he will hopefully get one over on them
:21:18. > :21:21.but he is quite cool about it and he thinks there are areas we can
:21:21. > :21:27.perhaps hurt them as well so we have to be positive about how we approach
:21:27. > :21:30.the game. Turner and the arrival of Caulker has meant no starting place
:21:30. > :21:36.Mark Hudson and some fans have been unhappy about the club captain not
:21:36. > :21:41.being the team. How is Mark about that? To be honest he has been
:21:41. > :21:46.fantastic. He is one of the best prose we have at the club. That is
:21:46. > :21:49.why he is the captain and he had a great season. Just saying those
:21:49. > :21:54.things, it makes you think, why isn't he in the team? I have said
:21:54. > :21:58.before, I am a big fan, when I came to the club he has been my main
:21:58. > :22:02.partner up until the start of this season and I have played my best
:22:02. > :22:05.football next to him so far and hopefully eventually he will get his
:22:05. > :22:10.chance. Every manager wants a competition for the places. Does it
:22:10. > :22:16.make that competition more intense? Are you feeling that? Yes, obviously
:22:16. > :22:20.it is a very good player waiting to step into your place if your form
:22:20. > :22:24.drops and I have known that since the first game of the season. Just
:22:24. > :22:27.because he has been signed, the manager has signed players who he
:22:27. > :22:31.has used when they are in form and not when they are not informed, so
:22:31. > :22:36.no one is safe. I know that more than anyone. Cardiff's opening-day
:22:36. > :22:39.defeat was followed by an outstanding win against Manchester
:22:39. > :22:43.City and cause against Everton and Hull in their last two games.
:22:44. > :22:50.COMMENTATOR: That is the equaliser, a lovely
:22:50. > :22:54.move. Four games, five points, are you satisfied? I think it is a good
:22:54. > :22:59.start. We have been beaten once in four games, the first game where I
:22:59. > :23:04.think we had signed players later on in the week and we didn't have time
:23:04. > :23:09.to drive and we were like rabbits and -- we were like rabbits in the
:23:09. > :23:12.headlights at West Ham. Over half the football we have played has been
:23:12. > :23:22.competitive and at times we have played very well. For you personally
:23:22. > :23:24.what has been the biggest difference, playing in the Premier
:23:24. > :23:26.League? Only one clean sheet, largely down to the standard of the
:23:26. > :23:29.finishing at the Premier League. In the championship, if you had a lapse
:23:29. > :23:31.in concentration you had a 50-50 chance the striker will miss the
:23:31. > :23:34.in concentration you had a 50-50 chance. Now, they will punish you.
:23:35. > :23:38.Tottenham are currently third in the league with nine points, having won
:23:38. > :23:45.three of the opening four games. Their defeat was away to Arsenal. If
:23:45. > :23:47.you look at the names we are playing against at the weekend, it is
:23:47. > :23:51.exciting as it was in the build-up to the Everton game. All the games
:23:51. > :23:56.have been big players playing. As soon as you come out of the tunnel
:23:56. > :24:01.it is very much then just 11 men against 11 men and you have to get
:24:01. > :24:03.your game face on. If we continue to do that enjoy the fact we are
:24:03. > :24:07.playing against some superstars of the game that you love playing, but
:24:07. > :24:12.at the same time soon as you cross the line you know it is a man and
:24:12. > :24:15.you can get the better of him on your day. That will stand us in good
:24:15. > :24:23.stead. John Scales, time now to talk about
:24:23. > :24:27.Cardiff City. What have you made of the new boys? Very impressed. They
:24:27. > :24:32.are playing well, playing with some confidence. The home games we know
:24:32. > :24:36.at Cardiff, with the crowd and the support is really crucial, as it was
:24:36. > :24:40.last year. It is going to be crucial this year. Teams are going to not
:24:40. > :24:43.fear going down there but it will be that 12th man for Cardiff, they will
:24:43. > :24:48.make that count. I think defensively they are going to be good and
:24:48. > :24:52.strong. I think in that final third line, the promoted teams and one or
:24:52. > :24:56.two others, it is all about goals, goals, goals. Who is their main
:24:57. > :25:01.goal-scorer, their main threat? It is going to be interesting who comes
:25:01. > :25:05.to the fore. Malky Mackay will want to know that those players he
:25:05. > :25:08.brought in are going to respond. Odemwingie, for example, will take
:25:08. > :25:14.the chance. He has drifted around, been unhappy where he was, is he
:25:14. > :25:19.going to be reborn and burst onto the scene? He has the ability. But
:25:19. > :25:26.he has to come from somewhere. I can't say for now there is a world
:25:26. > :25:29.in there. What you have got is hard-working -- a hard-working team,
:25:29. > :25:33.they know what their strengths are and if the players support and get
:25:33. > :25:42.into the box Rhondda brave and bold and the goals will come from one or
:25:42. > :25:45.two areas. What. What about Sunday? Are Tottenham as good without Gareth
:25:45. > :25:48.Bale? It is an impossible question to answer because only time will
:25:48. > :25:55.tell. They have gone into the market and strengthen the team well. They
:25:55. > :25:59.have a better quality of squad, the strength in depth is there for
:25:59. > :26:04.everybody to see. Can you pinpoint any weakness Mrs -- weaknesses? The
:26:04. > :26:09.two centre halves against Arsenal, they were a bit all over the place.
:26:10. > :26:14.In front of them, one or two changes in midfield, so I think Cardiff,
:26:14. > :26:17.that first half-hour for me is crucial. Make sure they play in
:26:17. > :26:20.front of them, contain them, be strong and well organised and look
:26:20. > :26:25.to hit them on the break and they have the players to do that. Score
:26:25. > :26:30.prediction starting with Cardiff? I would say a draw. I don't think
:26:30. > :26:35.Spurs will go there and win. I give Cardiff the nod on a point, possibly
:26:35. > :26:39.sneak a win. And Swansea? What about their trip to Crystal Palace?
:26:39. > :26:45.Swansea, I would expect to get a result. It is early days for Crystal
:26:45. > :26:48.Palace and Swansea, for me, they are top half Premier League team. John
:26:48. > :26:53.Scales, it has been a pleasure to have you on Sport Wales. Thank you
:26:53. > :26:59.very much. Thank you. . Is it for this evening but before
:26:59. > :27:04.I go, time to tell you about the Wales Sport Awards. They are your
:27:04. > :27:08.chance to nominate someone who thinks deserves rough -- recognition
:27:08. > :27:10.for all their efforts throughout the year. You can find details on the
:27:10. > :27:17.website, www.walessportawards.co.uk. The
:27:17. > :27:23.closing date for your nominations is the 13th of October. That is it for
:27:23. > :27:25.tonight. We're back next Friday at 7pm. Until then, from Lord's, good
:27:26. > :27:39.luck, Glamorgan! Steve Watkin and Ward has got a
:27:39. > :27:45.neck, yes! Croft, a bit short, Morris takes the
:27:45. > :27:56.catch. The West Indian batsmen, a great
:27:56. > :28:04.catch, Adrian Dale. Has that swung it Glamorgan's way?
:28:04. > :28:19.# It's such a perfect day #. That's going away. Oh, Richards has
:28:20. > :28:33.launched this over long off. It is short, he has got a top edge!
:28:33. > :28:36.Glamorgan are the Sunday league champions! These are dramatic scenes
:28:36. > :28:43.at Canterbury!