WATTSTOWN RFC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wattstown Rugby Football Club is a rugby club from Ynyshir in the Rhondda Valleys of Wales.
[edit] History
Rugby football was played in Wattstown for almost as long as the village has existed although little is known of the early teams, “the Glamorgan free press and Rhondda leader” record that's a game took place as early as 1898. No names were given but the fact is that there has been a team in existence for over 100 years. The miners would have consisted of mainly young miners from the national colliery. For them, this means washing at the end of a shift and walking to the place where the game was to be played. There was no park I those days and games would take place on a field on top of pleasant view, and the teams would change in the Wattstown hotel when playing at home. There are records of a Wattstown team playing in the 1920's in the Glamorgan league. The stronger teams in those days were, Treorchy, Mountain Ash and Pontypridd, who all played in the same division. On the March 17, 1921 Wattstown played Tylorstown away, Wattstown were unable to raise a full team and so both teams agreed to play with only 12 men. The following January 1922 Abercarn beat Wattstown 40 – 3
The Wattstown boys club formed in 1928, with its own rugby team led by H. Matthew of Ynyshir. Mr. Rees, the manager of the cooperative shop in Aberllechau Road used to play, and Mr. George Owen of the Wattstown Hotel was a keen instructor, and later a very able referee.
The present day club begun in the Wattstown Hotel, however late in spring 1976 a proposed formation of a new club would be set underway. This merger would become the Wattstown Rugby Football Club that we know today. In the beginning they would play other pub teams, and after a match against “The Bomb” of Ynyshir, the sides decided to merge, with Ron James, a former Pontypridd player as coach and Stuart Mardon as captain. A committee was formed at the end of 1976 with Mike Clements as chairman and Malcolm Spence as Secretary.
The club moved its base to the Ynyshir Hotel in 1979 where the land load was John Bevan, the Rugby International from Tylorstown, who trained regularly with the squad. Their Secretary at the time was John Lewis of Prudential fame. They moved to the Station Hotel Ynyshir is 1981, and remained there until their new club house was built on the site of Danygraig Terrace in 1991.
Since their formation, the clubs playing performance has improved year by year and during the 1990's they won consistently to reach the semi-finals of the Welsh Brewers Cup. In 1993 they made it to the final, held in what was then the National stadium, but lost to their opponents from Swansea . The following year, 1994 saw them win the National District Cup against Hartridge High School Old Boys again at the National Stadium.
Over the years they have maintained their winning performances and thoroughly deserve to achieve their objective of WRU status. Wattstown Rugby Football Club carries on a long tradition that began with the village over 100 years ago, a tradition that we hope will last for many years to come.
