1 I consider it a privilege to be Chairman of a Club which holds such an important place in the history of Welsh . It is perhaps particularly appropriate that I should be in this position as the only person actively associated with the revival of the Bangor club in 1930. Bangor has kept the flag of Rugby flying for many difficult years, and it is particularly gratifying for those of us who have been pioneers in the cause to see the tremendous expansion in the game in this area and the whole of North over the last fifteen years. I have every confidence that my successor will take the Club on to further distinction in its second century.

J. W. A. P. JAMES Chairman

Mae'n fraint gen i fod yn Gadeirydd ar Glwb sy'n cymeryd rhan blaenllaw yn hanes Rygbi yng Nghymru. Efallai ei fod yn arbennig o addas i mi fod yn y swydd yma am mai fi ydy'r unig berson a--oedd yn gysyi}tiedig 3 ail ffurfio'r Clwb ym 1930. Cadwodd Bangor faner Rygbi yn hedfan dros amryw o flynyddoedd anodd. Mae o'r pleser mwyaf i ni sy'n arloeswyr yn yr achos i weld y datblygiad anferth yn y ggm yn yr ardal yma ac ar hyd Gogledd Cymru yn ystod y bymtheg mlynedd ddiwethaf. 'Rwy'n siwr y bydd y dynion sy'n fy nilyn yn mynd a'r Clwb ymlaen yn llwydiannus i'r ail ganrif.

J. W. A. P. JAMES Cadeirydd.

A few words from the Bangor R.F.C. Hon. Secretary.

During 1967, when I moved to the Bangor area from South Wales, I was delighted to find a Rugby club in my new found home. It was not just any rugby club, but one of the oldest clubs in Wales, along with , , , , , , Merthyr Newport, and , with a claim to being one of the founder members of the Welsh at in 1881.

The City of Bangor can field seven senior sides on a Saturday-three from the University College, two from the Normal College, and two from the town side. This is not bad for the so-called unfashionable rugby playing area of the North. School rugby is also strong, and Mini-Rugby now flourishes in the Bangor area owing to the work of Dr. M. Hournung, who runs a most successful mini-rugby side. The importance of youth and schoolboy rugby cannot be overstated, as Dewi Bebb points out in this booklet.

As a club, Bangor are one of the eight members of District J, the senior section of the Rugby Union, while local neighbours, Bethesda, Menai Bridge and are members of the fastest growing district in Welsh Rugby, District M.

All North Wales clubs belong o the Union and its membership is now nearly 40 clubs, geographically situated from Holyhead in the North, in the East, Dolgellau in the South and Bangor in the West.

After our many moves of ground we now seem to have found a permanent abode at Wern Fields, although the clubhouse will be demolished to make way for the new Bangor By-pass in 1981. During our centenary season we hope to see many more members enjoying the special rugby games arranged at our ground, and also enjoying the bar facilities after the matches. STUART WATERS Hon. Secretary, Bangor R.F.C.

2 OFFICIALS 1980-81

President: G. ROBLIN

Senior Patron: J. BROOKE

Patrons: Dr. P. Castaldi S. Ungoed Evans, Esq. Judge Meurig Evans Dennis Morgan, Esq. Dr. D. Bowen Jones T. E. Oswald Jones, Esq. Dr. T. Emlyn Owen A. Pritchard, Esq. E. D. Arnold, Esq. G. Hughes, Esq. P. J. Brown, Esq. A. J. Gray, Esq.

Hon. Life Members:

J. W. A. P. JAMES, Esq. H. LAPIDUS, Esq. W. T. ROBERTS, Esq.

OFFICERS

Chairman: J. W. A. P. JAMES, Esq. Vice-Chairman: A. W. DAVIES, Esq. Hon. Secretary: S. C. WATERS, Esq. Hon. Treasurer: P. C. DINGLEY, Esq. Club Captain: D. GRAY, Esq. Second XV Captain: A. WILLIAMS, Esq. Club Coaches: Messrs. D. GRAY & L. PRITCHARD Fixture Secretary: J. F. LLOYD, Esq.

Cover Design: Ieuan L. Williams, B.A., Bryn Goleu, Menai Bridge

3 It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Bangor Rugby Club on reaching its centenary. Although rugby has been played in Bangor for many years at no time in its history has greater progress been made than in the last - twenty years.

One of the most important reasons for this has been the acquisition of permanent headquarters for rugby in the City of Bangor. To accomplish this the club was faced with the daunting task of making a playing surface from an old refuse dump and this was successfully done by volunteer labour from its members under the guidance of Mr. Jim James.

The club flourished in its new premises and soon established itself as the leading club in North Wales. In this period the club produced a wealth of new talent among whom were Dewi Bebb and Tony Gray, both of whom distinguished themselves in the red jersey of Wales. So much was its contribution to rugby valued that it was promoted to full membership of the in 1968.

Again the club can justly claim to have been responsible for starting new clubs in the locality of which there are five functioning successfully at present. This lead by Bangor has encouraged the formation of other new clubs throughout the North Wales region resulting in the dramatic expansion of the last decade.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those faithful workers who have for many months worked long hours to plan a programme of events for the Centenary Year. We can best show our appreciation of their efforts by working unsparingly to make each event a success.

To Mr. Wendell Edwards we offer our special thanks for his researches into the history of rugby in Bangor and for compiling this valuable publication. This is an unique occasion for the Bangor club, for it alone among the North Wales clubs, and in company with ten other clubs from other parts of Wales, claims to have been represented at the inaugural meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881.

This year marks the end of an era; it should be regarded as the end of the beginning; the new era ahead is full of promise. May this year be a happy and memorable mile-stone in the history of Bangor rugby.

GWYN ROBLIN President, Bangor Rugby Club Ex President, Welsh Rugby Union.

Mae yn bleser gennyf longyfarch Clwb Rygbi Bangor ar achlysur ei ganmlwyddiant. 'Rwyf wedi cael y fraint o fod yn gysylltiedig a'r Clwb ers deg mlynedd ar hugain; ac yn ystod yr amser hyn mae llawer o ddatblyg iadau wedi cymryd Be. Un o'r datblygiadau mwyaf pwysig oedd sefydlu cartref i rygbi am y tro cyntaf ym Mangor.

Mae ein dyled yn fawr i nifer o bobl a fu yn gyfrifol am sefydlu y '' clwb, ac yn enwedig i Mr. J. W. A. P. James am ei waith enfawr.Llwyddiant yw hanes y Clwb ers ei sefydliad. Daeth yn aelod o Undeb Rygbi Cymru ym 1968.

Carwn ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi gweithio i drefnu y rhaglen am y flwyddyn, ac yn enwedi&i Mr. Wendell Edwards am ei ymchwil i hanes rygbi ym Mangor ac am y cyhoeddiad ardderchog hwn.

Edrychwn ymlaen am eich cefnogaeth i ddathlu yr achlysur arbennig hwn.

GWYN ROBLIN Llywydd Clwb Rygbi Bangor. Cyn-Lywydd, Jndeb Rygbi Cymru.

4 I have a great love and respect for Bangor's past, and in writing in this booklet, I feel I am a part of the history of Bangor, albeit in this small way. The Rugby Club has been part of the history of our city, although in its early days it survived for barely one season. By the beginning of this century, however, the rugby tradition was firmly entrenched in our city, through the Normal College and University teams. Bangor's representatives were present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in Neath, in 1881, and fifty years later the club made its presence felt not only at the formation of the North Wales Rugby Union but in Practical terms contributed several players over the years to North Wales representative teams. No fewer than five men with local connections have played for Wales over the last 100 years, and a further three who were students at our colleges also played for their country.

As Mayor of the City of Bangor, I find it very interesting to note that one of our former mayors, Sir H. C Vincent, played rugby for Wales, and was also first citizen three times.

I feel sure that the future holds every success for the Bangor Rugby 7lub, and I sincerely hope that they will continue making history in Bangor for the next hundred years.

Councillor GLENDA JONES Mayor, City of Bangor.

Mae gen i gariad mawr a pharch i Fangor, ac wrth ysgrifennu yn y cylchgrawn yma teimlaf fy mod yn rhan o greu Hanes Bangor, er mewn ffordd fach. Mae'r Clwb Rygbi wedi chwarae rhan yn hanes ein Prifddinas; ffurfiwyd y Clwb ym mis Rhagfyr, 1876, ond yn anffodus i barhau dim ond am dymor. Erbyn dechrau'r ganrif yma 'rcedd y traddodiad Rygbi yn gryf iawn yn ein dinas, drwy'r timau yn y Coleg Normal a'r Brifysgol. 'Roedd cynrychiolwyr Bangor yn bresennol yng Nghastell Nedd.ym 1881, a hanner cant o flynvddcedd yn ddiweddarach gwnaeth y Clwb ei le nid yn unig pan ffurfiwyd Undeb Rygbi Gogledd Cymru ond hefyd mewn ffordd ymarferol wrth gyfrannu i dimau'r Gogledd. Bu pump o ddynion a chysylltiadau a'r ardal yn chwarae i Gymru yn ystod y ganrif ddiwethaf, a chwaraeodd tri arall pan yn fyfyrwyr yn efn colegau.

Fel Maer Bangor mae o ddiddordeb mawr i mi nodi fod un o'n Cyn-feiri, Syr H. C. Vincent, wedi chwarae Rygbi i Gymru. 'Roedd hefyd yn ddinesydd cyntaf dair gwaith. ' 'Rydw i'n; sirur fod llwyddiant mawr i Glwb Rygbi Bangor yn y dyfodol a hyderaf iddynt fynd yrnlaen i wneud hanes ym Mangor yn ystod y can mlynedd nesaf.

Cynghorydd GLENDA JONES Maer, Dinas Bangor.

5 On behalf of the thirty-five Rugby Clubs in North Wales I wish to congratulate Bangor on its Centenary. Without doubt, Bangor is a centre of interest in for within its boundary no fewer than five separate sides operate. Throughout the years there has been a healthy relationship between teams representing the two Colleges, the Schools and the ‘Town Club’. In addition to being one of the founder members of the Welsh Rugby Union, Bangor was also involved in the formation of the North Wales Rugby Union, and has always played an active role in its organisation. Furthermore, many members of the Club have been Officers of the Union. The late Mr. David Price-White was one of its early Secretaries and more recently both Mr. R. I. Davies and Mr. J. W. James have been Presidents. Again, in 1979 a Bangor member, Mr. G. Roblin, was elected to the highest office-President of the Welsh Rugby Union. All this is proof enough of the valuable contribution of Bangor to Rugby Football not only in North Wales but in the whole of the Principality. May it continue for another century.

J. BRYNMOR DAVIES Hon. Secretary, North Wales Rugby Union

Ar ran Clybiau Rygbi (,ogledd Cymru dymunwn longyfarch Clwb Bangor ar ei ganmlwyddiant. Yn sicr, mae Bangor yn ganolbwynt diddordeb mewn Rygbi canys o fewn ei ffin ceir pump o wahanol dimau yn gweithredu. Yn ystod y blynyddoedd a fu tyfodd perthynas gyfeillgar iawn rhwng timau y ddau Goleg, yr Ysgolion, a Chlwb y ddinas. Yn ogystal a bod yn un o'r Clybiau a sefydlodd Undeb Rygbi Cymru roedd Bangor yn aelod cynnar hefyd o Undeb Rygbi y Gogledd, ac mae wedi cyfrannu'n helaeth i'w weithgareddau. Un o Ysgrifenyddion cynnar yr Undeb oedd y diweddar Mr. David Price- White, ac yn ystod yr ugain mlynedd ddiwethaf bu Mr. R. I. Davies a Mr. J. W. James yn Lywyddion. Etholwyd aelod arall o Fangor, Mr. G. Roblin, Pr swydd uchaf ym 1979-Llywydd Undeb Rygbi Cymru. Mae hyn oll yn profi gwerth cyfraniad Bangor Fr g8m nid yn unig yma yn y Gogledd ond hefyd yng Nghymru gyfan. Parhaed felly eto am ganrif arall.

J. BRYNMOR DAVIES Ysgrifennydd Mygedol Undeb Rygbi Gogledd Cymru.

Over the years no club has done more than Bangor to foster the game of Rugby Football in North Wales. The club's contribution continues, for as I write these notes; the President of the Welsh Rugby Union, one of the Welsh Selectors, the North Wales Secretary, the North Wales Team Coach, and the Chairman of the North Wales Society of Referees are all active members of the Bangor Club.

It is right that we recognise this unique contribution to the development of the game by showpiece celebration matches, including some of the country's leading teams and players, and by social functions. I am, therefore, grateful for this opportunity to express the Club's thanks to the many who have contributed to the planning of the Centenary Year and to those who will be involved in the staging of the various events and matches and, in particular at this time, to Wendell Edwards who has researched and produced the historical material contained in this booklet.

ALAN DAVIES Chairman, Centenary Committee

6 A MESSAGE FROM DEWI BEBB

During the last winter, I had the privilege of watching a team playing rugby of a very high standard. The pack won possession most of the time by jumping high in the line-outs, pushing powerfully in the scrums, and fighting keenly for the possession of the ball in the rucks and the mauls. After receiving clean and quick possession the backs moved the ball skilfully along the line and out to the wings. If that failed, a player was always ready to carry on the movement. Sometimes the -half would appear in support, or perhaps the stand-offs or one of the centres-attack was the aim, and that by good use of the ball.

It is true that Swansea at times played rugby of this standard, as did Cardiff, and Llanelli. But I am not thinking of the main teams in Wales, but of the Junior Schools team in the area - boys who were aged under 11 on the first of September, last year.

Although they were exceptionally unlucky in the weather, this did not make a scrap of difference to their attitude. They were trained to pray exciting, open rugby and that is what they were determined to do, come what may. Their talent in passing and holding a heavy, wet ball must be compared with the talent of international players who have scored some inspired tries in the mud.

By playing attacking rugby with all members of the team taking part, we had tremendous enjoyment. This was a reflection of the attitude of the coaches, namely the Pontypridd teachers, with Gary Samuel, former scrum half for Cardiff and Pontypridd, as their principal trainer. Watching him train the boys was most educational - he occasionally chastised a boy, teased a few, but gave praise when it was deserved. He handled the children as they should be handled, and they listened carefully and responded enthusiastically. During the game there was no bad-tempered shouting that you sometimes get from teachers. Instead, there was a careful study of play. There would be a quiet word of encouragement during the interval, and then they would be allowed to carry on in the way that they had been taught. In other words, wise, keen and patient training.

Perhaps some of you are asking, what has this to do with celebrating 100 years of rugby in Bangor? It is a type of message, if I may be so bold. I was 16 before I was introduced to the game and a young man before mastering (if I can say "mastering") the skills of the game. I know that the boys of the Bangor area have the opportunity of playing rugby in the junior schools, and this is as it should be if the game is to develop in North Wales. I had the experience of teaching rugby in a school in Cardiff, and 1 know exactly the problems that face teachers and coaches who try to introduce the game to boys who have little knowledge of rugby.

A great deal of patience and perseverance is needed because success will not come straight away. During the last few years I have also been helping to train the mini-rugby club. At first, only about twenty turned up, but now it is way over a hundred. At eight or nine years of age, you must try to contain the enthusiasm of the individual for the sake of the team, encouraging him to look for a fellow player, and pass instead of running. This, in my experience, is the most difficult thing to teach the boys-tackling, scrummaging, rucking and mauling develop more quickly. At times I feel that the boys will never learn, but suddenly, everything falls into place. The boys realise how easily they can beat a man by passing to a fellow player, and they start to play rugby as rugby should be played. By now, our under 11's mini-team are masters of the game, and are looking for attacking possibilities in all parts of the field by running and passing accurately.

The senior Pontyclun team have profited from mini-rugby with players graduating to the Youth team, to the second team and then to the first XV. I'm sure that the same thing could happen in Bangor and other parts of North Wales, if it has not already happened. But perhaps the biggest incentive for the trainers of Pontyclun mini-rugby last winter was that three players from the under-11 team played throughout the season for the successful Pontypridd team that I have already mentioned. Not one of them had played in a game with 15 on each side before going to the trials, and yet they had little trouble to adapt, and that against boys who had been playing the full game for many years. Jumping in the line-out was a new experience for the lock, but he succeeded. Another adapted his play from being a scrum-half to being a centre, while the third learnt to be a centre after having played stand-off. Children learn very quickly with a readiness to change to different situations in a way which adults find difficult.

