 Badge of Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors (Cwmgors RFC) | |||
| Full name | Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Cherries | ||
| Founded | 1927 | ||
| Location | Cwmgors, Wales | ||
| Ground(s) | Parc-y-Werin, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen | ||
| President | Sir Gareth Edwards | ||
| Coach(es) | Gareth Davies, Dylan Richards | ||
| Captain(s) | Jordan S | ||
| League(s) | WRU Division 4 West Central | ||
| 2023/24 | 10th [1] | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
|
www | |||
Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors (English: Cwmgors RFC) is a rugby union club that represents the villages of Cwmgors, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Tairgwaith,[ citation needed] South West Wales. They currently play in the Admiral National League Division 4 West Central. The team is known as The Cherries or Cherry Bee’s in reference to their Cherry and White home kit colours.
Cwmgors RFC was officially founded in 1927, and has been a member of the Welsh Rugby Union since 1938. Cwmgors is a feeder club for the Ospreys. [2]
1895-1927 Curwen Stars
Although Cwmgors RFC did not come into existence until 1927 rugby had been played in the town from 1895. A team called the All Blacks was formed in the town in 1895, this team would later change its name to the Curwen Stars. The Curwen Stars joined the Llanelli and District Rugby Union in 1900, and eventually joined the Welsh Rugby Union in 1913. In 1923 a second team formed in the village, made up from members of the Cwmgors Colliery called the 'Mond' team, named after the owner of the colliery Alfred Mond. The 'Mond' boasts future Welsh captain Claude Davey as one of its players. In 1927 both the Curwen Stars and the Mond disbanded and severed all union connections.
Founding of Cwmgors RFC 1927
During July of 1927, former prop of both the Mond Colliery Team and Curwen Stars, Mr David Pritchard called a meeting by placing notices on streetlamp posts in Cwmgors, Gwaun Cae Gurwen and surrounding areas with aspirations in establishing a new Rugby club within the village. This had a great response, particularly with the younger members of the community, and it was unanimously decided to form a team named Cwmgors Rugby Football Club which joined the Swansea and District Rugby Union. David Pritchard was asked to chair the meeting and continued in this role until 1982. During this time the club established its headquarters at the New Star Hotel in Cwmgors. [3]
1930-1940
During the 30s Cwmgors RFC yielded successes winning the ‘Jim Rapesy Cup', and in 1938 collected their first notable trophy when they won the Swansea and District Challenge Cup and that year gained membership of the Welsh Rugby Union. Notable players during this period include Claude Davey and Will Davies who both obtained Welsh Caps in 1931 and the late 30s, as well as Emrys Evans who gained caps against England, Ireland and Scotland between 1937 & 1939. Another player of this era was Welsh Middleweight Boxing Champion Tommy Davies, who was also considered a serious contender for the British Middleweight Title. [3]
1940-1950
During the 1945/46 season, the club participated in a 7-a-side tournament at Stradey Park, Llanelli. The team managed to reach the semifinals of the tournament but were knocked out due to an injury resulting in the team having to play with only 6 men. The touring New Zealand Kiwis were one of the teams in the final. Their Captain, Sherratt visited the Cwmgors changing rooms following the tournament to sympathise with the team as he felt that if they had fielded a full side, they would have reached the final. [3]
During the 1947/48 season, Cwmgors RFC beat a full Llanelli RFC side in a missionary match at Parc Howard, Cwmgors which resulted in a final score of 6 points to 3. The Llanelli team included 5 full Welsh Internationals which included Peter Rees, Handel Gravelle, Carwyn James, Stan Williams and Ossie Williams. [3]
1950-1960
In 1950 the club changed their home ground from Parc Howard to Parc y Werin where they continue to play today. They also changed their headquarters from the old public house, the New Star Hotel, to another, the Caegurwen Arms, and also began utilising the welfare hall for changing facilities. [3]
During the 1951/52 season, the club won its way through to the West Wales Rugby Union Championship Final against Skewen but were unfortunately defeated at the Vadre RFC ground. [3]
A notable Cwmgors Player from this decade was Denzil Thomas who played for Neath and was capped for Wales in 1954. Against Ireland, Denzil kicked the match winning drop goal which was also the last 4-point drop goal scored for Wales. [3]
1960-1970
The 1969/70 season saw Cwmgors RFC reach the Final of the West Wales Challenge Cup against Crynant at the Gnoll Ground, Neath. The resulting game finished at 6 points to nil to Cwmgors, the clubs first major West Wales Trophy. [3]
1970-1980
Gareth Edwards has been the clubs most recent full international player. Edwards was born in Gwanun Cae Gurwen and attended the local primary school as well as Pontardawe Technical College. He then went on to Millifield public school and eventually played for Cardiff RFC. [3]
Gareth Edwards became the youngest player to Captain Wales during this time and also became a British Lion as well as Barbarian. In 2003, in a poll of international rugby players conducted by Rugby World magazine, Edwards was declared the greatest player of all time. He is also Cwmgors RFC’s current President. [4]
Up until 1980, only three players had scored for Wales against South Africa, two of these included former Cwmgors Players, Gareth Edwards and Will Davies. The other was Cardiff RFC player, Bleddyn Williams. [3]
1990-2000
The 90’s saw on field successes for the club in 1993/94 achieving promotion from Division C West Wales Rugby Football Union to Division 7 of the National Leagues; and again in 1995/96, becoming Champions of Division 7B West of the WRU National Leagues.
