The Cricketers, Pontcanna, Cardiff

Visited 19/03/25. Visited previously on 11/04/18 Three beers on hand pump - J Buckley Best, the seasonal Fly Half from Evan Evans and the stronger Sea Scape from Evan Evans also. Keg was Asahi, Peroni, Liberty lager, Redhog original and the berry fruit ciders, and Guinness. Lovely townhouse sort of venue, long venue from the paved front area on leafy Cathedral Rd. Venue is boarded at the front and apart from the skirt along the bar counter on the left-hand wall mid-room, the rear is carpeted. The rear part to the right of the bar counter is more set up for diners with regular tables and chairs and a leather banquette along the right-hand wall that becomes wood panelled towards the rear. There is an outside seating area at the back with traditional picnic benches on a paved area. The front part of the venue is nice and casual with a mixture of sofas and fabric banquettes, plenty of board games and an unused (on my visit) fire grate on the right-hand wall. Recall having a bit of a sesh in here in June 2009 after the first days play in the England v Australia test match at nearby Sophia Gardens, the first day’s test cricket played there (not that it ever became a regular test venue).

Meeting two of my Luton Town friends here before the game felt more like a wake than getting ready for a crucial match, and it was only the thought of staying sober enough to drive back to our respective beds that actually persuaded us to walk 25 minutes to the stadium. It was quieter here than I expected, after previous Saturday visits, but this was a Tuesday and there were no other football fans here. The beers were well kept but all rather malty and light on the hops, in the Welsh style. This is a good pub, and if we could have called in after the game to celebrate a famous victory, we'd have set the place on fire.

The Cricketers is an Evan Evans pub on a pleasant tree-lined road out of Cardiff, near to the Sophia Gardens cricket ground. The sign outside the pub was unlit when we arrived. So, we weren't quite sure whether or not it was open. However, we did find a handful of others inside the pub on entering. Despite being quite late in the day, a few were still eating, whilst there were also drinkers. It's a long, thin room that is quite cosy, with the bar down the left-hand side. Toilets are upstairs. All of the ales were from Evan Evans. Warrior & Cwrw are the regular beers. Sea Scape & Seadog were the seasonal beers on offer.