7 By playing mini-rugby with nine in each team, I feel that boys have the opportunity to learn the skills of the game when young. So different from the 15-a-side game, they have the opportunity to handle the ball more often in mini-rugby, and this, of course, means that they are running and passing regularly, and they come to appreciate the tactics of the game. But I would like to stress that mini-rugby is a game to prepare, and nourish, as we, in Pontyclun, have found out.

I hope that you in Bangor will have the same success in the coming years.

An innovation in Bangor-Mini-rugby

A photograph taken of Ysgol Y Garnedd's seven-a-side under 9's rugby team, taken in June 1980. They were the winners of a mini-rugby competition which took place during the Carnival Week in Menai Bridge, when several local primary schools took part.

The team, Left to Right: Back Row: Keith Williams, Huw Percy, Thomas Roberts, Gareth Hughes: Front Row: Ian James, Tristan Parry Williams, Aneurin Thomas, Gareth Davies, Dr. Michael Horning, Soil Scientist, and Wil Parry- Williams, Headmaster, of Treborth School, Bangor, have played a conspicuous part in establishing junior rugby in the area.

(Photo: Gwyn Roberts)

NEGES GAN DEWI BEBB

Yn ystod y gaeaf diwethaf, fe gefais y fraint o wylio tun a fu'n chwarae rygbi o safon arbennig o uchel. Enillodd y pac ran helaeth o'r meddiant drwy neidio'n uchel yn y llinellau, gwthio'n nerthol yn y sgrymiau a thrwy ymladd yn eiddgar am y Nl yn y sgarmesi. Yna ar ol cael meddiant glan a chyflym fe welwyd yr olwyr yn symud y bdl yn fedrus ar hyd y lein dri-chwarter ac allan i'r asgellwr. Os fethai hwnnw guro ei ddyn, 'roedd chwaraewr wrth law i gario'r symudiad ymlaen. Ambell waith fe dorrai'r mewnwr, tro arall y maswr a thro arall un o'r canolwyr-ymosod oedd y nod, a hynny drwy wneud defnydd da o'r bel.

Mae'n wir i Abertawe ar adegau chwarae rygbi o'r safon yna, a Chaerdydd a Phenybont a Llanelli hefyd ar adegau o ran hynny. Ond nid son am un o brif dimau Cymru ydw i, ond yn hytrach am dim Ysgolion Cynradd Ardal Pontypridd, i.e. bechgyn oedd dan unarddeg mlwydd oed ar y cyntaf o Fedi y llynedd.

8 Er iddyn nhw fod yn eithriadol o anlwcus a'r tywydd gyda glaw yn dod ar draws y rhan fwya o'r gemau, wnaeth hyn ddim mymryn o wahaniaeth i'w hagwedd. Fe'u hyfforddwyd i chwarae rygbi agored a chyffrous, a dyna'n union beth oedden nhw am ei gyflawni, doed a ddelo. Roedd eu dawn wrth basio a dal pel wlyb, drom i'w gymharu a dawn chwaraewyr rhyngwladol a sgoriwyd ambell i gais gwefreiddiol yn y baw a'r llaca.

Drwy chwarae rygbi ymosodol, gyda pob aelod o'r tiln yn gwneud ei ran fe gawson nhw fwynhad aruthrol. Adlewyrchiad oedd hyn o agwedd yr hyfforddwyr, athrawon ym Mhontypridd gyda Gary Samuel, cyn fewnwr i Gaerdydd a Phontypridd yn bennaeth arnhyn nhw. Roedd ei wylio yn hyfforddi'r bechgyn yn addysgiadol iawn-ambell i gerydd yma a thraw, tynnu coes ambell un ac yna clod pan fo hynny'n deilwng. Trin plant fel y dylen nhw gael eu trin a'r bechgyn yn gwrando'n astud ac yn ymateb yn irwdfrydig. Ac yn ystod gem doedd dim o'r bloeddio gwallgof a geir gan ambell athro, ond yn hytrach cadwai Gary wyliadwriaeth craff ar y chwarae. Gair bach tawel o gymeradwyaeth yn ystod yr egwyl ac yna eu gadael i fynd ymlaen a'r hyn roedden nhw eisces wedi ei ddysgu. Hyfforddi doeth, craff ac amyneddgar.

Efallai bod rhai ohonoch yn gofyn y cwestiwn beth sydd gan hyn i'w wneud a dathlu canmlwyddiant clwb rygbi Bangor. Math o neges ydy o, os ga'i fod mor hy. Roeddwn i yn unarbymtheg oed cyn cael fy nghyflwyno i'r gem ac yn llanc felly cyn meistroli (os meistroli hefyd) medrau'r gem. Gwn fod bechgyn ardal Bangor yn cael y cyfle i chwarae rygbi yn yr ysgolion cynradd, a da o beth yw hyn os yw'r g6m am ddatblygu yn y Gogledd. Cefais brofiad o ddysgu rygbi mewn ysgol yng Nghaerdydd a gwn yn union am y problemau sy'n wynebu athrawon ac hyfforddwyr wrth geisio cyflwyno'r gem i fechgyn sydd a'r nesa peth at ddim o wybodaeth am rygbi.

Mae angen peth wmbreth o amynedd a dyfalbarhad oherwydd daw llwyddiant ddim ar ei union. Yri ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf bum hefyd yn cynorthwyo'r hyfforddi gyda clwb Mini Rygbi Pontychan, Tua ugain oedd yno ar y dechre ond bellach daw ymhell dros Rant. Yn wy-`h a naw oed mae'n rhaid ceisio sianelu brwdfrydedd yr unigolyn er lles y tiin- au cymhell i edrych am gyd-chwaraewr ac i basio yn He rhedge ar gyfeiliorn Iyn yn fy mhrofiad i yw'r peth mwya anodd i'w ddysgu i'r bechgyn-datblyga taclo, sgrymio, sgarmesu ac yn y blaen yn gyflymach. Ar adegau teimlwn na fyddai'r bechgyn byth yn dysgu ond yn sydyn syrhtiai popeth i'w le. Sylweddolai'r bechgyn mor hawdd yw curo dyn drwy basio'r bel i gyd-chwaraewr, ac mae nhw'n dechre chwarae rygbi fel y dylai gael ei chwarae. Bellach mae ein tim mini dan unarddeg yn feistri ar y gem ac yn chwilio am bosibiliadau ymosod_ o bob rhan o'r cae drwy redeg a phasio yn gelfydd.

Mae tim Pontyclun (y tim hyn) wedi elwa o'r mini rygbi gyda chwaraewyr yn graddio Pr tim ieuenctid, Pr ail dim ac yna i'r tim cynta. Dwi'n siwr bydd yr un peth yn digwydd ym Mangor a rhannau eraill o'r Gogledd, os nad yw eisoes wedi digwydd. Ond beth efallai fu'r hwb mwya i hyfforddwyr clwb mini Pontyclun y gaeaf diwethaf oedd i dri aelod o'r tim dan unarddeg chwarae drwy gydol y tymor i dim llwyddiannus Pontypridd y soniais amdano eisoes. 'Doedd yr un ohonyn nhw wedi chwarae gem pymtheg bob ochr cyn mynd i'r treialon ond eto, gawson nhw fawr o drafferth i addasu, a hynny yn erbyn bechgyn fu'n chwarae gem lawn ers rhai blynyddoedd. Roedd neidio yn y llinell yn brofiad gwbl newydd i'r ail rengwr ond fe Iwyddodd; addasodd un ei chwarae o fod yn fewnwr i fod yn ganolwr; a'r Hall o faswr i ganolwr. Mae plant yn dysgu'n gyflym iawn ryda rhyw barodrwydd i addasu i wahanol sefyllfaoedd sydd ddim yn perthyn i ni oedolion.

Drwy chwarae mini rygbi gyda naw mewn tim, teimlaf fod 'oachgen yn cael cyfle i feithrin medrau'r gem yn ifanc. Yn wahanol Pr gem lawn, daw cyfle i drafod y b6l yn amlach mewn mini rygbi ac wrth gwrs golyga hyn eu bod yn rhedeg a pasio'n rheolaidd ac yn dod i werthfawrogi tactegau'r gem. Ond hoffwn bwysleisio mai gem i baratoi ac i feithrin y bechgyn yw mini rygbi, fel yr ydym ni ym Mhontyclun wedi darganfod. Gobeithio y cewch chi ym Mangor yr un llwyddiant yn ystod y blynyddoedd nesaf.

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank all those kind people who helped in the compilation of this booklet. In particular I am very grateful to the staff of the Archives Office in Caernarfon for making available old newspapers and other records relevant to this study. The Archives section of the University College, Library, Bangor, provided me with some very useful material, as did Mrs. T. A. Schnadhorst of West Wittering in West Sussex, and Mrs. Spreckley of Worcester, the daughters of C. P. Allen, who played for Wales in 1884. Mr. David Davies, former Chairman of Pontypridd R.F.C. has also been most helpful, and he was kind enough to send me details of the manner in which his club celebrated its centenary in 1976. The North Wades Chronicle, The North Wales Weekly News and The Liverpool Daily Post have proved to be invaluable repositories of information. The Bangor Club were most thoughtful in allowing me to borrow a valuable old photograph of Sir Hugh Corbet Vincent, and I am indebted to Mr. Barry Wynne of Bangor, and Mr. Norman Kneale of Menai Bridge for their help and advice in the photographic aspects of the work. Mr. Glanville Jones of Bangor, who has a vast number of photographs of old Bangor, was most considerate in allowing me to inspect his collection, and Dewi Bebb's article is most interesting.

There are many others whose memories I've probed, and to them all may I express my most sincere appreciation.

R. WENDELL EDWARDS Compiler

DIOLCHIADAU

Hoffwn ddiolch i'r holl bobl a'm helpodd gyda'r llyfryn hwn-Adran Archifydd y Brifysgol a ; Mrs. T. A. Schnadhorst a Mrs. Spreckley, merched C. P. Allen a chwaraeodd dros Gymru ym 1884. Hefyd Mr. David Davies, cyn gadeirydd Ciwb Rygbi Pontypridd, a Chlwb Criced Bangor, am fenthyg hen lun Syr Hugh Corbet Vincent. Bu'r papurau newydd lleol yn ffynnonellau gwerthfawr o wybodaeth. 'Rwyn ddyledus i Mr. Barry Wynne a Mr. Norman Kneale am eu cymorth a'u cyngor wrth dynnu lluniau, ac hefyd i Mr. Glanville Jones sydd berchen llawer o luniau o'r hen Fangor. Y mae erthygl Dewi Bebb yn ddiddorol iawn.

'Rwyf yn ddyledus i lawer mwy o bobl hefyd. Diolch yn fawr i chwi i gyd.

R. WENDELL EDWARDS Awdur

10 Rugby Football in Bangor

The game of Rugby Football was brought to Wales during the Industrial Revolution by the sons of colliery owners and iron masters. Also, many of the middle class professional men and clergymen went to English public schools and colleges, and there they were introduced to the game, which had been developed by the middle years of the nineteenth century. No doubt that if they returned to the Principality, many would try to introduce the game to the people in the localities where they worked. Yet a form of the game had been played in Roman times by the soldiers', and this was called , and it has been recorded that it was played inside the Roman fort at Caerleon, in Gwent. There is also evidence that a type of rugby football was played in - Wales between groups of villagers, where they started from two ends of the village and tried to carry a all, of sorts, to the other end. This proved to be an exceedingly rough game.

By the second half of the nineteenth century, the game had made great progress in Wales, particularly in the south, but it had no organisation, and it was only a question of time before something would have to be done. Saturday, March 12, 1881, is a significant date in the history of Rugby football in Wales, for it was on that date that the delegates representing eleven clubs gathered at the Castle Hotel, Neath. According to the Western _ Mail this group of officials met "to consider the question of forming a Welsh Rugby Union". It is reported that the clubs represented were Bangor, Brecon, Cardiff, Lampeter; Llandeilo, Llandovery, Llanelli, Merthyr, Newport, Pontypool and Swansea. It was unanimously decided to form a Welsh Rugby Union, with Richard Mullock as the first honorary secretary.

The report that Bangor was represented seems to suggest that in the Northern part of the Principality, Rugby football was, in a thriving condition. This was far from the truth, for in fact, Bangor as a Rugby football club, had ceased to exist. Indeed, precious little Rugby was played in the North. Bangor's history, it seems, lays a bit further back in time. The year 1876 found North Wales football, of either code, in its infancy. There were no leagues, no cups and very little organisation. On 18 December, 1876, a few enthusiasts banded together at the Magistrates' Room in Bangor, determined to establish a club in the city. Mr. George Tolson presided at this meeting and a motion was proposed by Mr. Fred Docker, seconded by Mr. Winter, "that a football club be formed to be called the Bangor Football Club". The first President of the club was the Hon. G. S. Douglas Pennant, M.P. Mr. R. Ll. Jones, was elected Vice-President; Mr. R. H. Pritchard, who later became Bangor's first Town Clerk, was appointed secretary and Mr. John Jones, Manager of the National Provincial Bank at was voted into the Treasurer's post. The first committee consisted of eleven members (with power to add to their number), and was as follows: "Messrs. Green; J. Haywood; J. R. Brown; F. C. Docker; R. C. Rathbone; I. Shrubsole; S. R. Drew; G. Tolson; J. Purvis, Rathbone, Sr. and Dr. Ellis".

The annual subscription for playing members was five shillings (25p) and a sum not less than ten shillings and sixpence (52 ½ p) entitled a person to become an honorary member. It was decided that a committee of seven playing members be elected annually for the purpose of directing and arranging the business of the club, and it was further agreed "that the game be played according to the rules of the Rugby Union".

One interesting rule drawn up by the new committee was that, "If any 'member renders himself generally obnoxious, the committee shall, on representation being made to them by five members of the club, call a general meeting which shall have power to call on the member to resign".

FIRST WELSH TEAM – WALES v ENGLAND 1881 Back Row W. D. Phillips (Cardiff); G. F. Harding (Newport); R. Mullock, Hon. Sec. (Newport);F. S. Purdon (Newport); G. Darbishire (Bangor); E. Treharne (Pontypridd); R. G. D. Williams (Abercamlais). Centre Row T. A. Rees (Llandovery); E. Peak (Chepstow); A. J. Bevan (Capt.) (Grosmont); B. E. Girling (Cardiff); B. B. Mann (Cardiff). Front Row L. Watkins (Llandaff); C. H. Newman (Newport); E. J. Lewis (Llandovery); R. H.B. Summers (Havorforwest).

The first Bangor ground at Maes-y-Dref can be seen next to St. Mary’s Church, on the right. When this picture was taken it had become a soccer ground, although the University College and the Normal College used it on occasions to play rugby. The Friars School field at this time was to the right of the ground - the boundary wall can just be seen at the edge of the picture. Photo: Glanville Jones Collection

Another view of the ground taken 80 years ago. It seems that a fancy dress show is being judged. The houses in the background have now nearly all gone. Photo: Glanville Jones Collection

Lewis Lloyd, Headmaster of friars School 1872 – 79 and Headmaster of Christ College, Brecon. Later Bishop of Bangor. He attended the historic meeting at Neath in 1881. Photo Gwynedd Archives

The footballers were to train on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. !These were called "practice days", when residents of Bangor were allowed to play, on being introduced by a member, "who was responsible for his good conduct, and who in case of the said person misconducting himself, renders himself liable for any damage done to the property of the club". There were, apparently, plenty of exuberant players over a century ago!

On the selection of the team, the rules stated that on a "match being arranged with any neighbouring club, the team be chosen by the captain, subject to the approval of the committee". If a player failed to turn up, the culprit was fined two shillings (lOp) and he was ineligible to play in any subsequent match until such a fine was paid. Every member, on payment of his subscription was furnished with a copy of the rules of the game as played by the Rugby Union and . The club evidently was not too sure about the decision it had taken to play the Union code, and all too soon, a change did come.

The colours the club decided to wear was royal blue and scarlet, and these were arranged in vertical stripes. The field the club was to play on was at Maes y Dref, adjoining the site of the old Friars School. It was owned by a Mr. Thomas Williams, and the club rented it from him for £1 a month. There is no trace of this field today as it has been occupied by a number of houses and the Drill Hall.