Off the field, in 1994/95 the club’s headquarters, the Welfare Hall in G.C.G was demolished and reconstructed as the current clubhouse after falling into disrepair. The New Clubhouse included complete internal refurbishments, a new car park and beer garden, which was officially opened in April 1995. The clubhouse is still used today, and regularly displays entertainment including live music, comedians, and bingo. [3]
2000-2010
The early 2000s saw Cwmgors RFC victorious in 2 consecutive league titles. They were crowned Champions of WRU Division 6 West in the 2002/03 season, and again in the WRU Division 4 South West in the 2003/04 season. The 2003/04 season also saw the club win the WRU Tovali Bowl.
2010-2020
During the 2012/13 season, the club became Champions of WRU SWALEC League Division 5 South West, remaining undefeated in all but one of their league games. The following season saw the club Champions for a second consecutive season, winning the WRU SWALEC League Division 4 South West for the 2013/14 season.
The 2014/15 season saw the club relocate the majority of home fixtures to the Maerdy Playing fields as redevelopment works were carried out to Parc y Werin. This included levelling the field and a new drainage system. In August 2015, the field was officially reopened by a friendly fixture against Neath RFC. Although Neath proved triumphant in this fixture, Cwmgors were seen as competitive in a number of areas.
1st XV
- Swansea and District Challenge Cup 1938 – Winners
- West Wales RFU Challenge Cup 1969/70 – Winners
- West Wales Cup 1969/70 – Winners
- West Wales RU Section E 1987/88 – Winners
- West Wales RU Section C 1993/94 – Winners
- WRU League 7B West 1995/96 – Champions
- WRU Division Six West 2002/03 – Champions
- WRU Division Four South West 2003/04 – Champions
- WRU Tovali Bowl 2003/04 - Winners
- WRU SWALEC League Division 5 South West 2012/13 - Champions
- WRU SWALEC League Division 4 South West 2013/14 - Champions
2nd XV
- Swansea and District RU Section D Winners 1980/1
- Swansea and District RU Merit Table Winners 2005/6
Youth XV
- Amman Valley Youth RU League Winners 1968
- Amman Valley Youth RU Cup Winners 1968
- Ospreys Central Youth League Winners 2018/19
- Honorary President: Sir Gareth Edwards
- Chairman: Jeff Bright
- Vice Chairman: Brychan John
- Backs Coach: Gareth Davies
- Forwards Coach: Dylan Richards
- Team Manager: Shaun Mackey
- Assistant Team Manager: Liam Griffiths
- Fixture Secretary: Gerwyn Evans
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
|
- Note: Correct as of August 2024 [3]
-
Claude Davey (23 caps)
[5] (as part of the 'Mond' colliery team) -
Will Davies (4 caps)
[6] (as part of the 'Mond' colliery team)
-
Gareth Edwards (53 caps)
-
Emrys Evans (3 caps)
[6]
-
Denzil Thomas (1 cap)
[7]
-
Tom Pritchard
-
David Pritchard
-
Selwyn Lewis
-
Winston Jones
- ^ WRU official site Archived 30 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wales' regional rugby map". BBC News. BBC. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Canrhif o Rygbi 1895-1995 a Century of Rugby" (PDF). Cwmgors RFC. November 1994. Retrieved 26 July 2024. Cite error: The named reference "cwm" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Will Carling – My Top 50 Rugby players". The Daily Telegraph. London. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp464, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ a b Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp465, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp472, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
|
Badge of Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors (Cwmgors RFC) | |||
| Full name | Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Cherries | ||
| Founded | 1927 | ||
| Location | Cwmgors, Wales | ||
| Ground(s) | Parc-y-Werin, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen | ||
| President | Sir Gareth Edwards | ||
| Coach(es) | Gareth Davies, Dylan Richards | ||
| Captain(s) | Jordan S | ||
| League(s) | WRU Division 4 West Central | ||
| 2023/24 | 10th [1] | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
|
www | |||
Clwb Rygbi Cwmgors (English: Cwmgors RFC) is a rugby union club that represents the villages of Cwmgors, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Tairgwaith,[ citation needed] South West Wales. They currently play in the Admiral National League Division 4 West Central. The team is known as The Cherries or Cherry Bee’s in reference to their Cherry and White home kit colours.
