Penallta RFC
Encyclopedia
Penallta Rugby Football Club is a Welsh
rugby union
team based in Ystrad Mynach
in the county borough
of Caerphilly
. Penallta RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons
.
shut down, but the RFC continued to play under its name.
The club colours are blue/yellow.
Penallta became a full Welsh Rugby Union
member in 2004 and since then it has won Divisions 3, 4 and 5 South East, plus the coveted Silver Ball trophy in 2005. During the 2007/08 season Penallta were promoted to Division 1 East.
One of Penallta's biggest Junion Union achievements was winning the Worthington Welsh 'Brewers' Cup in 2001. It was the only time the club won the cup in its junior union history.
Mike Voyle
, a resident of Ystrad Mynach, is the only Penallta player to have represented Wales. He won 21 caps as a tight forward between 1997 and 2001.
Penallta's most capped player is Lee Acreman, with over 600 1st team appearances for the club. The most successful player in Penallta's history is Craig Phillips who captained the 1st team on six occasions and won the Player of the Year award on no less than five occasions, his career lasting between 1976 and 1992.
Current ex Penallta players who are thriving for higher placed clubs include Dai Flanagan
(Cardiff Blues
), Gareth Davies (Cardiff RFC
) and Shaun Powell (Ebbw Vale RFC
).
Penallta is also known for its excellent matchday programmes, written by Mike Guilfoyle and Martyn Rowe. Extracts from the programmes were made into a book in 2007 called "Shaking the Tree Boss - Portraits of a Welsh Ruby Club".
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 Ystrad Mynach
Ystrad Mynach
Ystrad Mynach is a town in the County Borough of Caerphilly, previously within the ancient traditional county of Glamorgan, Wales, and is 5 miles north of Caerphilly town. It has a population of around 13,500 and stands in the Rhymney Valley . Before the Industrial Revolution and the coming of coal...
in the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
. Penallta RFC 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 Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
.
History
Penallta Rugby Football Club is based in Ystrad Mynach. The rugby club was inaugurated by a group of miners from Penallta colliery in 1952 and moved from a number of different social addresses until it settled at Ystrad Fawr, hosting both its club and playing ground there. On November 1st 1991, Penallta CollieryPenallta Colliery
Penallta Colliery was a coal mine, located close to Hengoed in the Rhymney Valley in the South Wales Valleys. A coal mine which in 1935 held the European record for coal wound in a 24-hour period, it is now the site of an original redevelopment project which will make use of the former pit head...
shut down, but the RFC continued to play under its name.
The club colours are blue/yellow.
Penallta became a full 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...
member in 2004 and since then it has won Divisions 3, 4 and 5 South East, plus the coveted Silver Ball trophy in 2005. During the 2007/08 season Penallta were promoted to Division 1 East.
One of Penallta's biggest Junion Union achievements was winning the Worthington Welsh 'Brewers' Cup in 2001. It was the only time the club won the cup in its junior union history.
Mike Voyle
Mike Voyle
Mike Voyle , is a former Wales international rugby union player. A lock forward, he played club rugby for Newbridge RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC, Llanelli RFC, Newport RFC, Cardiff RFC and Newport Gwent Dragons....
, a resident of Ystrad Mynach, is the only Penallta player to have represented Wales. He won 21 caps as a tight forward between 1997 and 2001.
Penallta's most capped player is Lee Acreman, with over 600 1st team appearances for the club. The most successful player in Penallta's history is Craig Phillips who captained the 1st team on six occasions and won the Player of the Year award on no less than five occasions, his career lasting between 1976 and 1992.
Current ex Penallta players who are thriving for higher placed clubs include Dai Flanagan
Dai Flanagan
David 'Dai' Flanagan is a rugby union player for Pontypridd RFC and Cardiff Blues in the Magners League. Flanagan's position of choice is as a Fly-half....
(Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
), Gareth Davies (Cardiff RFC
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
) and Shaun Powell (Ebbw Vale RFC
Ebbw Vale RFC
Ebbw Vale Rugby Football Club is a Welsh Rugby Union Club based in the town of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales. The club currently play in the WRU Division One East and the SWALEC Cup. It also acts as a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons....
).
Penallta is also known for its excellent matchday programmes, written by Mike Guilfoyle and Martyn Rowe. Extracts from the programmes were made into a book in 2007 called "Shaking the Tree Boss - Portraits of a Welsh Ruby Club".
Club honours
- 2007-08 WRU Division Two East - runners up
- 2006-07 WRU Division Three EastWRU Division Three EastThe Welsh Rugby Union Division Three East is a rugby union league in Wales.- Competition:There are 12 clubs in the WRU Division Three East...
Champions - 2006-07 Glamorgan County Silver Ball TrophyGlamorgan County Silver Ball TrophyThe Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy , is a Welsh rugby union competition open to all non-premier Welsh Rugby Union clubs playing in the Glamorganshire area....
- finalists - 2005-06 WRU Division Four South EastWRU Division Four South EastThe Welsh Rugby Union Division Four South East is a rugby union league in Wales.-Competition:There are 12 clubs in the WRU Division Three South East...
- Champions - 2004-05 WRU Division Five South EastWRU Division Five South EastThe Welsh Rugby Union Division Five South East is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season.- Competition:...
- Champions - 2004-05 Glamorgan County Silver Ball Trophy - Winners