For a few months, therefore, Rugby football was played, and from all accounts, rather too enthusiastically; several players were badly injured, there were other difficulties, particularly in arranging sufficient fixtures locally. The following season, at a general meeting on 10 September, 1877, it was decided "to consider whether Rugby Union or Association Rules be played by the Club". The decision of that meeting was to drop Rugby in favour of Association Rules.

Bangor, then, were reluctant to carry on with the rugby code. Apart from lack of opponents, the game itself must have appeared unnecessarily rough to the locals. The rules in those days were certainly different. For, example, passing in the 1870's was mainly confined to the forwards, since the half back went either for a try or a run-in, or, when within range, attempted to drop a goal. It was the duty of the threequarters to drop at goal or tackle the opposing halves. Punting was unknown, but dribbling was a great art among the forwards, and combined rushes were employed to sweep past the opposing half backs. The off-side and on-side laws were the same, as was the knock-on and the forward pass. It was only in 1876, the year of Bangor's formation, that there came a major departure in that the number of players was reduced from 20 to 15. International teams followed suit in 1877, and in 1878 it was ruled that the ball be released in a tackle, as previously it could be held until all the forwards had gathered round to form a scrummage. In 1879 no player without the ball was to be obstructed, and probably in the early Bangor games, much obstruction and body checking went on, resulting in some bad-tempered play, and this could cause many injuries. Another feature of play at this time was uncontrolled hacking, and the boot was used as a lethal weapon, quite legally, to intimidate opponents.

It was also difficult to play matches on a regular basis, because, in the 1870's and the 1880's, workers did not enjoy a half day on a Saturday, since it was the general custom to work until 4.00 p.m. in offices, and shops shut a lot later in the evening. Thus the concept of the Saturday afternoon match being played on a regular basis was virtually unknown, and in both codes, games were arranged on a mutual basis and played when it suited the respective clubs. The Club, as an active Rugby union body, then seemed to disappear from view, but in the Welsh Rugby Union records, the names of G. Darbishire (Bangor) and H. C. Vincent (Bangor) appear in the Welsh International team lists of 1881 and 1882 respectively. G. Darbishire came from the well established Penmaenmawr family of that name, and he played as a forward in the back row against England on "Mr. Richardson's Field, Blackheath", on 19 February, 1881; Wales were heavily defeated that day and they were not offered a match with England the following season. H. C. Vincent, who came from Bangor itself, was another forward playing in the back row, and on January 28, 1882, he was fortunate enough to be on the winning side when Wales beat Ireland at Lansdowne Road. The game itself proved to be a turbulent one, and there were a great many arguments between the Irish team and the Welsh "umpire". Ireland finished with 11 men and it was such an unsatisfactory game that the fixture was discontinued until 1884. Neither of the two men played for Wales again, nor did they play for Bangor, because the club, as a Rugby playing organisation, did not exist. They may have played for the club in 1876-77, but there is no evidence of this. The name of C. P. Allen, of Beaumaris, appears on the Welsh team list, in their match against England at Leeds, on January 5, 1884. He was a wing threequarter, and he scored a try, the only one for Wales that day. England scored three tries, one of which was converted. There was certainly no club in Beaumaris at that time, but he did play for Oxford University. One explanation is that this was his residential qualification, and the background to this is given in the profile of famous personalities at the end of this account.

How Bangor, then, as a club came to be represented at the historic meeting at Neath in 1881 is therefore a mystery, as no rugby team was recorded as playing in the city at that time. It seems that Godfrey Darbishire was at this meeting, but we do not know if he was invited, nor do we know whether the Bangor Football club had decided to send a representative down. We must remember that in those days the distinction between the football of the two codes was not very clear, especially from the administrative point of view, and one must suppose that many other clubs, apart from Bangor, had provided their players with rules of both games. We do know, for example, that Harry Vincent played soccer in Bangor, after he had played Rugby for Wales. The Welsh side that Godfrey Darbishire had played for was massacred by England to the tune of 56 points to nil, by modern scoring values. Indeed, this Welsh side was not really an official one, and the Western Mail of the time printed letters in which Richard Mullock of Newport was attacked for picking a "private team . . . to do battle for Wales". Such was the uproar about this defeat, that those interested in the development of the game in the Principality decided to put its administration on an organised footing and the meeting at Neath was the result. The selfsame Richard Mullock who had been instrumental in engendering the furore was elected the first honorary Secretary of the W.R.U. Godfrey Darbishire was made a Vice-President, and then he disappeared from the rugby scene, for within a few months he had gone to work in West Virginia in the United States. However, there is another version of the meeting at Neath which Gareth Williams, the historian, maintains is authentic. He states that Lewis Lloyd, the Headmaster of Brecon College, represented the Bangor interest. This is a feasible point of view, Lewis Lloyd, a native of Llanarth, Cardiganshire, was appointed Headmaster of Friars School, Bangor, in 1872, when he was 29 years of age. He had been educated at Lampeter and Jesus College, Oxford. He was a remarkable scholar, and keen on all aspects of , particularly rugby. No doubt his stay in Oxford influenced him in this respect. In 1867 he was appointed as Headmaster at Dolgellau, and revived the school's waning fortunes, and by 1872 the establishment was flourishing. He then came to Friars School, and such was his reputation as a fine teacher, that many of his pupils followed him. He had a fiery temper, and was a strict disciplinarian, but he had a tremendous personality which fired the enthusiasm of his pupils and he won their devotion.

He is remembered now by many as. the first Welsh-speaking Welshman to become Bishop of Bangor for two centuries, and as the author of "Emyniadur yr Eglwys'. Yet his true greatness was revealed in the classroom, and upon the playing fields, where he played-vigorously alongside his pupils. It was no accident that, in addition to their academic distinction, the Friars boys of those years produced such good football teams, including several future international players. As the Friars School field was near to the football field at Maes y Dref, it is more than likely that Lewis Lloyd's interest extended in that direction. When he went to Brecon College, as Headmaster, in 1879, he took his enthusiasm with him, and once again, many of his pupils followed him. He was immensely keen on rugby football, although strangely enough it was not introduced in Friars School during his stay there. In Brecon College, however, under his influence, the game flourished. At the meeting at Neath, Lewis Lloyd's presence has been noted, and it is reported that he supported Bangor. It would be more logical for him to support Brecon, but men's motives are often complex. There is reason to believe that he wished to return to Bangor, and in fact he did ho in 1890, when he was appointed Bishop. Was there a secret hope, perhaps, in his mind, that rugby might flourish in the North? At any rate, when he did return, there is no evidence that he took an active interest in the development of the game in the city. Had he done so, the story of the Bangor R.F.C. might have been very different. He was an extremely active supporter of the Friars School cricket team, and in the Old Boys matches, Bishop Lewis Lloyd wielded a useful bat, by all accounts!

Between 1877 and 1930, therefore, there is no record of a Rugby club in the town, although the Bangor Normal College apparently started to play in 1898, when they took on a makeshift University side on the Bangor soccer ground at Maes y Dref, and beat the 'Varsity quite easily. This game, we gather, "was regarded as a novelty in the area" and the spectators "two thirds of whom had never seen a rugby ball before" were warm in their appreciation. The College did not have to wait long for its first success in the rugby world, for in 1900 one of the students, W. Williams, of Mountain Ash, represented in a county match against Yorkshire. The game grew and flourished in the College, and before the First World War the team was meeting sides from as far a field as Wigan, Birkenhead and Aberystwyth. Facilities for the playing of these games were very poor, the fields being situated to the northern side of the college buildings, and they were described as being "rough, sloping, uneven and dangerous". Thanks to the generosity of the Bangor City Football Club and the University authorities, some of the more important matches were played on the town ground and the Ffriddoedd playing fields. In matches against the University College, Bangor, its chief rivals, the Normals were uniformly successful in the early years, and the "Varsity" did not gain its first victory in Rugby over its older neighbour until 1913. The rugby code was very weak in the University at the end of the nineteenth century and very few matches were played. According to the University College magazine, apart from the game mentioned in the pre ceding paragraph, the next Rugby match for the `Varsity was also against the Normal College, played on the Bangor soccer ground on March 20, 1900. "The match, owing to its comparative strangeness, afforded plenty of amusement", and it seems that the Normals were by far the superior team, winning by nine points to nil. There is little record after this of Rugby football being played in the University until December, 1910, when it is recorded that "a new departure had been made in College Athletics this season-the formation of a Rugby team . . . the Captain is Mr. Emlyn Hopkins, and most of the players hail from South Wales. Two matches with the Normal have been played", and it was stated that considering the limited facilities for practice, the 'Varsity men did remarkably well. "Lack of cohesion lost us the first game, ill-luck the second". It was hoped that further matches would be arranged against Chester College and Liverpool, but there is no record of these games being played.

In 1911, however, the Rugby club was accorded the full status of a "College Institution", and the two matches they had with the Normal College before Christmas proved to be fierce encounters, with the latter emerging victors on both occasions. The 'Varsity men, however, "rushed splendidly in the open". It was not until 1912-13 that the 'Varsity began playing on a regular basis, and they registered a win against Hamilton's XV, played at Birkenhead Park; it was their first ever victory, the score being 10 points to 3. In a subsequent game, 'Varsity beat Chester at Ffriddoedd by three points to nil, and to crown it all, they defeated their old rivals, the Normals, by 11 points to 3. It is interesting to note that matches were played against Rhyl, reportedly newly formed that season, and University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.

At senior level, therefore, Rugby football had come to stay in Bangor, but under the mantle of the Colleges. Few players were local born, as there was no tradition of the game in the district, and the evidence for this is in the fixture lists-there were virtually no clubs in North Wales, and the two colleges had to go far a field in search of opponents, which was a costly and tiring experience in those days.

With the outbreak of war in 1914, sport in the Colleges was badly affected, and relatively few fixtures were played.

The First University College, Bangor Rugby XV. There had been other sides in the College, but they had not been allowed "official" status. The picture is of the 1911-12 lst. XV; Standing: Back Row: Emrys Evans (Ref.); G. D. Gwyn; John Elias; Richard Davies; Llew Davies; H. J. Thomas; J. E. Bayliss; O. Lloyd Williams; John Williams. Ben Walker (Hon. Sec.). Middle Row (Seated): T. Samuels; Brynley Thomas; Emlyn Hopkin (Capt.); Tim Williams; W. S. Thomas. Front Row: Frank Wright; Tom Cousins; George Vaughan. Colours: Dark Green and Yellow. Photo: U.C.N.W., Bangor

NORMAL COLLEGE, BANGOR 1st. XV. 1923-24 Back Row: Ivor Jarvis ( Editor); W. J. Evans; C. E; Jones; H. F. Jones; J. H. Clarke; Emrys Hughes; T. R. Jones; J. E. Jenkins (Linesman). Middle Row: E. W. Jones; W. G. Rex (Sec.); Isaac Watts (Capt.); R. T. Williams; R. Pierce; Gwyn Williams. Front Row: T. W. Thomas; R. Jones; G. A. Allen; The picture was taken in the front of the old College building in Siliwen.

A FRIARS SCHOOL XY 1925-26 Great emphasis was placed on House Rugby in the school and the competition between the Houses was intense. This is School House. The team was: Back Row: H. A. Jones; L. E. Ward; D. A. French; W. I. Thomas; R. I. Evans; A. LL Parry Middle Row: T. Harvey; M. D. French; G. H. D. Evans (Capt.); E. C. Allenby; R. N. Smith. Front Row: J. Hayley; J. E. E. Hughes; H. Sheffield; T. H. Jones. Photo: Gwynedd Archives

The game between the wars

The post-war era brought quite a change in the nature of the game in Bangor. Because of the influx of a greater number of students, Rugby football both in the Normal College and the University College, became fairly well organised, and many more new clubs were being played. For example, in 1919, the 'Varsity played Ruthin School away, for the first time, and won by six points to nil. The home University matches were played on the town cricket ground (now the home of Bangor City Football Club), but on January 21st , 1920, the "Varsity leased a field in Penrhyn Park, where they played the first match there against Liverpool University, the latter winning by four unconverted tries to Bangor's one unconverted try.

Relations with the Normal College became a little sour in February, 1920, when at the beginning of the second half, the 'Varsity scored a try and "the Normals left The field. Further comment is needless", said the report. These were the days of course, when both teams had large quotas of ex-servicemen who had served on the Western Front - tough, uncompromising men, and from all accounts, these inter-college games were nothing short of brutal. It appears that in the next 'Varsity-Normal match, five 'Varsity men were rendered "hors de combat" by vigorous Normal College play.

The University team was now playing against College, and the other colleges at Cardiff and Swansea, and under the Presidency of the famous "Daddy" Archer (Professor R. L. Archer) they became' a formidable College Rugby force. Memorable team and committee meetings were held at his residence in Plas Menai, where he was surrounded by legion of cats - his constant companions. He was a man of formidable appearance, having been a useful player in his day, and it is said if anyone incurred his wrath, his gaze would fill people with terror, particularly as he had one glass eye, which many swore glowed at times when he was enraged.

The years 1922-24 saw the Rugby code develop in North Wales, and many new teams made their appearance in Bangor, both at the University and Normal College grounds-Prestatyn, New Brighton, Holyhead, Manchester University, Hoylake and Colwyn Bay. In the 1925-26 season the 'Varsity has an outstanding year when they only lost one match out of sixteen played. Their fixture list makes interesting reading:

The Friars School rugby pitch. When the School moved up to Ffriddoedd in 1901, this was the field that was used for recreation. It has changed little in 80 years, although for several years the ground was used for soccer. The Old Friars XV, later Bangor, used this field as well. Photo: Barry Wynne.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, BANGOR. R. F. C. lst. XV.

David Price-White, with the ball, was the captain. He later became a leading figure in the reestablishment of Bangor R. F. C., both as a player and administrator.

October 10 v Chester Home Won 9- 5

October 17 v Colwyn Bay Away Won 16- 3

October 28 v Normats Home Draw 6- 6

November 11 v Rydal Away Won 20-14

November 1 v Liverpool Away Lost 0-11

November 28 v Normals Away Won 11-10

January 23 v Colwyn Bay Home Won 20- 0

January 30 v Normals Home Won 22- 6

February 3 v Chester Away Won 10- 3

February 6 v Liverpool University Away Won 12- 6

February 20 v Aberystwyth University Home Draw 0- 0

February 24 v Away Won 8- 3

February 26 v Cardiff University Away Won 3- 0

March 6 v Manchester University Home Won 5- 0

March 17 v Normals Away Won 13- 5 On the 6 February, 1926, College "defeated Liverpool University by four tries to two, thereby creating somewhat of a landmark in the history of Bangor rugby", as this was apparently the first time that UCNW had beaten them. This match was followed a few weeks later by Bangor's first win at Cardiff. But the great event was when Bangor won the English University Championship, beating Manchester University 5 points to nil. The Bangor City Football ground in Farrar Road was selected as the venue. As the North Wales Chronicle stated: "Unknown in the Bangor College a few years ago, the handling game has made remarkable progress there, and few would anticipate that they would this season be playing in the final of the English Universities Championship. They already hold the honour of being champions of the Welsh Universities. Manchester was much bigger physically, and they exerted early pressure and showed better combination, but Bangor tackled well and with great determination. Bangor exerted great pressure in the latter part of the first half, and scored through G. J. Davies, who converted. The second half of the match was evenly contested, and both sides went close, but no further score materialised". Towards the end it seemed that Manchester "lost their hands", and their play became erratic. Bangor University College's team that day was: D. W. Jones; R. R. Thomas; A. P. Rees; D. G. Bell; Langley; W. T. Williams; G. J. Davies; D'Alton; Kenion; B. Davies; A. G. Bower; A. Williams; W. T. Pritchard; R. E C. Peters and G. Jones. The next time the 'Varsity won the championship was 42 years later.

In October, 1927, there appears for the first time a report in the local press of a new team, formed of local players, and having no association with either Colleges - the Old Friars XV. This was a team of old boys from Friars School, which, under the Headmastership of Mr. Bodfan Griffith, had switched from to Rugby Football in 1919. The Varsity played a match against them, but the Old Friars side "was rather easily disposed of through their inability to field a full side", However, it was a beginning, and local young men were at last taking up the game.