Cwmgors RFC was officially founded in 1927, and has been a member of the Welsh Rugby Union since 1938. Cwmgors is a feeder club for the Ospreys. [2]
1895-1927 Curwen Stars
Although Cwmgors RFC did not come into existence until 1927 rugby had been played in the town from 1895. A team called the All Blacks was formed in the town in 1895, this team would later change its name to the Curwen Stars. The Curwen Stars joined the Llanelli and District Rugby Union in 1900, and eventually joined the Welsh Rugby Union in 1913. In 1923 a second team formed in the village, made up from members of the Cwmgors Colliery called the 'Mond' team, named after the owner of the colliery Alfred Mond. The 'Mond' boasts future Welsh captain Claude Davey as one of its players. In 1927 both the Curwen Stars and the Mond disbanded and severed all union connections.
Founding of Cwmgors RFC 1927
During July of 1927, former prop of both the Mond Colliery Team and Curwen Stars, Mr David Pritchard called a meeting by placing notices on streetlamp posts in Cwmgors, Gwaun Cae Gurwen and surrounding areas with aspirations in establishing a new Rugby club within the village. This had a great response, particularly with the younger members of the community, and it was unanimously decided to form a team named Cwmgors Rugby Football Club which joined the Swansea and District Rugby Union. David Pritchard was asked to chair the meeting and continued in this role until 1982. During this time the club established its headquarters at the New Star Hotel in Cwmgors. [3]
1930-1940
During the 30s Cwmgors RFC yielded successes winning the ‘Jim Rapesy Cup', and in 1938 collected their first notable trophy when they won the Swansea and District Challenge Cup and that year gained membership of the Welsh Rugby Union. Notable players during this period include Claude Davey and Will Davies who both obtained Welsh Caps in 1931 and the late 30s, as well as Emrys Evans who gained caps against England, Ireland and Scotland between 1937 & 1939. Another player of this era was Welsh Middleweight Boxing Champion Tommy Davies, who was also considered a serious contender for the British Middleweight Title. [3]
1940-1950
During the 1945/46 season, the club participated in a 7-a-side tournament at Stradey Park, Llanelli. The team managed to reach the semifinals of the tournament but were knocked out due to an injury resulting in the team having to play with only 6 men. The touring New Zealand Kiwis were one of the teams in the final. Their Captain, Sherratt visited the Cwmgors changing rooms following the tournament to sympathise with the team as he felt that if they had fielded a full side, they would have reached the final. [3]
During the 1947/48 season, Cwmgors RFC beat a full Llanelli RFC side in a missionary match at Parc Howard, Cwmgors which resulted in a final score of 6 points to 3. The Llanelli team included 5 full Welsh Internationals which included Peter Rees, Handel Gravelle, Carwyn James, Stan Williams and Ossie Williams. [3]
1950-1960
In 1950 the club changed their home ground from Parc Howard to Parc y Werin where they continue to play today. They also changed their headquarters from the old public house, the New Star Hotel, to another, the Caegurwen Arms, and also began utilising the welfare hall for changing facilities. [3]
During the 1951/52 season, the club won its way through to the West Wales Rugby Union Championship Final against Skewen but were unfortunately defeated at the Vadre RFC ground. [3]
A notable Cwmgors Player from this decade was Denzil Thomas who played for Neath and was capped for Wales in 1954. Against Ireland, Denzil kicked the match winning drop goal which was also the last 4-point drop goal scored for Wales. [3]
1960-1970
The 1969/70 season saw Cwmgors RFC reach the Final of the West Wales Challenge Cup against Crynant at the Gnoll Ground, Neath. The resulting game finished at 6 points to nil to Cwmgors, the clubs first major West Wales Trophy. [3]
1970-1980
Gareth Edwards has been the clubs most recent full international player. Edwards was born in Gwanun Cae Gurwen and attended the local primary school as well as Pontardawe Technical College. He then went on to Millifield public school and eventually played for Cardiff RFC. [3]
Gareth Edwards became the youngest player to Captain Wales during this time and also became a British Lion as well as Barbarian. In 2003, in a poll of international rugby players conducted by Rugby World magazine, Edwards was declared the greatest player of all time. He is also Cwmgors RFC’s current President. [4]
Up until 1980, only three players had scored for Wales against South Africa, two of these included former Cwmgors Players, Gareth Edwards and Will Davies. The other was Cardiff RFC player, Bleddyn Williams. [3]
1990-2000
The 90’s saw on field successes for the club in 1993/94 achieving promotion from Division C West Wales Rugby Football Union to Division 7 of the National Leagues; and again in 1995/96, becoming Champions of Division 7B West of the WRU National Leagues.
