GIVING talented North Wales players a pathway into Minor Counties and First Class cricket is the main target for Russell Penrhyn-Jones.

The former Brymbo player set up the North Wales representative side with the aim of developing talented players in the region and he is looking for the Wales National County (North) set-up to continue to go from strength-to-strength.

Speaking to the CC4 Museum of Welsh cricket podcast, the North Wales team manager said: “I think in the modern game, there’s six cricketers from North Wales who’ve played for Glamorgan.

“That isn’t enough. I think, over the years, there’s been lots of cricketers that could play for Glamorgan (and) haven’t had the opportunity.”

Over the past couple of seasons, North Wales players Jason Foulkes, Will Ryan and Harrison Jones have been selected to represent Wales and Penrhyn-Jones is keen to see this trend continuing.

“It’s just giving youngsters a better opportunity,” he added.

“A more productive opportunity. You know, instead of travelling seven hours, you can travel an hour and have six hours in the nets is the way I look at it.

“North Wales is a big, big region and it’s created a lot of cricketers over the years that have not been recognised and if you go back to the 1930s, Denbighshire was in the Minor County Championship.

“So, we’ve got a history of creating cricketers in this region. The counties of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Caernarfonshire, Montgomeryshire, Merionethshire, Anglesey - they’ve produced a lot of cricketers over the years and I don’t see why we can’t do that again.”

A vital development has been setting up a North Wales under-19s’ team.

“My hope is that it’s sustained,” added Penrhyn-Jones.

“That’s the key thing for me, whether it’s me driving it, it’s sustained.

“We do it and we do it well, which we are doing it well now.

“We will see everything develop quickly. We’ll see better players and we’ll see more players getting to a Minor County set-up and even first class.”

“I don’t want players who have so much talent, I don’t want it to be wasted,” added Penrhyn-Jones.

“I want to try and make sure that they’ve got the opportunity to do great things like Dewi (Penrhyn-Jones) did, like Will Owen’s done.

“That is what drives me and that’s what I got from the game and I want to pass that back.

“I want to make sure that I give these lads and girls... the opportunity.”

Long serving off-spinning all-rounder Andrew Salter will leave Glamorgan at the end of the season and retire from professional cricket to concentrate on opportunities away from the game.

Salter debuted in one-day cricket in 2012, playing a prominent role the following season in the club making the one-day Lord’s final.

He made his first-class debut at Swansea in 2013 taking the wicket of Shiv Thakor with his first ball.