When Friars School took up the game, they found a number of difficulties, the main one being that very few schools played rugby in North Wales, and consequently the school had to take on senior sides such as the University, the Normal College and Colwyn Bay. Nevertheless, on occasions they upset teams much heavier and more mature than they were. For example, on October 10, 1928, Friars registered a win over the Normal College, on the Normals' ground, by 39 points to 6, and a few days later, on Saturday, October 13, they held the University College to a draw, three points each. On November 14, 1928, the school registered its first win at Ruthin School, where they won by 19 points to nil, and a long column in the North Wales Chronicle gave great prominence to the result.

The Old Friars side usually played their home matches on the Friars School field at Ffriddoedd. The shirts worn were black with a broad yellow band and a narrow magenta stripe, and by 1929 they had become a well established side locally. From this side, however, there grew something bigger. A movement, long overdue, was started at a meeting held at the Castle Hotel, Bangor, on Friday, 6 December, 1929, when it was decided that it was time for the formation of a local Rugby team again. A report of that time stated: "the demand has existed for some time, but has lacked a moving spirit to translate the wish into the deed". A definite step was taken by the appointment of a provisional secretary, Mr. Cyril Powell, of the Town Hall, Bangor. The Committee members were Messrs. T. Williams, F. Webster, G. E. Elkes, J. H. Wartski, T. J. Edwards, C. H. Crebin, J. H. Gee and D. A. Price-White. The last mentioned gentleman played a very important part in the establishment of the town club before the 1939-45 war. He was a local boy, and went to the University in Bangor, and in its sporting sphere, he played an active part, particularly in the 'Varsity rugby XV. In the season 1927-28 he was captain of the College team, and the University magazine that year took the opportunity of expressing the team's indebtedness to him for his fine ' leadership, adding that "his tact, patience, and encouragement have helped the club through a very lean season". When he left the College, he channelled his energies into the new Bangor club. BANGOR R.F.C. 1930 – 31 A rare photo! This was the Bangor team reformed after a gap of over 50 years. The team was: Back Row (Left to Right): Cyril Powell (Referee); T. Eames Hughes; F. Richards; H. Yates; A. Adamson; J. St. Bodfan Griffith; Harries; C. E. D. W. Freeman; W. M. Shepherd; H. Crosbie; I, C. H. Freeman. Middle Row: J. Gee; S. H. Williams; J. Shepherd; J. Hughes; A. Potter; I. I. Edwards. Front Row: G. H. Davies; F. Lloyd; A. H. Butler.

The shirts worn by the players are the old Friars XV colours, namely, black, yellow, with a thin magenta stripe on the yellow. The group are standing in front of the old Bangor City Cricket pavilion in the Farrar Road ground. This structure has long since disappeared. The occasion of this photograph was Bangor R.F.C’s match against Colwyn Bay, at the end of March, 1931. Bangor won by 6 points to 5 in an exciting match, watched by a large crowd. The rugby club gave the total receipts from the game to the City Soccer club.

On Saturday, January 11, 1930, on the Friars School field, the newly formed Bangor side took on its first opponent - the University, and lost by 6 points to 3. It was reported that the town side gave a "creditable display", their principal players being T. Hughes, Kerr, Potter and Gee. Ivor Williams scored the Bangor club's try.

It was from the Old Friars side, therefore, that the new club emerged. The Old Boys team had been restricted to former pupils of Friars, and this often meant difficulty in fielding a full side on a number of occasions. They wished to broaden their base, and the new Bangor club was the result. The players were now drawn from members of the University staff, and the inevitable number of young men from South Wales who were increasingly finding employment in the Bangor district. Some leading lights in this early era were I. I. Edwards, who was secretary for some years; Cyril Powell, who was employed at the Town Hall, and David Jones, an employee of the Penrhyn Estate, (both from South Wales). Other stalwarts were John Gee, a bank official and E. P. Jones, a science teacher at Friars School, and an active club secretary.

The town club embarked on a regular number of fixtures, and on Saturday, January 25, 1930, they played their first match against the Normal College on the latter's ground, and after a keen and open game, lost to the college by three points to nil. On this particular day, and in spite of having more players to call upon, they could only field 13 men, "but every man did his share".

The following week they played the University and lost again. The following were the players selected for that match: Crebbin, Kerr, A. M. Jones, F. Lloyd, Ellis Jones, J. Edwards, R. W. Jones, F. Webster (Captain), W. Ellis, D. S. Davies, Richards, R. W, M. Jones, Potter, Billy Williams and S. Williams. The reserves were: Crossley, Gee, Dickie and Williams. (Newspapers at this time often failed to give initials before some players' names). The colours that the Bangor Town side wore were the same as the Old Friars side, but these were changed two years later.

At the end of 1930, Bangor Town had their own ground at Ffriddoedd, on the present site of Tryfan School. There was an official opening, and Colwyn Bay were the visitors. Mr. Bodfan Griffith, Headmaster of Friars School, who was a keen and active worker for the development of the club, "kicked off, amid applause". Bangor had a good game and won by 15 points to nil. After the match both teams were entertained to tea "by the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Bodfan Griffith". There was not a pot of ale within sight.

Within a matter of three weeks, on Saturday, January 23, 1931, Friars School beat Bangor Town by 11 points to 3, and some scathing remarks were made about the Town's play, considering they were much bigger than the school team.

In the 1932 - 33 season, Bangor Town Rugby Club was formally accepted as a member of the newly formed North Wales Rugby Union. Since the club was now identified with Bangor, and in view of its early association with the soccer club, it was decided to revert to the original colours of Royal Blue and Scarlet, this time of the ringed pattern, and these were sported up to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

The early thirties, therefore, saw the Rugby code becoming firmly established in the Bangor area, with teams in the Normal College and the University, Friars School, and in the newly formed Bangor Town Club. This meant at a local level, that a number of matches could be played in a highly competitive spirit, and a close relationship developed between the clubs, which exists to this day. In 1932, the University magazine was glad to report that Rugby in North Wales was on the up-grade, so much so; that the College had to field three teams, an undertaking they would not have contemplated a few years previously.

The Bangor Town's fixtures were extended in 1932 to include games against Holyhead, Colwyn Bay, Rydal School, Prestatyn (later to move to Rhyl), Dolgellau Old Grammarians, Porthmadog, Ruthin, Wrexham and Ruabon. Visiting teams during the Easter period included Cross Gates, and Kersal from Yorkshire, and the Irish Railway Union. For a while the club played at its Ffriddoedd ground, mentioned above, and they used the changing rooms at Friars School. The ground was leased from the Penrhyn Estate, who through their Agent, Major Wordsworth, was always helpful to the Club. However, the purchase of this land for the building of the new Girls' Grammar School (later Tryfan), caused a move to the lower end of Penrhyn Park, near the lodge at Penrhyn Quay.

At this time, the Three Salmons Hotel, now known as the Glanrafon Hotel, was adopted as the club headquarters, with a warm welcome from the landlady, Mrs. Woolley. Teams changed there and the upstairs rooms were used for functions, and in recent years the Glanrafon Hotel has become the assembly point for club teams travelling to away matches.

The Glanrafon Hotel, formerly the Three Salmons, where bangor R. F. C. had committee meetings before the war. It is still the embarkation point for the club’s away matches. Photo: Barry Wynne At the schools' level, an interesting match was played at Wrexham, on Saturday, December 19, 1931, between North Wales Schools and South Wales Schools. It was the first game in which North Wales Rugby had been officially recognised in a representative match. The North Wales Chronicle stated that "local followers of the game will be pleased to fear that Bangor boys played a worthy part in the game". At first, North Wales Schools were superior in all departments of the game and only the "misfortune of slipping" robbed them of two tries. Gradually, however, the South recovered, and towards the end was clearly on top. This was due to their backs, whose handling and speed off the mark "were delightful to watch". It seemed that territorially, the match was very even, and the two sets of forwards were well matched. It was in the back division that the South was superior. One player got a special mention, a Friars boy, J. G. Hughes, who led the North Wales pack. It was said that he "was worthy of a place in a national schoolboys team". H. Duggan (Friars) was "right up to his usual well-known school form", and Idris Roberts (Friars), at scrum-half, played one of his best games, "and did much to reduce the effectiveness of the South backs, his spoiling and kicking being particularly in evidence".

South Wales Schools finished worthy winners by 24 points to 3 points. The team that day was: T. W. L. Roberts (Ruthin); G. S. Hughes (Wrexham); W. Wooler (Rydal); C. W. Webster (Ruthin); G. H. Parry (Friars); R. E. Bibby (Rydal); I. Roberts (Friars); H. Duggan (Friars); J. G. Hughes (Friars); J. Mell Mellor (Rydal); J. Waggott (Rydal); J. B. Townley (Rydal); D. Owen (Ruabon); E. Hartley (Ruthin); A. J. Partridge (Ruthin).

This was probably Wilf Wooler's first representative match: little did he realise that before long he would become one of Wales' most gifted players. Another important match took place on November 18, 1934, when the first senior representative game was played between North Wales and Monmouthshire on the Bangor City soccer ground at Farrar Road. The North Wales side contained six players from the Bangor area. The team was: J. W. James (Bangor Town); J. S. Hughes (Wrexham); L. R. Matthews (Bangor Town); L. Lambert (Welshpool); C. D. Chadwick (Newtown); J. Rees (University College, Bangor); J. R. Henderson (University College, Bangor); A. George (Newtown); R. H. Davies (Newtown); D. J. Morris (University College, Bangor); H. Heap (Rhyl); T. Jennings (Newtown); I. B. Williams (Bangor Town); L. T. Dale (Wrexham) and R. O. Davies (Wrexham).

According to the Manchester Guardian, North Wales had a long way to go before they could hope to hold their own in a representative match. "Monmouth was superior all round, particularly in their handling of the greasy ball. They also excelled in positional play. The North Wales tackling was courageous, but not good enough to withstand the swift handling movements of their opponents". It seems that J. Rees, of the University College was very prominent. Jimmy James, the Bangor full back, played a stalwart game, and he was cheered at one point in the game for a "particularly fine tackle".

The South Wales side ran out winners by 26 points to nil. This, however; was the beginning of a series of representative matches which were played in the area, and the game benefited by being staged in a predominantly soccer locality, as many friends new to the game were won over that day.

It is interesting to note that a dinner was given at the British Hotel, Bangor, on the evening of the match, for the teams and officials, with an official welcome to the sides given by the Mayor of Bangor, Councillor John Williams. On the menu, in the sweet section, for those who felt they needed such a delicacy, there was the offering of "blanc mange and stewed prunes". The Rugby Code now seemed to have a promising future in the Bangor area, but at the school level there was bad news. In the 1933-34 season, Friars School was having a very lean time. The team was much too light, especially in the back division, and the results were poor, as most of the 25 matches played were lost. This state of affairs continued in the 1934-35 season. One has only to look at the table below to realise the despondency that had gripped the school. v. B. G. F. Swann's XV Home Lost 0-14 v. Bangor Town Home Lost 6-27 v. Normal College Home Draw 3- 3 v. UCNW Away Lost 0-23 v. Porthmadog Home Drawn 3- 3 v. Holyhead Away Won 6- 0 v. Kinmel School Away Lost 3-. 8 v. UCNW 2nd XV Away Lost 0-15 v. Normal College Home Lost 3-14 v. Bangor Town Home Lost 0-34 v. Bangor Town Home Lost 0-12 v. Kinmel School Home Lost 0- 6 v. Old Boys Home Lost 5-12 v. UCNW 2nd XV Home Lost 3-12 v. Bangor Town Away Lost 0- 6 v. Rydal School Home Lost 0-23 v. Porthmadog Away Lost 5-14 v. Dolgellau County School Away Won 8- 0 v. Holyhead Home Won 6- 3 v. Normal College Away Lost 4-13 v. Holyhead Home Won 24- 5 v. Old Boys Home Draw 3- 3

In the Autumn of 1935, it was decided by the school to cancel all future fixtures with the town team, and significantly, the school magazine stated that it was difficult to complete a fixture list "since so few schools in North Wales play Rugger. It has therefore been decided to fill in some of the blank dates with Association matches “. In the Spring term of 1936, only two 1st XV matches were played,” the game with Rydal had to be cancelled owing to an unfortunate epidemic of measles". There was also a comment on the "divided allegiance" of the pupils, and the decision was taken to concentrate on Association football.

Photo: Barry Wynne

The Bangor City F. C. ground in Farrar Road, as it is today. At one time, this was the home of the Bangor Cricket Club, until the beginning of the First World War in 1914. At the end of the war in 1918, there was an amalgamation of the Bangor Cricket Club, the Bangor City Football Club, and the Comrades of the Great War Football Club into one corporate body under the title of the "Bangor Athletic Club". This arrangement soon proved highly unsatisfactory, as the ground was obviously not suitable for cricket, football, and the occasional rugby match played by either the Normal College or the University. During the season 1927-28 all the cricket fixtures had to be played on opponents grounds, and eventually in 1929, the Cricket Club moved to Ty Newydd, and the soccer club alone took a lease on Farrar Road. Bangor R. F. C. and North Wales XV's used the ground in the early 1930's, and during the Second World War, it was a rugby and athletics grounds for H.M.S. Conway. The last time the ground was used for rugby football was in May, 1969, when a North Wales XV played Llanelli.

Photo: Barry Wynne Tryfan playing fields (formerly the Girl’s Grammar School). In 1932 Bangor R. F. C. moved from the Friars School pitch to open land where this photo has been taken. At the time there was no school and very few buildings in this area. The changing rooms at friars school, however, were still used. BANGOR R. F. C. 1931 - 32

Back Row: I. Thomas G. Parry R. W. Jones N. Owen R. Mackenzie C. A. Kortegas J. James A. M. Jones Dai Jones (Trainer and Manager) Middle Row: Tiffy Ellis (Groundsman) C. Humphreys D. A. Price White H. A. Jones (Vice Captain) I. B. Williams (Captain) J. Gee A. Ll. Parry A. L. Owen Front Row: I. I. Edwards E. Roberts

FRIARS SCHOOL 1st. XV. I931-32

R. Burnell; G. M. Roberts; I. W. Jones; A. Humphreys; A. Williams; G. Wyn Griffith D. Lewis; B. G. Swann. G. H. Parry; I. Roberts; J. G. Hughes; A. Duggan; R. Wyn Jones; G. Goodwin, R. E. Hughes; L. Jones.

BANGOR R. F. C. 1932 – 33 Back Row: E. Owen; V. Bellis; I. B. Williams; A. Ll. Owen; A. G. Humphreys; I. W. Jones. Middle Row: W. M. Shepherd; D. A. Price-White; H. A. Jones (Captain); Mr. D. Jones (Chairman); J. W. James; C. W. Humphreys; R. G. Kerr. Front Row: G. W. Jones; Ieuan Edwards; E. M. Roberts.

BANGOR CRICKET CLUB In 1936, Bangor R. F. C. moved to the cricket ground, and played there in 1936-37, and 1937-38. In the season 1938-39, they moved over the road, the other side of the score-board in the picture. These pitches were also used by HiIIgrove School for rugby in mid-week and on Saturday morning. In the season 1939-40, the first year of the War, the rugby posts were moved back to the cricket pitch boundary, and the school continued to use the field to play rugby. Bangor R. F. C., however, never went back.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, BANGOR, R. F. C. 1933 - 34

The formidable Professor Archer, the team Chairman, is standing on the left of the picture.

Behind these bare facts, however, one can detect the influence of the new Headmaster, Mr. Ivor Williams, who had taken over from Mr. Bodfan Griffith, a keen supporter of the Rugby Code. The latter retired in 1935, and the new headmaster, although an enthusiastic sportsman, was no great lover of the rugby game. He was a brilliant Classics scholar, and in his younger days had been a highly competent cricketer and soccer player. The oval ball to him at this time was an excrescence. The writer of this booklet received a withering refusal a few years later when he headed a deputation of fifth formers requesting that a school rugby XV be reformed. None of us had any skill whatsoever in soccer, and we wanted to channel our energies in some other direction. His reply will go down in the annals of school history - "Take up Ping-Pong". With a twinkle in his eye, his final words to us were: "Constipated sparrows could play rugby better than you fellows". And that was that.

I do not wish to denigrate the memory of my late Headmaster, as he was a great character, a dedicated teacher and could show exceptional kindness to his pupils, although heaven help any scoundrel who crossed him. Ironically he would have made a tremendous second row forward, as he was a very big, powerful man. However, over the years, pressure was brought to bear on him by some of the staff in the school, and in 1949 he gave permission for rugby to recommence.