Off the field, in 1994/95 the club’s headquarters, the Welfare Hall in G.C.G was demolished and reconstructed as the current clubhouse after falling into disrepair. The New Clubhouse included complete internal refurbishments, a new car park and beer garden, which was officially opened in April 1995. The clubhouse is still used today, and regularly displays entertainment including live music, comedians, and bingo. [3]
2000-2010
The early 2000s saw Cwmgors RFC victorious in 2 consecutive league titles. They were crowned Champions of WRU Division 6 West in the 2002/03 season, and again in the WRU Division 4 South West in the 2003/04 season. The 2003/04 season also saw the club win the WRU Tovali Bowl.
2010-2020
During the 2012/13 season, the club became Champions of WRU SWALEC League Division 5 South West, remaining undefeated in all but one of their league games. The following season saw the club Champions for a second consecutive season, winning the WRU SWALEC League Division 4 South West for the 2013/14 season.
The 2014/15 season saw the club relocate the majority of home fixtures to the Maerdy Playing fields as redevelopment works were carried out to Parc y Werin. This included levelling the field and a new drainage system. In August 2015, the field was officially reopened by a friendly fixture against Neath RFC. Although Neath proved triumphant in this fixture, Cwmgors were seen as competitive in a number of areas.
1st XV
- Swansea and District Challenge Cup 1938 – Winners
- West Wales RFU Challenge Cup 1969/70 – Winners
- West Wales Cup 1969/70 – Winners
- West Wales RU Section E 1987/88 – Winners
- West Wales RU Section C 1993/94 – Winners
- WRU League 7B West 1995/96 – Champions
- WRU Division Six West 2002/03 – Champions
- WRU Division Four South West 2003/04 – Champions
- WRU Tovali Bowl 2003/04 - Winners
- WRU SWALEC League Division 5 South West 2012/13 - Champions
- WRU SWALEC League Division 4 South West 2013/14 - Champions
2nd XV
- Swansea and District RU Section D Winners 1980/1
- Swansea and District RU Merit Table Winners 2005/6
Youth XV
- Amman Valley Youth RU League Winners 1968
- Amman Valley Youth RU Cup Winners 1968
- Ospreys Central Youth League Winners 2018/19
- Honorary President: Sir Gareth Edwards
- Chairman: Jeff Bright
- Vice Chairman: Brychan John
- Backs Coach: Gareth Davies
- Forwards Coach: Dylan Richards
- Team Manager: Shaun Mackey
- Assistant Team Manager: Liam Griffiths
- Fixture Secretary: Gerwyn Evans
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
|
- Note: Correct as of August 2024 [3]
-
Claude Davey (23 caps)
[5] (as part of the 'Mond' colliery team)
-
Will Davies (4 caps)
[6] (as part of the 'Mond' colliery team)
-
Gareth Edwards (53 caps)
-
Emrys Evans (3 caps)
[6]
-
Denzil Thomas (1 cap)
[7]
-
Tom Pritchard
-
David Pritchard
-
Selwyn Lewis
-
Winston Jones
- ^ WRU official site Archived 30 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wales' regional rugby map". BBC News. BBC. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Canrhif o Rygbi 1895-1995 a Century of Rugby" (PDF). Cwmgors RFC. November 1994. Retrieved 26 July 2024. Cite error: The named reference "cwm" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Will Carling – My Top 50 Rugby players". The Daily Telegraph. London. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp464, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ a b Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp465, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981 pp472, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)