Crynant RFC
Encyclopedia
Crynant Rugby Football Club is a Welsh
rugby union
team based in Crynant
, Wales
, UK
. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
. 1904 saw the great religious revival
throughout South Wales led by the lay preacher, Evan Roberts
. Like many teams in South Wales the vast number of players who quit rugby to follow, or show to follow, a more godly morale code resulted in the eventual dissolution of the club in 1904. The club reformed in 1908 with games being played at Maesmawr field and the Red Lion Hotel used as a clubhouse. In 1912 Cryrant RFC joined the Swansea and District League and moved clubhouse to the Star Hotel which they used until the 1960s. At the outbreak of World War I club rugby in Wales ceased and the club disbanded for the second time in their history.
, was chosen to represent Wales against England. Wales lost the game and Cyril was dropped from the national squad making this his one and only cap. The club disbanded for a third time in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II, though the team reformed again with the end of the war. During the 1940s a second team formed in Crynant, the Crynant Harlequins, but despite local rivalry the clubs merged in May 1950. In 1956 the club gained a new pitch adjacent to Maesmawr field and soon after gained ownership of an old shop and billiard hall which was converted into the clubs first permanent clubhouse.
During the 1950s Crynant saw two more former players capped for Wales, Roy John and C.C. Meredith. Both men, at the time of being picked to play for Wales, were members of Neath RFC.
In 1971, Crynant's secretary since 1927, Rhys Emlyn Williams, was elected to the post of Welsh Rugby Union President. As was laid out in WRU rules he would hold the post for a single year.
In 1983 the clubhouse was badly damaged by a fire. The damage was extensive and the club was under insured; it took until 2003 for the club to finally relieve themselves of the debts built to repair the damage. During the club's centenary season in 1995/96 they were visited by top level Welsh clubs as part of the celebrations; these included Llanelli
, Neath and Swansea
.
Rugby union in Wales
Rugby union is the national sport of Wales and is considered a large part of national culture. Rugby is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union being formed in 1881...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team based in Crynant
Crynant
Crynant is a village in the Dulais Valley, lying between the mountains of Mynydd Marchywel to the west, Hirfynydd to the east and Mynydd y Drum to the north. It lies 7¾ miles north-east from the town of Neath in Neath Port Talbot, Wales....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.
Early history
Crynant RFC was believed to have been founded in 1898 and played their first recorded game on Christmas Day that year against YstradgynlaisYstradgynlais RFC
Ystradgynlais Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Ystradgynlais, Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is also a feeder club for the Ospreys...
. 1904 saw the great religious revival
Religious revival
Religious revival may refer to:* Christian Revivalism* Revival meeting* Islamic revival...
throughout South Wales led by the lay preacher, Evan Roberts
Evan Roberts (minister)
Evan John Roberts , was a leading figure of the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival who suffered many setbacks in his later life.His obituary in The Western Mail summed up his career thus:- Early life :...
. Like many teams in South Wales the vast number of players who quit rugby to follow, or show to follow, a more godly morale code resulted in the eventual dissolution of the club in 1904. The club reformed in 1908 with games being played at Maesmawr field and the Red Lion Hotel used as a clubhouse. In 1912 Cryrant RFC joined the Swansea and District League and moved clubhouse to the Star Hotel which they used until the 1960s. At the outbreak of World War I club rugby in Wales ceased and the club disbanded for the second time in their history.
1919-1960
After the First World War, Crynant RFC reformed and joined the Neath and District League, a league they would win five times between 1922 and 1926 In 1928 the club gained membership to the Welsh Rugby Union. One of the proudest moments in the club's history came in 1939 when former club player, Cyril Challinor, now playing for NeathNeath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
, was chosen to represent Wales against England. Wales lost the game and Cyril was dropped from the national squad making this his one and only cap. The club disbanded for a third time in 1939 with the outbreak of World War II, though the team reformed again with the end of the war. During the 1940s a second team formed in Crynant, the Crynant Harlequins, but despite local rivalry the clubs merged in May 1950. In 1956 the club gained a new pitch adjacent to Maesmawr field and soon after gained ownership of an old shop and billiard hall which was converted into the clubs first permanent clubhouse.
During the 1950s Crynant saw two more former players capped for Wales, Roy John and C.C. Meredith. Both men, at the time of being picked to play for Wales, were members of Neath RFC.
1961 - present
Though Crynant saw little success on the pitch during the sixties, they did see a fourth former player go on to represent Wales. In 1967 former Crynant player Ron Jones was selected to face England, though at the time he played club football for English team Coventry. He would represent Wales a further four times between 1967 and 1968. The 1968/69 season saw the introduction of a youth side, which would allow the growth of local talent to help strengthen future senior teams.In 1971, Crynant's secretary since 1927, Rhys Emlyn Williams, was elected to the post of Welsh Rugby Union President. As was laid out in WRU rules he would hold the post for a single year.
In 1983 the clubhouse was badly damaged by a fire. The damage was extensive and the club was under insured; it took until 2003 for the club to finally relieve themselves of the debts built to repair the damage. During the club's centenary season in 1995/96 they were visited by top level Welsh clubs as part of the celebrations; these included Llanelli
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
, Neath and Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
.
Club badge
The emblem of Crynant Rugby Club includes a picture of a white horse which is believed to relate to the mountain of March Hywel that overlooks the village. The horse is Hywel's Horse which is linked back to an ancient battle that took place on the mountain between local tribes. The badge also contains a picture of a star that represents the original clubhouse of Crynant RFC, The Star Hotel. On the opposite side is a picture of what can only be described as an M with two circles placed over the points of the M. To this day nobody within the village is able to determine what this symbol means and since the designer of the badge is no longer alive, the final symbolism is lost.Notable former players
- See also :Category:Crynant RFC players Mark Bennett (3 caps) Cyril Challinor (1 cap) Roy JohnRoy John (rugby player)Ernest Raymond "Roy" John was a former and British Lions international rugby union lock. He played club rugby for Crynant and Neath. John was capped 19 times for Wales and was a member of two Grand Slam winning teams. In 1950 he was selected for the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and...
(19 caps) Ron Jones (5 caps) Courtney MeredithCourtney MeredithCourtney Meredith was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Neath. He won fourteen caps for Wales and also played for invitational club the Barbarians. Meredith was a powerful prop, and was much praised by second row players for his tight packing, which allowed them the...
(14 caps)