In 1936 a very significant move was made by Bangor Town to share the facilities of the Bangor Cricket Club. This was a natural development since very many of the team were also playing members of the cricket club. At first the pitch was beyond the further boundary of the cricket field. This was the pitch on which the writer was first introduced to the game, as in mid-week, and sometimes on Saturdays, Hillgrove School, Bangor, played their games under the enthusiastic promptings of Mr. J. Morgan, the Headmaster. In those days, the boys of Hillgrove stayed until they were fifteen years of age, and they had quite a useful preparatory school side. One of the stars of this team was Douglas Baker, who eventually became an Oxford Blue and played for England at Fly-half.

The first match to be played at Ty Newydd was on Saturday, October 31, 1936, when Holyhead were "entertained", the Anglesey side losing by 48 points to nil. Bangor's team was: J. M. Williams; A. Lapidus; G. M. Roberts; E. Owen; A. Ll. Owen; I. E. Hughes; J. Pritchard; G. R. Coles; D. A. Price-White; A. Williams; C. Lee; W. Parry; E. W. Jones; Norman Gibbons; H. A. Cole (Captain).

In a match at Ty Newydd on January 9, 1937, the name of Des Treen appears in the Bangor team, when they defeated the University team 11 points to 3 points. According to the match report, he hooked very well and gave "splendid service", and with the exception of the war years, when he saw service with the R.A.F., Des Treen continued to make a valuable contribution to the game, especially later on in the 1950`s when he became the Secretary of the North Wales Secondary Schools Rugby Union. He retired recently as Senior Maths teacher at Syr School, Caernarfon, and those who worked with him remember with gratitude his infectious enthusiasm for the game. Even in his own school he managed to establish four teams in an area where Rugby was virtually unknown in the early 1950's. There is an interesting story about Des Treen in his playing days-in a particularly vigorous match; he was warned by the referee as to the manner of his hooking for Bangor. The referee, in a strange decision, told him that he would be sent off unless he played in another position in the pack. Under protest he acceded to the referee's ordinance. He maintains to this day that he has never heard of a similar decision made by a referee, anywhere.

On February 20, 1937, the first representative match was played at Ty Newydd, when North Wales played Monmouthshire, losing by 14 points to 3. The following represented North Wales: T. W. L. Roberts (Ruthin School and St. Mary's Hospital); D. G. Pugh (University College, Aberystwyth); F. N. Hughes (Rhyl); G. S. Hughes (Waterloo and Wrexham); G. H. Davies (London Welsh and Bangor); W. S. Risk (Bangor); M. R. Bell (Liverpool University and Wrexham); D. Treen (Bangor); J. Woodward (University College, Aberystwyth); S. Taylor (University College, Aberystwyth); A. Williams (Bangor); G. R. Cole (Bangor); B. J. Perry (Univeristy College, Bangor) and W. A. D. Laurie (Rhyl).

A group from the Bangor club went up to Edinburgh on February 5, 1938, to see Wales lose to Scotland. By all accounts it was a memorable visit, as apart from seeing the match, several of the group made a broadcast from B.B.C. Scotland's studios. They were asked to sing, with a quartet from the Penrhyn Male Voice Choir. Mr. Ffrancon Thomas, conducted, ably assisted by two other gentlemen. David Price White of the Bangor Club, and Mr. J. Morgan, Headmaster of Hillgrove School. It seems that it was a hilarious occasion, and certainly the first time that the Bangor club made its presence felt on the air.

On February 12, 1938, Bangor beat Machynlleth at Porthmadog by 14 points to 8. It apparently was a rough game, and Bangor were assisted by John Roberts (Cardiff), who had represented Wales at outside half. During the game the spectators got a bit out of hand, and "they had to be spoken to, as large numbers had congregated behind the Bangor goal".

The first Sportsman's Dinner was held at the Castle Hotel on Saturday, March 19, 1938, and one of the speakers was a member of the Bangor Rugby Club. He stated in his address that if Hitler had played rugby, there "would have been none of his nonsense". He would have been sorted out at an early age, as no one would "have tolerated his offside tactics". It's an interesting thought.

In the 1938-39 season, the Bangor Club made a move across the lane at Ty Newydd to the present industrial site. In those days it was an enormous field owned by the Penrhyn Estate, and the club played here until the outbreak of the 1939-45 war. They still used the Cricket Club facilities, however, although these were rather crude. They changed in an outer shed, and hot water was obtained from the famous "Queen Mary" boiler. This appliance was lovingly tended by one of the most popular characters associated with the Rugby Club from its inception, and also with the cricket club. He was Artificer (Tiffy) Ellis, a First World War sailor, who had all the sailor's talent for spinning a good yarn In fact, it was a great pleasure to fin him still with the club when the team was re-established in Bangor in 1961, and he acted as Steward for some time in the new clubhouse. Although there was only one team playing for the Club in the period up to the outbreak of the war, a considerable number of players gained representative honours in schools and University rugby, as well as for the new North Wales Rugby Union. Among these were Frank Lloyd, G. M. (Pongo) Davies, both U.A.U. players; G. Hodgson, Jackie Rees, Idris Roberts, Jimmy James, D. Price-White; J. G. Hughes, "Tanker" Yates, Des Treen, Brian (Ginger) Williams and H. A. Jones.

Only one important representative match was played in North Wales in that final season before the war, and that was North Wales v. Merseyside at the Rydal School ground, Colwyn Bay, on Wednesday, November 9, 1938. It was a keen struggle between teams which contained some distinguished players, and there were five players from the Bangor clubs. Merseyside won 18 points to 12 points, and they were victorious because of their superiority forward, and they had better place-kicking. The North Wales forwards, heavier than their opponents, "were too ragged in their work", but the back division, which included , the Welsh International and Old Rydalian, was at all times equal to the Merseysiders. This is a match I remember well, as it was my first visit to a representative game. One of the most unforgettable moments was when Wooller thrilled the very large crowd with a glorious try after an electrifying run nearly the length of the field. North Wales were not able to convert one of the four tries they scored, but Merseyside converted three of their tries. (In those days, of course, a try was three points).

One of the stars of the Merseyside team was D. D. Evans (New Brighton), the ex-Welsh International scrum half; he continually harassed the - North Wales side. R. W. Booth (Cardiff and Wales) also guested for North Wales, and his play was conspicuously brilliant. A "local" player who shone was W. S. Riske of Bangor, formerly of Glasgow Academicals and a Scottish Trialist. The North Wales team was: W. E. Rees (Rhyl); A. Griffiths (University College, Bangor); R. W. Boon (Cardiff and Wales); W. Wooller (Rydal, Cardiff and Wales); P. B. Downes (Ryda1 and Birkenhead Park); G. Harrison (Bangor Normal and Ebbw Vale); W. S. Risk (Bangor and Glasgow Academicals); W. E. N. Davies (Cardiff); Des Treen (Bangor); C. Leach (Colwyn Bay); I. Williams (Bangor); S. K. Roberts (Chester); A. Davies (Cardiff); E. F. Richards (Rydal and Birkenhead Park) and N. Dugard (Rhyl).

During the late thirties, the Bangor college teams had full fixture lists, and were playing with some distinction, as the college records show. Apart from various inter-college fixtures, the colleges made a full contribution to the North Wales scene, playing Holyhead, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Porthmadog, Machynlleth, Wrexham and a new team which had been established in the Pwllheli area, R.A.F. Penrhos. At the beginning of December, 1938; Bangor Normal College beat the latter side 20 points to 5, G. Harrison, a distinguished college player, scoring two tries. On Saturday, 14 January, 1939, the Normal College at home, tore Bangor apart to the tune of 27 points to nil. Schools rugby in Bangor was virtually non-existent, but it is interesting to see that there were regular reports of Hillgrove School playing matches against other preparatory schools along the coast, namely, Trearddur Bay, St. Chad's; Prestatyn. Arnold House, Oriel House (St. Asaph), and Woodland's School, Deganwy. Pupils at these schools usually stayed until they were 14 or 15 years of age, and some good football was witnessed. There is an amusing account of one match played in March, 1939, at Ty Newydd, between Hillgrove and Arnold House, the latter school winning by 11 points to 3. It was, according to the North Wades Chronicle "played in a hurricane". I played in this game, and conditions for young players were atrocious. Our opponents were at least a stone per player heavier than we were, and Selwyn. Jones, now a bookmaker in Bangor, was hooking and he got a special mention because "he acquitted himself with a great deal of success". One person who revelled in that mud was Clive Smith, at centre and he was a tower of strength. Until recently he was manager of the Padarn Lake Hotel, Llanberis.

At this level, however, rugby was not a local growth, as most of the pupils at these schools were boarders, and they came from outside the Principality. Probably Hillgrove was the only school which had a fair proportion of local children. Nearly all of these have now ceased to exist, and Hillgrove caters for a much younger age group.

Four players from Bangor clubs, who represented North Wales v. Monmouthshire at the first representative match to be played at Ty Newydd, on February 20th., 1937. Left to Right: Glyn Hughes (University College, Bangor, Waterloo and Wrexham). G. H. Davies (London Welsh and Bangor); B. J. Perry (University College, Bangor); Des Treen, (University College, Bangor). The war years and after

When war broke out in September 1939, the Bangor Town club "put up its shutters", and it was to be a long time before the club re-emerged under its own name. The Colleges stuttered on for a short while, but wartime conditions made regular sport impossible. Yet, some form of continuity was maintained in the district, when the Directors and the staff of S.A.R.O. (Anglesey) Ltd., Beaumaris, continued to play the game near the works. In 1943, a nucleus of keen rugby players, who had been posted to the Saunders Roe dispersal factory at Beaumaris formed a team, and although the end of the war saw the return of a number of these enthusiasts to the South of England, sufficient interest had been created amongst those who remained to ensure that the game continued to flourish. Initially, the team called itself Fryars, and it was not until the end of the war that the name Beaumaris actually appeared.

When one looks at team photographs of the immediate post-war era, one can see that the Beaumaris team was a very strong mixture of Bangor local talent, University and Normal College players, the latter two groups "guesting" when college calls were not too heavy. Two Welsh International players, completing their studies at the Normal College, often turned out for Beaumaris, namely Haydn Morris (a future British Lion) and Denzil Williams.

A team which made its mark from the middle of the war years was that of H.M.S. Conway, the Merchant Navy training establishment which had moved in 1941 from Merseyside, and the ship had dropped its anchors in the Menai Straits, off Bangor Pier. The cadets leased the Bangor City Football ground for their athletic endeavours and during the winter seasons of the war, strange goal-posts soared to the skies on hallowed Association turf as senior soccer had been virtually abandoned in the district.

H.M.S. Conway had a most useful rugby fifteen, and many of Bangor's inhabitants saw a number of first class encounters on this ground, when various Forces' teams played "The Ship". When the war ended, the ground reverted to Association football, and H.M.S. Conway found a new berth off Plas Newydd, with excellent fields leased by the Marquis of Anglesey. From then on, to the ship's demise in 1975. H.M.S. Conway contributed a great deal to North Wales Rugby. When the war ended in 1945, it was not long before Rugby football returned to Bangor in great strength. The Normal College and the University College had a large number of ex-servicemen, and the game was re-established with vigour. There were a number of Forces' teams in the district, such as Ty Croes (Army), R.A.F. Valley, H.M.S. Glendower (Royal Navy) and R.A.F. Penrhos, near Pwllheli.

Some tremendously epic matches were played between the Normals and the Varsity in the Humphrey Cup, played over three legs. The referee for these matches was usually Dr. Llew Rees, who had been appointed as a physical education lecturer at the Normal College in 1946, having recently been demobbed from the R.A.F. He was a player of vast experience, both in South Wales and in the Forces. His firm handling of these games probably prevented mayhem breaking out. On one occasion, which I witnessed, he sent a number of vociferous and-bad-tempered Varsity supporters away from the ground itself.

His untimely death in 1972 left a tremendous gap in Bangor's rugby sphere, as he contributed an enormous amount of energy to the well-being of the game. He was appointed to the University staff in 1960, and the impact he made on the University football was impressive, and it can be said that under his watchful eye, the team in Bangor became a force to be reckoned with locally, and on the inter-collegiate level. Llew Rees also gave an immense amount of his time to school and other local rugby endeavours, and he never hesitated in allowing various teams to use the excellent playing facilities on Ffriddoedd, much to the Groundsman's apoplectic chagrin. He would expostulate red with fury, about the ground being overrun by "outside" teams, but L1ew would look on with a twinkle in his eye, and a cigarette stuck in the corner of his mouth-and usually got his own way. At Llew's passing, Bangor lost a wonderful character.

The colleges, therefore, were contributing a great deal, but how was the game faring at its grass-roots? Unfortunately, Friars School was not sending any talent forward, and many potentially good players were lost to the game, although a few picked it up in the Forces either during or after the war. The Bangor Town Club had ceased to exist, and any talent locally was fostered by the team at Beaumaris, and up to 1962 this was the only club where young, local players from Bangor, Caernarfon and Anglesey ` could get any senior football experience. The year 1949, however, was significant in the Bangor area from the school's point of view, as the Headmaster at Friars at last agreed that his pupils should be given the chance of playing either rugby or soccer. Nothing was actually done, however, until 1950, when, according to the school magazine, it was decided to re-start Rugby for the following reasons:

(a) the rugby generation of "Old Boys" wanted to re-start the School versus the Old Boys match and (b) there was the desire to give the senior boys, who did not play in the school soccer teams, "recreative activity luring the winter months." Three matches were played in the season 1950-51; versus Baptist College, Bangor, a Varsity Fifteen and H.M.S. Conway. The school lost all three games. But the Phoenix had arisen.

A number of teachers at the school were behind this resurgence, namely Mr. E. W. Jones, the Classics master, Mr. R. Lloyd, the physical education teacher and Mr. Nicholas, the English master. The following season was not auspicious either but much encouragement was given by these members of staff.

In the University College, Bangor, at this time, there was a highly active organisation of Old Friars Boys, who called themselves the Dominican Society, and they had a rugby team which took part in college competitions. In November, 1952, Friars challenged them to a match, and this was played at the Eithinog fields, where the new school and a large private housing estate now exists. In those days the Normal College leased it as part of their. playing fields. The result of the game was a substantial win of 22 points to 8 by the Dominican side. Not one of us that day in the college side had learned our rugby at Friars, and the event seemed rather ironic to us all. The match became an annual fixture, and as the standard of the Friars team improved, so the Dominicans had to exert themselves even harder. By March, 1957, the school side had become well balanced and competent, and on two successive occasions we were beaten 6-3 and 11-6. The scores give no indication of the school's superiority-we were humiliated, and these enthusiastic youngsters "took us to the cleaners". At about this time, a prophetic statement was made in the school magazine, concerning the standard of play and aspirations for the future. "Buan cawn weld bechgyn yr Ysgol hon yn cynrychioli eu gwlad os gallwn ni barhau i wella. Nid yn y De yn unig y mae chwaraewyr rygbi - profwyd hynny eisoes. It will not be long before boys from this school will represent their country, if we continue to improve. South Wales cannot claim a monopoly of Rugby players-this has been proved otherwise in the past".

Within a matter of months of that report, it was stated in the next edition of the school magazine that Dewi Bebb was doing his National Service in the Royal Marines, and he had been selected to play for the Royal Navy. It was in the 1958-59 season that he first played for Wales. Ten years later, Tony Gray, another ex-Friars pupil, got his first . For over twenty years now, Friars School has provided teams of an excellent standard in North Wales, many of their players earning representative honours, and the school can boast two International players in this period, Dewi Bebb and Tony Gray. The Headmaster, Merfyn Elis -Williams gave an active lead here, as did Mr. Terry Lewis (the present Deputy Head) when he was appointed physical education master in 1961.

A triumphant Friars School Sevens team of the mid-1950's. Left to Right: P. B. Newing; J. Williams; Dewi Bebb; T. B. Akrill; Elfyn Edwards; Gerald Thomas; Islwyn Parry

BANGOR NORMAL COLLEGE lst. XV. 1949-50.

