[2] After spending a brief period living in the United States, Ryan served in the First World War with the Royal Flying Corps.
His associate was aware of Ryan's struggles with drink, instead recommending him to contact Jack Nash at Glamorgan, who were in the process of strengthening their bowling attack.
[6] After a two-day walk to Cardiff from Bristol, he was directed on foot to Swansea where Glamorgan were playing their next match; having made the journey in torrential rain, he arrived at the ground soaked.
[2][7] Ryan made his debut for Glamorgan in a friendly first-class match against a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities team at Cardiff in 1922.
He also played for Wales against Scotland at Perth,[3] making what would be his only first-class half century (52 not out) and sharing in a partnership of 90 for the tenth wicket with Dennis Sullivan.
[8] In his first season in South Wales, he forged what would become a successful bowling partnership with Johnnie Clay and Jack Mercer.
[12] Following the 1926 season, Ryan once again resorted to heavy drinking, with his social exploits beginning to impact his performances, much to the annoyance of the Glamorgan hierarchy.
During one match he became so drunk in the evening that he forgot which hotel the team were staying at and spent the night sleeping under the covers[broken anchor],[7] while on another occasion following a match against Lancashire, he drank so heavily throughout the night that he had to make his own way back to Swansea by taxi, for which he provided a receipt to the county treasurer for reimbursement.
[13] Glamorgan suffered a poor 1928 County Championship littered with defeats, with their captain Trevor Arnott struggling to control Ryan's attitude and short-temper, leading to him being dropped in late July and early August in an attempt to create a more harmonious team environment.
[10] With Clay and Maurice Turnbull replacing Arnott as captain, his attitude improved, and he returned to form with the ball in the coming seasons.
[10] His drinking and resultant struggle with finances was well known to Turnbull, who would intercept Ryan from the train when the team returned to Cardiff Central from away matches and give him some money as a "bonus" for fine bowling performances, not only to motivate him, but to also create an illusion to Ryan's wife that he was not drinking away his match fees.
[1] Ryan was described by The Times as "tall, with a high easy action" who "combined appreciable break with accuracy and on his day bore comparison with the best bowlers of his type".