This side contained some illustrious players. For example, seated with the ball is the Captain, Haydn Morris, who played wing three-quarter for Wales. Also he played for Cardiff, and was a British Lion, going on the South African tour in 1955. Standing, third from the left, is Denzil Thomas, outside half for Wales. His other clubs were Neath and Llanelli. Both players “guested” for Beaumaris on occasions. Standing, third from left, on the right, is Bryn Davies, the present Secretary of the North Wales Rugby Union, and he is now back in his former college as a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education. At the end of the row stands Dr. Llewelyn Rees, a redoubtable player in his day, who was eventually appointed to take charge of Physical Education in the University College, Bangor

The site of the former Beaumaris R. F. C. pitch. In the background is the old Saunders-Roe works. The field here once provided extensive facilities for rugby, soccer and , from 1941 until fairly recently. Photo: Barry Wynne

BEAUMARIS v BECTIVE PLAYED AT DUBLIN IN 1954 This is a photograph of both teams, but the Beaumaris XV here contains seven University players from Bangor, and this shows the very close ties that existed between "town and gown", which led to the strengthening of the game in the area. Seated next to Bill Roberts (second from end, on the right) is Hywel Griffiths, From Blaina, Monmouth. He was a very useful forward and represented U.C.N.W. as a heavy-weight boxer. A good chap to have around! Standing, on the left, slightly to the right of the gentleman in the cloth cap, is Neville Matthews, a stalwart of the club in its "Beaumaris" days. He is a native of Bangor, a former pupil of Hillgrove School and Shrewsbury, and for many years he worked in South Africa, and. it is only recently that he returned to live in Llandudno.

BEAUMARIS R.F.C. 1955

Action at Beaumaris in the late 1950’s. Gordon Parry gains possession in the line-out, while Paul Newing, at No.4 in the line, gazes a bit anxiously.

FRIARS SCHOOL XV 1956

Chris Whelan; Barry Wynne; Wil Jones; Bryn Roberts; Islwyn Parry; John Williams; Elfyn Edwards; Wyn Jones; Eric Roberts; David Newing; Kersey-Brown lst. Row: Gwyn Bellis; Mr. E. W. Jones; Paul Newing; Tim Akrill; Mr. M. E. Williams (Headmaster); Dewi Bebb; Mr. Tom Davies (P.E. Master. Coach); Gerald Jones; Front: John Skinner; John M. Hughes.

BEAUMARIS R. F. C. in it’s final Years

Standing: Bill Roberts; Bill Slade; Gordon Roberts; Gordon Parry; Tony Hogan; R. Richards; Les Jones; I. Parry; Tom Davies; J. W. A. P. James. Front Row: Elwyn Parry; G. Hewer; Cyril Jones; D. B. Roberts; Alun Roberts; Derfel Williams; T. H. W. Jones.

At the senior level the progress of the Beaumaris club after the war seemed a chequered one as far as results were concerned, and a faithful band of players and officials kept things going in spite of many difficulties. Among these dedicated people were Bill Roberts, Gordon Owen and Neville Matthews, In the immediate post-war period, they fielded sides which were often weak, but as the 1950's dawned the standards improved, and they had become a well- established North Wales team. Initially their opponent in matches were confined to teams such as R.A.F. Valley, RA. Ty Croes, H.M.S. Conway, the Bangor Colleges, Llandudno and Kinmel, near Rhyl. In time, however, the fixture list included visits to the Wirral and other parts of Cheshire.

There was no doubt that facilities at Saunders-Roe were good, but the feeling was that the club had to have a place of its own, where they were not dependent on the goodwill of an industrial concern. Also, as result of a local pool of talent becoming available, and other schools in tile area were taking up Rugby football, it became increasingly obvious that if the game was to prosper in the locality, it was essential for a club to be set up in Bangor, which could tap this valuable source. The Beaumaris club decided to look for a new base at Bangor, and plans were drawn up for the preparation of a new ground and clubhouse at Wern Fields.

The re-formed Bangor club came into existence as a result of a meeting held on Monday, July 23, 1962, but the home matches were still played at Beaumaris until the new ground became available.

In fact, the work on the new ground had started in 1959, when the club took over the former town refuse dump about a mile along the Caernarfon Road. The site was a wilderness of ashes, stones, oil drums, weeds and old car bodies. After the site had been carefully surveyed, it was found that the area of six acres would allow for two full size Rugby pitches, and at that time it was hoped to incorporate a cricket square and a 40 yard running track. In the event, these plans were a bit ambitious, and the cricket and athletics facilities were not provided.

A local contractor was employed to bulldoze the site to a level surface and about 200 tons of soil was spread on the site, sufficient to make one pitch. This was later treated with fertiliser and seeded by an agricultural contractor. These operations, with fencing to allow animals to graze on the site cost more than £600. Afterwards more than 600 tons of ground soil were carried from Caernarfon and spread on the surface.

Apart from the hire of specialised plant and transport, nearly all the work was done by voluntary labour, including the spreading of 250 tons of soil, and raking off and carting away some 100 tons of stones. In spite of all the voluntary work, however, the club spent over £950 on this part of the project. The foundations for the club room and changing facilities were laid by volunteers, and a prefabricated timber building was bought for £2,500. Although these sums may not seem a great deal in these inflationary days, at that time it was a frightening sum of money. Nevertheless, success met the efforts of the club, and by the beginning of 1963, the ground had taken the shape we are familiar with today.

A great deal of preparation work was now being undertaken tor the 1963-64 season, and if one, looks at the club minute book, one can see how very hard the members worked. In all these efforts, Bangor was encouraged by the knowledge that since October, 1962, they had become probationary members of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The Annual Meeting of the Bangor Rugby Club was held, for the first time in the new Club House at Wern Fields, on Friday, July 12, 1963. The highlight of the evening was the election of J.W.A.P. (Jimmy) James as honorary Life Member - "only the second time this honour has been bestowed in the history of the club", stated a local press report. In proposing the election a tribute was paid to the tremendous energy and enthusiasm shown by Mr. James in his work as match secretary, and as member in charge of the development of the new ground and pavilion. Mr. Howard Slade, the club's architect, was also thanked for the design, and the erection of the pavilion.

The field at Wern, Bangor. This was the ground which the club created from an old refuse dump. In September, 1963, Bangor R. F. C. returned the city after nearly a quarter of a century's absence. Another move is in the offing, as the new by-pass will cut through part of the pitch, and it means a new layout to the ground, and a new clubhouse. Photo: Barry Wynne.

Arthur Rees, Chief Constable of Denbighshire, kicks off at the official opening of the new ground in Wern Fields, September, 1963. Bill Roberts, with hands on hips, who refereed the match, watches with approval. Photo: North Wales Weekly News

The Bangor R. F. C. XV who played in the official opening of the ground in September 1963.

Standing: Tony Gray; Tim Crook; Tudor Jones; K. Bearne; D. Bowers; P. Wright; -- T. H. W. Jones; Bill Roberts (Ref.). Front Row- David Gray; A. Flood; C. Jennings; Allan Davies; Brian Unsworth; Eddie Burford; Terry Lewis. John Leyshon also played. His photo is inset.

Normal College v. Bangor, in January, 1964. C. W. Jones of Bangor, gives the ball a vigorous kick to .

On Thursday, September 12, 1963 a Select Bangor XV played a Select Merseyside XV to mark the official opening of the new club house and ground. "Youth is being given the opportunity here today, and I hope they will grasp it with both hands" said the Mayor of Bangor, Councillor Emrys Edwards, when he opened the new club house. The Mayor was presented with a pen and pencil set and the Mayoress with a bouquet from the Club Chairman, Mr. Gordon Owen, The Chairman described Councillor Edwards as Bangor's "sporting Mayor", and in fact, the Mayor's brother, I. I. Edwards had played an active part in the Bangor club before the war. The Chairman then introduced Mr. Ewart Davies, , President of the Welsh Rugby Union, and Mr. Danny Davies, Cardiff, a district representative of the Welsh Rugby Union. The Chairman paid further tributes to Mr. Bill Roberts (Club Treasurer), Mr. Alan Davies, (Hon. Secretary), Mr. G. S. Handforth (Club Vice-Chairman), and the President, Mr. P. D. Kemp. Mr. Owen added that the club had received grants from the Ministry of Education towards a public appeal sponsored by the Lord Lieutenant, Sir Michael Duff, patron of the club.

Mr. Ewart Davies said Bangor was the first club to take on such a venture, and he wished them well. "This is a red-letter day for Welsh Rugby, and an effort which must encourage other clubs to do likewise", he said. He concluded by hoping that clubs such as Bangor would go from strength to strength. With the advantage of hindsight we can now see that Bangor's example caused other clubs in North Wales to emulate its example.

A large crowd watched the match that followed the opening, and after an entertaining game, the Merseyside team won by 24 points to 8. Bangor's team was: A. Davies (Bangor); J. Leyshon (Bangor and North Wales); C. Jennings (Waterloo and Lancashire); B. Unsworth (Bangor and Lancashire); A. Flood (New Brighton and Cheshire); T. G. Lewis (Bangor and London Welsh); T. H. W. Jones (Bangor); C. Crook (New Brighton and Cheshire); D. Bowers (New Brighton); T. Jones (Bangor); P. Wright (Blackheath and England); E. Burford (Trawsfynydd); David Gray (Bangor and North Wales); K. Bearne (Liverpool and Scotland) and Tony Grey (Bangor and Newbridge). The referee was Mr. W. T. Roberts, Vice-Chairman of the North Wales Rugby Union.

Two days later, on 14 September, 1963, the first home match of the season for the full Bangor side took place when they played Llandudno, and won 19 points to 3. Bangor won more possession from the scrums and did more of the attacking in the early part of the game. After play had been confined for some time within the Llandudno "25", Bangor scrum-half. I. Rees scored a good try near the posts. Llandudno equalised from a penalty goal, but just before half-time Allan Davies of Bangor kicked a penalty goal. After five minutes of the second half a well-judged kick ahead by Bangor outside-half, Terry Lewis resulted in a try being scored in the corner by Tony Gray. Midway through the second half, David Gray scored under the posts. Allan Davies converted and two minutes from the end of the game, David Gray went over again. Allan Davies converted.

The Bangor club had now entered a new era; it had a lease on the ground for 21 years, and in 1968 the club was fully affiliated to the Welsh Rugby Union. It had a full list of fixtures, and at Easter time, the club entertained teams from all over the country, and a number of Irish sides also visited the ground. The colours the team wore were those of Beaumaris, namely white shirts with green hoops. Bangor's players also represented North Wales on several occasions, and some important matches took place on the new ground. It would be a hopeless task, within the confines of this booklet to give an account of all these matches, but a few deserve more than a passing mention, as they reflect the growing influence of the game in the area.

On Saturday, April 8, 1967, North Wales entertained Bridgend on their first visit to the area when a match was played on the Bangor ground, and it turned out to be a fast and exciting match, with Bridgend running out as worthy winners by 17 points to 9. The Bangor players in the side that day were Iorrie Rees, David Gray and T. W. Jones, the latter winning a special accolade for "some precise touch-finding". The sensational result of the decade came a mere ten days later, when North Wales travelled to Newport to take on Monmouthshire in the Welsh Counties Championship Final. This game to decide the championship provided one of the biggest upsets in the Rugby Calendar. Monmouthshire were captained by , that year's Welsh International XV Captain and they fielded five other internationals, including the hero of the England v. Wales match, Keith Jarrett. North Wales started with great determination, and eventually dominated all phases of the game.

The forwards showed power and skill in scrums and line-outs, and the back row excelled in cover, defence and speed to the loose ball. This enabled them to deny possession to the experienced Monmouthshire threequarters. The North Wales backs showed outstanding speed and determination and the wing three-quarters. A Kersey Brown and D. W. Jones, were firm favourites with the large crowd. Whenever the first line of defence was broken, Tony Uray's great speed and experience enabled him to cut off the danger.

North Wales emerged as convincing winners by 24 points to 6. This result, it was claimed, had placed North Wales on the Welsh Rugby map, and would be a great encouragement to both senior and school players to keep up to a high standard. Bangor, as an area, was well represented by John Kidner and Stuart Turner, from the University College, Tom Jones, Tony Gray and David Gray from Bangor, and Kersey-Brown from Penmaenmawr. The latter player was a former pupil of Friars School. W. E. Lewis, another ex-Friars boy, was a reserve for the side. D. W. Jones, right wing threequarter, was a former student of Bangor Normal College. G. Jones, at right centre, and Geoff Evans, second row, were also both former members of the University College team.

The North Wales side that shook Monmouthshire in the Welsh Counties Cup, by winning the Final 24 points to 6 points, at , Newport. The team: Standing: J. Bryn Davies (N.W.R.U. Hon. Sec.); T. Crook (Colwyn Bay); Kersey Brown (Llandudno and London Welsh); Peter Rogers (Ruthin); J. Kidner (U.C.N.W.); N. Ashworth (Colwyn Bay); I. Rees (Bangor). Seated: D. Gray (Bangor); T. Gray (Bangor & London Welsh); John Rogers (Ruthin and Old Birkonians); D. W. Jones (Birkenhead Park); G. L. Jones (U.C.N:W. and London Welsh). Front Tow: K. Jones (Chester College); T. W. H. Jones (Bangor); S. Turner (U.C.N.W.). D. Mycock (Colwyn Bay).

ANNUAL DANCE 1964

Left to right D. Tree; R. Vere-Whiting; W. T. Roberts; G. Handforth; W.J.A.P. James; C.W. Jones; J. Breen-Turner; N. Dale Jones

BANGOR R. F. C. 1965-66

Standing in the back row, fourth from the left, is Geoff Evans, the Wales second row forward. He was, at the time, a student at University College, Bangor, and he frequently turned out for the team; The team: Standing: S. P. Jackson; Randall Richards; Bob Taylor; Geoff Evans; David Gray; Raeph Hogan; Len Beer; Allan Davies; J. W. A. P. James. Seated: John Popplewell; David Grove; Barry Mordike (Capt.); Les Roberts; Iorrie Rees. Front: Richard Lord; ; Ellis Davies; Michael Thomas.

The 1967 - 68 season was probably the most successful in the history of the Bangor club, and some of the achievements of the team bear repeating. They suffered one defeat only; some of the wins came easily, but there were a considerable number which were won by strong determination. This inspiration was instilled into the team by Iorrie Rees, the Captain. There was also the driving energy of the late Len Beer in the pack. The only defeat was at the hands of the University College. The team visited Ireland, where they had a convincing win over the Dublin Railway Institute. The highlight of the year was against a star-studded Staffordshire Police XV, and after a tremendously hard and exacting game, Bangor won 8 - 6. This was the beginning of a hard but successful Easter programme, which included new fixtures against the Welsh Guards and Sefton Park. After beating the Guards 16-0, a very weary team "stumbled and fumbled to beat Sefton Park 8-6 in a disappointing match". The season ended on a successful note when the club completed the double over Ruthin by winning 9 - 6. The success of the team was reflected in the number of players who represented North Wales, namely David Grey, Les Roberts, G. Dowden, R. Taylor, W. E. Lewis, P. Jackson and Iorrie Rees. The actual record speaks for itself: Played 31; Won 29; Drawn 1; Lost 1; Points for 555; Points Against 90.

Over the Easter weekend in 1969, Bangor Rugby Club had a bumper crop of points, when they defeated Milford Haven by 40 points to 3 and two days later they scored 53 points without reply against Cefneithin.

On Monday, May 12, 1969, "great rugby was served up on soccer pitch", according to one daily paper. This match, played in the Investiture year, was between North Wales and Llanelli, on the Bangor City Football ground. The Bangor area was well represented, and the team read as follows: W. Owen (Dolgellau); Peter Jackson (Bangor and Bristol University); G. Frankcom (R.A.F. Valley and England); Stuart Turner (University College, Bangor); Ken Collier (Coleg Harlech and Bridgend); B. Charnley (University College, Bangor); John Pugh (Ruthin and Chester); Tim Crook (Colwyn Bay); John Powell (Wrexham); Peter Ray (R.A.F. Valley); John Rogers (Ruthin and Old Birkonians); Mike Roberts (Colwyn Bay and Oxford University); David Gray (Bangor); Foster Edwards (University College, Bangor) and Tony Gray (Bangor and London Welsh). The match was an exciting one, but North Wales lost by 12 points to 5. The game had been arranged as part of the "Croeso `69" celebrations, and provided a festive occasion for over 2,000 spectators. North Wales served up some scintillating rugby. It was, in fact North Wales' willingness to take chances and throw the ball around that cost them the game, Llanelli being very quick to capitalise on any mistakes. North Wales started the game well, and took the lead in the seventeenth minute when B. Charnley of the University College made a break, giving a reverse pass to G. Frankom, a former England International, who scored by the posts. Colwyn Bay's Mike Roberts converted.

Llanelli reduced the leeway a minute into injury time when Hefyn Jenkins crashed over the line following a poor clearance. In the second half Llanelli scored after a short spell of “sloppy play” by North Wales. They scored again a few minutes later. North Wales replied with some all out attempts to get back on terms, but their attacking policy left big gaps behind and on several occasions Llanelli capitalised on errors and came dangerously close to scoring. Llanelli scored again when Alan John intercepted a pass and put John Vaughan clear to score.

North Wa1es lost this match, it was stated, because of their determination to give fans what they wanted - fast open rugby. They would probably have won the game by keeping it tight, but this they refused to do.

The referee was Mr. Gwyn Walters, who came out of retirement to take charge of this match. He was probably Britain's leading referee in the 1960's, and he was presented with a small memento 'by the Llanelli team at a dinner in Bangor Rugby Club’s pavilion after the match.

The match that created a great deal of excitement in Bangor was the visit of the club to Cardiff in the Welsh Rugby Union Championship on December 7, 1973. This was the second time that Bangor had visited the Arms Park, as earlier that season they appeared there in August in the National "Sevens" competition, when they lost narrowly to Newport. This game, however, was the first time that Cardiff and Bangor had met. Bangor’s team was: L. Pritchard; P, Jackson; W. E. Lewis; I, Hutchinson; J, Bird (Captain); R. Walters; S. Robinson; R. Hogan; L. Roberts; D. Hibbert; C. Davies; B. Roberts; R. B. Jones; D. Gray and A. J. Gray.

Any hopes that Bangor would bring about a giant-killing act were fairly quickly dispelled. Cardiff showed no mercy' after the first twenty minutes, when the game had been fairly even. Then the crunch came. Cardiff's John Davies landed a penalty, and that was the signal for the beginning of a crushing defeat. As one newspaper put it "The reason why Bangor could not match Cardiff was their almost total lack of possession. Had Bangor been allowed to use the ball, then their reputation as an all-out attacking side could have made a big difference to the score". We need not dwell on the way the tries were scored-the final tally was 69 points to Cardiff and 3 points to Bangor. Some consolation for Bangor was that this was not Cardiff's biggest win that season, as earlier they had beaten 77 points to nine. In spite of the score the Bangor players agreed that it had been a wonderful experience.

In 1974, a number of Bangor players achieved representative honours in another important match. This was the visit of Tonga, to Rhyl, on September 21st. It was the first visit of this team to the Northern Hemisphere, and the first visit of a national side to play rugby in North Wales. Tony Gray, Peter Jackson and David Gray played on that day and J. Deakin of the University College was one of the reserves. North Wales won, in a shock result, by 12 points to 3. The previous week the Tongans had beaten East Wales. "The speed of the Gray brothers to the breakdown" gave North Wales ample opportunity of getting good possession. Peter Jackson on the wing was outstanding.

And so the game has developed in Bangor, and North Wales. More and more representative games are being played, and in 1979, Carmarthenshire played North Wales at Bangor, and in September of the same year we saw, at Colwyn Bay, Romania play the men from the Northern part of the Principality. It augurs well for the game, although the Bangor teams in the 1979-80 season had mixed fortunes.

In retrospect, it seems that the rich period in Bangor Rugby was in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The University team achieved further glory when, in the 1969-70 season they shared the U.A.U. title with Newcastle University, after a drawn game in Manchester. In the previous six years, Bangor had appeared twice in the final and twice in the quarter finals of this competition. Moreover, in the same period, University College, Bangor had had five representatives in the British Universities XV. This was a great record for a small college. The future of the game in the University is assured, with the team having the resources both in manpower and facilities.

The Normal College in the 1960's had a number of seasons when they performed to a very high standard, and several students in the past decade have gained representative honours, for example, John Davies, Allan Beaumont Jones, Ross Edwards, John McBride, Gareth Richard, Alan Roberts and Ieuan Jones. Recently, however, the College has, because of government policy, contracted in terms of numbers. It means, therefore, that the club is not as strong as formerly.

At the schools level, Rugby at Friars School has maintained its strong position, and it has a number of dedicated teachers on the staff who will see to it that this state of affairs continues. The new school at Tryfan has also introduced the game for the first time in the 1979-80 season, and time will tell whether it will take root.

As for the town club, the last few years have seen varying fortunes in playing terms, and it is facing increasing competition from clubs such as Menai Bridge, Bethesda and Caernarfon. Another area of major concern is the new by- pass that will entail moving the ground once again, although this time, hopefully, a few hundred yards. Nevertheless, it means disruption, and the worries associated with the move are taxing the members of the club committee. But as in the past, these difficulties will be overcome. The town club has been well served by a number of people in the past fifty years, and some of these have been referred to earlier; it would be impossible to mention them all in a small booklet such as this, but a few deserve a special acknowledgement because of outstanding service to the club. These personalities are mentioned at the end of this account.

The new town club has also supplied three Presidents to the North Wales Rugby Union in Mr. Mansel Williams, the former Director of Education for Caernarvonshire; Mr. R. I. Davies (who also represented the University College) and J.W.A.P. (Jimmy) James, the present chairman of the club. Season 1979-$0 brought another significant honour to the club, in that A, J. (Tony) Gray, the former London Welsh International was elected North Wales representative on the W.R.U, in place of Gwyn Roblin and he was also appointed a member of the Welsh Selection Committee (The Big Five). No list of persons who have made major contributions to Rugby in the Bangor area would be complete without the names of Harry Lapidus and W.T. (Bill) Roberts, who were leading personalities of the Beaumaris period. Bill Roberts was also concerned with the move to Bangor, as Treasurer of the club. The services of these two great protagonists of the game have been recognised by their election as Honorary Life Members of the club.

There are many others who have played an energetic part in the Bangor area for the past fifty years, and their contribution to the game has been of an inestimable value. Some have given freely of their time coaching aspiring youth on school or college fields. Others have been involved in the thankless task of administration, and a considerable number have enjoyed playing the game at all levels.

The City of Bangor can feel a sense of pride, after 100 years, in its participation in Rugby Union Football, and although we live in the shadow of the great South Wales clubs, in our own way we have played a not inconsiderable part in the growth of the game in the Centenary Year of Welsh Rugby.

Bangor in action against Caernarfon at Wern Fields, March 1980 Photo: Gwyn Roberts

YSGOL TRYFAN lst. XV. 1979-80

Back Row: R. Haynes (P.E. Teacher); Aled Williams; Robin Hughes; Paul Tynan; Colin Roberts; Owen Evans; Dafydd Charles; Sion Williams; Mark Williams; Arnold Williams. Front Row: John Pritchard; Kevin Edwards; Emrys Bebb; Stan Owen; Cerwyn Jones; Wyn Roberts; Geraint Williams; Gronw Percy.

FRIARS SCHOOL XV. 1979-80

Back Row: Stephen Conway; Alun T. Jones; Ian Williams; Stephen Rees; Meirion Davies; Jonathan Jenkins; Christopher Shears. Middle Row: Dominic Pritchard; Phillip Owen; Martin Jones; Dewi Griffiths; Dylan Thomas; Glyn Roberts; Andrew Leung; Iwan Griffith. Front Row: H. Glyn Williams; Adrian Jones; Ifor Roberts; Glynne Roberts.

THE CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Another event of historic significance, from Bangor R.F.C.'s viewpoint, was the visit to Cardiff on Saturday, July 26, 1980, to participate at the opening of the Centenary celebrations of the Welsh Rugby Union. Many members and their wives had travelled down on Friday, July 25, to stay at the Water's Edge Hotel, Barry. There was the usual festive atmosphere, and most retired to bed in the early hours of the morning.

Saturday dawned, slightly overcast, but very warm. The Club Chairman, Jimmy James, was entertained, with other chairmen of the eleven founder member clubs, by the W.R., at a reception on the Saturday morning. The other Bangor members who had been delegated to march in the Grand Parade, found their way to the Sophia Gardens Pavilion by 11.30 a.m., to pick up a packed lunch: There were generous portions of slab cake, crisps and rolls with assorted "fillings", and one can of beer each. By midday, the weather had become very close, and thirsts were difficult to quench, but a couple of intrepid characters went foraging, and more ale materialised. I should imagine some hampers for the other original member clubs were, perhaps deficient in the necessary beverage.

The Bangor club leading the procession, approaching Cardiff Castle. There were large numbers of people present. For example, 2,000 choristers, delegates from the eleven founder member clubs, representatives from the schools and youth organisations, the Welsh National Squad, and most terrifying of all, hundreds of referees. Colour was added to the occasion by military bands from the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Royal Regiment of Wales and the Welsh Guards. The latter were accompanied by a platoon of men with rifles and fixed bayonets. The time came to assemble for the march through the streets of Cardiff, and Bangor, because of their alphabetic advantage, were to lead the procession, behind the band of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. An extremely attractive young woman carried the Bangor plaque, and the thirty Bangor representatives quickly donned their green pullovers, with the club motif on the top left hand side, a sight most resplendent. Favourable comment was made about Bangor's appearance and three of the club's stalwarts formed the first rank, namely Stuart Waters, Allan Davies and Jimmy James. There was an air of suppressed excitement as the time came to move off, and the band of the R.W.F'. in their scarlet uniforms commenced with some stirring music. Bangor R.F.C. followed (most of the participants being in step), and the march through the streets of Cardiff was an experience not many will forget, as the club were the recipients of much cheering-after all, we were the only ones from the north. Eventually, we entered the Arms Park, and trod on the hallowed turf, and once again there was a tumultuous reception. The club, with others, marched the length of the ground in front of the North Stand, and then moved down the middle of the field to the River Taff end, where we could survey the rest of the procession. It was a very stirring experience, especially when "" was sung.

Thousands of balloons were released at the northern end of the ground, and everyone retired to his seat in the North Enclosure to view the interesting programme provided by the W.R.U. There was a match played under the rules of the 1870's, when teams consisted of twenty players each. The combined choirs, gathered in the South Stand, gave an impressive performance of traditional male voice pieces; the various regimental bands marched and countermarched in the arena, and youngsters showed their paces in the skills of the game, reflecting great credit on their coaches. The climax of this pageant was the descent of members of the Red Devils (The Parachute Regiment) from 2,000 feet up, into the middle of the arena.

Finally, Jeff Squire, the Welsh XV Captain, came into the ground, escorted by schoolboy and youth representatives. He carried the ball which contained the message from the Queen. This ball had started its journey from Buckingham Palace and had been carried through the , to North Wales and then down to Cardiff. Cliff Jones, the President of the W.R.U. read a number of messages from the other Unions in Ireland, Scotland, France and England and finally, the message from the Queen. The new W.R.U. flag was unfurled and the centenary was truly launched.

The Bangor club then dispersed, with the other thousands. That Saturday evening, there was a dinner at the Hotel Water’s Edge, Barry, followed by a sing song which everyone enjoyed.

An historic occasion indeed. How will the Bangor Club celebrate its second centenary? Let us hope that by then, the game in Bangor at all levels, will have achieved greater things, and that many more players will have worn the scarlet of Wales.

To mark the centenary of the Welsh Rugby Union the Queen wrote a message on a rugby ball, which was relayed all the way from London, and handled by various rugby clubs in Wales before the ball eventually landed up in Cardiff.

The ball is seen here at Bangor, where it was received by the Mayor, Councillor Mrs. Glenda Jones. Friars schoolboys, Martin Jones, Dewi Griffiths Ralph Taylor, on the left of the picture, passed the ball to the Mayor who in turn passed it on to Les Pritchard of Bangor R.F.C. who relayed it into Anglesey.

This civic reception was held at Glynne Road, near the site ot Bangor's first ground at Maes-y-Dref. On the Mayor's right hand side is club Chairman, Jimmy James and on her left hand side is Gwyn Roblin, former President of the W.R.U, and now President of the Bangor Rugby Club.

Other local rugby clubs who took part in relaying the ball were from Bethesda, Llangefni, Menai Bridge, Normal College, R.A.F. Valley, Holyhead and Caernarfon and some of their representatives can be seen here.

Bangor Normal College 1979 – 80 Standing: H. Powell; I. Morris; W. Sanderson; H. Lewis; B. Lewis; M. Walker; D. Owen; J. O’Neil, R. Douglas Seated: C. Saunders; G. Green; T. Davies; J. B. Davies; K. Donovan; A. Roberts; A. Jones. Photo; Baxters

U.C.N.W. 1st XV 1979 – 80 Top: P. Dixon; R. Jolly; D. Martin; R. Owen; R. Lomax; C. Bealey; S. Webster; G. Whitehall; T. Suedley; G. Jones; J. Erskine. Sitting: D. Robson; T. Clay; D. Bexon; (Vice Captain) J. Tewson (Captain); R.Pickup; S. Evalas; P. Evans

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Photo: North wales Chronicle

Guests at the dinner given in honour of Gwyn Roblin, President of the' Welsh Rugby Union, at the Castle Hotel, Bangor in March, 1980.

Left to Right: Davied Leadbeater (Mold Rugby Club); Jimmy James (Chairman, Bangor R.F.C.); Myrddin Jones (W.R.U.); Cliff W. Jones (President Elect W.R.U.); Gwyn Roblin (President, W.R.U.); Tom Bellis (President, N.W.R.U.); Professor Emeritus D. Seaborne-Davies, (Pwllheli Rugby Club); R. I. Davies (Ex- President N.W.R.U.); George Workman (President, Dolgellau R.F.C.). THE AUTHOR This booklet provides most absorbing reading, and is the result research. As well as being of interest to the game’s enthusiast it also contributes to the social history of the district. Mr. R. Wendell Edwards is a former pupil of Friars School and a graduate of U.C.N.W., Bangor. During his national Service he played in the front row for various RoyalAir Force units and later in the midlands, where he took up teaching appointments. After returning to the Bangor area he became actively engaged in coaching Rugby Football at Caernarfon and Penygroes, and for several years he was Secretary of the North Wales Schools Rugby Union. Mr. Edwards is at present a Senior Lecturer at the Gwynedd TechnicalCollege where he teaches Economic and Social History.

YR AWDUR

Mae'r stori yn ddiddorol dros ben ac yn dangos oriau o waith ymchwil: Yn ogystal a bod o ddiddordeb i ddilynwyr y campau mae hwn yn gyfraniad hefyd i hanes cymdeithasol y cylch. Mae Mr. R. Wendell Edwards yn gyn ddisgybl o Y sgol Friars ac wedi graddio yn y Brifysgol ym Mangor. Yn ystod ei gyfnod yn yr Awyrlu chwaraeodd yn y rheng flaen i nifer o dimau ac eto pan yn athro yng Nghanolbarth Lloegr. Ar ol dychwelyd i'w gynefin bu yn hyfforddi Rygbi yn ysgolion Caernarfon a Phenygroes, ac am flynyddoedd roedd yn Ysgrifennydd gweithgar i Undeb Rygbi Ysgolion y Gogledd. Yn bresennol mae Mr. Edwards yn Uwch Ddarlithydd yng Ngholeg Technegol Gwynedd ble mae yn dysgu Hanes Cymdeithasol ac Economaidd. J. Brynmor Davies Hon Sec. N.W.R.U./Ysg. U.R.G.C.

Photo: Gwyn Roberts

Members of Bangor R.F.C. with Gwyn Roblin at the Castle Hotel, March, 1980.

Left to Right: Stuart Waters (Hon. Sec.); Jimmy James (Chairman); Peter Brown (Vice-President); Allan Davies (Centenary Committee Chairman); R. I. Davies (Ex-President N.W.R.U.) and Gwyn Roblin (President, W.R.U.). INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS FROM THE AREA AND OTHER LEADING PERSONALITIES.

GODFFREY DARBYSHIRE 1853-1889 A member of the family who developed the granite quarries at Penmaenmawr. Went to Rugby School where he played for the lst. XV. Received some higher education at Balliol College, Oxford. Rowed for his College Eight. After eighteen months at college, his father "took him away", In 1881 he was selected to play for Wales against England as a back row forward. The details of his selection are rather obscure, but a solicitor friend of his in Bangor was on very friendly terms with Richard Mullock, the first Honorary Secretary of the W.R.U. He eventually became a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, and he did some very important geographical surveys in Florida, where he also had an orange farm. He died, at a comparatively early age, tragically, from exposure at sea, in a small boat off Key West in Florida.

Sir Hugh Corbet Vincent, 1862-1931. Born in 1862 of an old Welsh family; his father was Vicar of Caernarfon for many years. He was a pupil at Friars School, under the Headship of Bishop Lloyd, and then proceeded to Sherborne College. Later attended Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated with an arts degree. Entered the legal profession, and served his articles with Mr. Charles A. Jones, Caernarfon, and in 1886 started a practice at Caernarfon in partnership with H. Lloyd Carter. Later the firm acquired an extensive business in Bangor, and Hugh Vincent took charge of this branch. Appointed Clerk to the Bangor Magistrates Bench and was thrice Mayor of Bangor. A keen sportsman, and while at Trinity College, was selected to represent Wales against Ireland. This was his only cap. He was also a keen soccer player, at centre-half, and a playing member of St. Deiniol Golf Club, Bangor. Received a knighthood for much good public work . He was also closely associated with Bangor Cricket Club.

Charles Peter Allen. 1861-1930. Born in Manchester, the son of Peter Allen, the manager of the Manchester Guardian. The family had a summer home in Beaumaris, where he spent many summer holidays. Went to Rugby School, and captained the lst. XV. Left the school in 1880, and went to Oxford where he won his "Blue". Often played cricket for Beaumaris, and sailed the family yacht at the events organised by the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club. In 1884, selected because of his residential qualifications at Beaumaris to play for Wales against England and Scotland. Credited with scoring the first ever Welsh try against England. After leaving Oxford he studied law and later joined the staff of the Manchester Guardian. Sent to Russia and Bulgaria as a correspondent. Eventually set up home in Stroud, Gloucester. Won the Mid- Gloucester Parliamentary Seat for the Liberals in 1900. Remained an M.P. until 1914, when he went over to France in the Army. Served as a Town Major. Became a Privy Councillor and Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucester.

Dewi Bebb. Born 1939.

A pupil at Friars School, son of the famous Welsh historian, Ambrose Bebb. When he left school, was called up to do his National Service in the Royal Navy. There he quickly distinguished himself as a very fast wing three-quarter. Soon he played for the Navy in Representative matches. Entered Trinity College, Carmarthen, to train as a teacher. He played for the College lst. XV, and he also turned out for Swansea, who quickly realised his potential. It was not long before he was chosen to play for Wales, and he represented his country on 34 occasions. He toured with the British Lions in 1962 and 1966. He taught for a number of years, but now he is Sports Editor with Harlech Television.

Tony Gray. Born in Bangor 1942.

A former pupil at Friars School. Trained as a teacher in Cardiff; played for Newbridge, and event" ually took up a post in London, where he soon achieved prominence as a back row forward with London Welsh. Played for Wales on two occasions, against England and Scotland in 1968. Captained the London side in 1971-72. In '?? 1973 he was appointed to the staff of the University College, Bangor, lecturing in Physical Education. In the 1979-80 season, he became one of the `Big Five' 2 selectors for the Welsh Rugby Union.

Llewellyn Morgan Rees. 1913-1972.

Native of Rhigos, educated at Grammar School. Played for Welsh Secondary Schools against French Schools in 1930. Entered University College, Cardiff and in 1933- 34 was Captain of the College lst. XV. Graduated in Latin. His prowess as an athlete qualified him for admission to the Carnegie College, Leeds, then a comparatively new institution, training an elite corps of teachers for physical education. His first teaching post was at Fleetwood, then at Devonport High School. Played for Plymouth Albion and Devon County. In 1939 he enlisted in the R.A.F. and served with distinction throughout the war. He represented the R.A.F., and he was also a Welsh International Trialist. In 1946, he became lecturer in Physical Education at the Normal College, Bangor, and then on the retirement of Ifor Williams, Organiser of P.E. for intending teachers at the University College, Bangor, Llew Rees was appointed to succeed him in the Education Department. Under his watchful eye, the College Rugby Club became a force to be reckoned with in Inter-College football. He was a selector of the University of Wales Rugby team, and he was the Manager and Chief Selector of the British Universities team. A highly competent radio broadcaster in Welsh on Rugby.

Gwyn Roblin. Born 1909.

Educated at Port Talbot County School, and the University College, Swansea, where he took a degree in Physics. Whilst at school represented Wales at the under 15 and under 19 age groups. Played rugby and cricket for the College, and he gained representative honours by playing for the University of Wales. Taught in London and eventually moved to Mold where he taught Physics and Games at Alun School. Joined the local rugby club in its first year of existence and helped to develop the local cricket team. Played rugby for North Wales. Moved to Bangor Normal College in 1949. Took an interest in the administration of the game, and in turn became a selector, referee, chairman and part-time secretary of the North Wales Rugby Union. In 1964 he was elected to represent District J on the W.R.U. and in 1979 became President of the Welsh Rugby Union, a tremendous honour for a local man, and for North Wales Rugby. In the summer of 1980, went with the Welsh XV on its tour of the United States and Canada, and also part of British Lions tour of South Africa. He is also President of Bangor R. F. C.

J. W. A. P. "Jimmy" James. Born 1914.

A native of Llandover, Gwent. Came to Bangor from Monmouth School in September, 1930. (This school, with Brecon College, was one of the nurseries of Welsh rugby, and had a long association with the Newport club). Started work in Bangor Town Hall and was soon approached by Cyril Powell, an official of the Treasurer's Department, about his rugby abilities. Gained an immediate place as full back with the Bangor R.F.C, and before long with the North Wales XV. Has been associated directly and indirectly with the Bangor club for fifty years. Moved to Birmingham to work in 1936, but returned to Bangor in 1954, and immediately involved himself with the Beaumaris club. Here he worked with a very active committee made up of such enterprising men as Gordon Owen, Gwyn Roblin, Llew Rees, Bill Roberts, David Price-White and Gerry Handforth. Was one of the instigators of the move back to Bangor. His work in this capacity was phenomenal. He has been completely dedicated in his concern for the club for the past twenty years, and his contribution to the club locally, and to North Wales rugby has been enormous. He is the very active Chairman of Bangor R. F. C. A Civil Engineer, he recently retired from the Gwynedd County Council.

David Price-White. 1906-1978.

Pupil at Friars School. Went to the University ; College, Bangor, and he distinguished himself in the College lst. XV, eventually becoming captain. Became a solicitor in Bangor. Played for the Bangor Town club from its early days in the 1930's, and was also the Chairman of the club. At one period was Secretary of the North Wales Rugby Union. When the war came in 1939, he enlisted in the Artillery, and he rose to the rank of Colonel. Stood as a Conservative for the old Caernarfon Boroughs seat in the General Election of 1945, and won with a substantial majority. He held this seat until 1951.

Des Treen. Born 1914.

A native of Abercarn, Gwent. Came to University College, Bangor, where he took a degree in Mathematics. Between 1932- 40 played for the University, North Wales, Newbridge and Bangor. During his war service with the R.A.F. played for a number of service sides. Taught Maths at Bethesda, and later became Head of the Maths Department at Caernarfon Grammar School (now ) in 1953. For over twenty years coached Rugby most successfully in that school. Chairman and Secretary of the North Wales Secondary Schools Rugby Union for many years, and was also a representative on the Welsh Secondary Schools Rugby Union, being a selector between 1968-75. For many years a committee member of Bangor R. F. C., and also helped in the establishment of Caernarfon R.F.C. In 1977 awarded the M.B.E. for his service to the. A.T.C. Although he has now retired, still takes a very active part in all aspects of Rugby.

J. Brynmor Davies, born 1929

A native of Llandovery, and has been Secretary of the North Wales Rugby Union since 1966. Whilst in the Forces he was attached to the Army Physical Training Corps, and not only represented his regiment at Rugby and Athletics but also won the Regimental welter- weight boxing championship. After studying at Bangor and Cardiff he attended the Physical Training College at Fredensborg, Denmark, under the legendary Svend Holtze. While teaching in the London area he played for London Welsh whose ground at that time was at Herne Hill. He was appointed to the Staff of the Normal College in 1960. For the past 12 years he has been in charge of the Welsh Colleges Rugby team and represents Wales on the British Colleges Committee. He was instrumental in acquiring fixtures for North Wales with National Touring Teams, and was responsible for organising the matches with Tonga and Romania. His present position is that of Senior Lecturer in Physical Education at the Normal College.

Terry Lewis. Born 1934.

A native of Pontyberem, South Wales. Went to Gwendraeth Grammar School, famous for its Rugby talent, such as and . Captained Welsh Secondary Schools in 1952, in their match against France. While in the R.A.F, played for Cheltenham. Became student at Bangor Normal College from 1954-56, captaining the lst. XV. Played for: a number of clubs - Llanelli, Neath and London Welsh. In 1962 was appointed as P.E. teacher at Friars School, and guided the school team most successfully for the next two decades. Played for Beaumaris and later Bangor. His present post is that of Deputy Head of Friars School on the Eithinog site.

Allan Wharton Davies. Born 1933.

Hails from Mumbles, near Swansea. Played in the lst. XV for Swansea Grammar School, Mumbles R.F.C. and various sides during his R.A.F. service. Came to live in Bangor in 1960, being employed by the Royal Insurance, and since then has been energetically involved with rugby football in the area. Played for Beaumaris and later Bangor at full back. Captained the Bangor Club in 1963, when the side returned to the Wern Fields. Has been successively secretary and vice-chairman of the club, He is now a well-known referee with the North Wales Referee Society, and from 1970 onwards has been a Welsh Rugby Union referee. At present Chairman of the North Wales Referees Society.

David Gray. Born 1944 Born in Bangor in 1944. Attended Cae Top School and Friars School. Joined the Beaumaris club in 1960, and when the club moved to Bangor three years later, he became a regular first team player for the next seventeen ears, apart from one season with Ashton- on-Mersey. First capped by North Wales at Birkenhead Park in season 1963-64, and ever present in the side until 1977-78. Has now progressed from Captain of North Wales to team coach. He is Captain of Bangor in the 1980-81 season. Surveyor with the well-known builders, Watkin Jones and Son Ltd.

Stuart Waters. Born 1946.

Educated at Hartridge High School, Newport, in Gwent. Moved to North Wales in 1967. Became Bangor R.F.C. Secretary in 1974. Member of the Newport and Cross Keys clubs. Forced to finish playing rugby in 1975, owing to a aerious neck injury whilst playing for Bangor. Bangor Rugby Club representative on the North Wales Rugby Union since 1973. Employed by Gwynedd County Council as a Liaison Engineer in the Highways and Transportation Department.

W. T. "Bill" Roberts. Born 1917.

Native of Ogmore Vale. Educated at Ogmore Grammar School, and Cardiff Technical College. Articled to Accountant in Cardiff up to outbreak of war in 1939. Served in the forces throughout the war, and on demobilisation in 1946, returned to professional accountancy practice in Loughborough until 1947. Then joined Saunders-Roe in Beaumaris as Chief Accountant, and later became Company Secretary. In 1966 transferred to British Aerospace in Bolton, where he is currently employed. Played rugby at school and in the Army, for whom he had two Representative Trials. After the war played for one season with Leicester and then joined the team at Saunders-Roe, later called Beaumaris. During his period in Anglesey, served at varying times as captain, chairman, and treasurer of the club, the latter duty for nearly twenty years. For many years on the committee of the North Wales Rugby Union, being its Vice-Chairman for six years, In addition, took up duties as a referee, and occupied the chair of the North Wales Referees Society. Is now a keen spectator at either Sale Rugby Club or Orrell R.F.C.

Space does not permit further details of many who helped Bangor R.F.C. over the past 50 years. There are people such as Eric Jones, former Deputy Headmaster of Friars School, and the late I. I. Edwards, who gave such service to the club before 1939. In the immediate post-war years there was Neville Matthews, and of course, that most intrepid of Chairmen, Gordon Owen, who steered the fortunes of the club for a long period of time. The late E. W. Jones, of Friars School, and J. S. Breen-Turner, were great workers for the club two decades ago, as was Howard Slade. And so the list goes on-there are many, many more, and if names have been left out, it has not been unintentional.

THE OPENING MATCH OF THE CENTENARY SEASON

Bangor R. F. C. opened its Centenary Season on Monday, September 8th. 1980 with a match against the South Wales touring side, Crawshays XV. The result of the match, played before a large crowd, was 40 points to nil in the tourists' favour, but when we consider the strength of the side, it was not totally unexpected. The following match report appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post the following day.

TOURISTS RUN RIOT AT BANGOR

Bangor Presidents XV-0 Crawshays XV-40

South Wales touring side Crawshays Welsh gave Bangor a hammering when they opened the club's centenary season yesterday. British Lion, Dave Burcher, of Newport, put Wynford Lewis of Aberavon over for the first try, after six minutes with stand-off Geoff Barker of Bridgend converting. Barker then got a try of his own, in the corner, and then Llanelli's Paul Ringer, with a good break in mid-field, put Lewis over near the post for Lewis to convert. Burcher broke down the blind side for the next one. Barker converted and then Newport's Robert Ackerman got the final try of the first half for Barker to convert. In the second half Bangor defended more resolutely and on several occasions, right winger, John Bird, almost got clear. In the scrum, North Wales coach David Gray, ably assisted by Sam Rucker, and guest players Gwyn Harries and Roger Bold, held the scrummage together with Stephen Harmes, last year's UWIST captain having a good game at scrum half. Late in the second half Ackerman got his second try which was again converted by Barker and then in the closing minutes the Crawshays forwards combined with the ball passing between eight pairs of hands before Peter Rawlings (Neath) went over and Ringer closed the scoring with the conversion.

After the match, the spectators availed themselves of plentiful refreshments provided both in the club-house, and in a large marquee situated at the western end of the ground. The Crawshays XV were staying at the George Hostel in the Normal College, and several Bangor officials and their friends were invited there later in the evening, which ended on a note of bon homie and song.

Bangor Rugby Club’s Captain David Grey (centre left) and British Lion Alan Martin of Crawshay’s touring rugby side along with Welsh International Paul Ringer (left) and Bob Walters (right) of Bangor.

CRAWSHAYS XV Photo: Duouglas Gowan

The large party contained a number of interesting players and individuals. At the end on the right is Paul Ringer (Wales and Llanelli). Standing next to him is J. W. A. P. James, Chairman, Bangor R.F.C. Fourth from the left, second row is D. Burcher (Cardiff, Barbarians, Wales and British Lions). Seated in the centre, with ball at his feet, is Alan Martin (Aberavon, Barbarians, Wales, British Lions). Next to him on his right is Arthur Rees, Chairman Crawshays XV.

BANGOR PRESIDENTS XV v. CRAWSHAYS XV Photo: Douglas Gowan. Back Row: David Jones (Bangor); Sammy Tucker (Bangor); Keith Powell (Bangor); Rob Waiters (Bangor); Peter Dingley (Bangor); G. Roberts (Bangor); M. Ferguson (Mold); R. Bold (Mold); Iolo Dafydd (Bangor); Wyn Lewis (Bangor). Front Row: R. Jacob (Bangor); R. Hill (Bangor); R. Owen (Bangor); Jimmy James (Chairman); David Gray (Bangor); J. Bird (Bangor); S. Hermes (Delyn);Les Roberts (Bangor). For the first time since the 1938-39 season, Bangor wore their old colours of Royal Blue and Scarlet.

BANGOR R.F.C. 1979-80 Photo; Douglas Gowan

Standing, back row. Left to right: I. Jones; R. Beer; R. Hill; J. Williams; G. Roberts; Iolo Dafydd; R. Walters; P. Green; G. Alsop; A. Holden; A. Roberts; A. Pritchard; A. Jones; C. Leonard; R. Jacob; A. Williams; J. Lloyd; P. White. Front Row: Wendell Edwards (Centenary Committee); H. Jones; E. Williams; L. Pritchard; C. Hughes; P. Dingley; D. Gray; J. W. A. P. James (Chairman); J. Bird (Captain); L. Roberts; R. B. Jones; Stuart Waters (Hon. Sec.); N. Jones; A. Vaughan.

Photo: Western Mail

Bangor R. F. C., far right of picture, in the Arms Park Centenary Celebrations.