Whitchurch Rugby Club

I need to tread carefully with this blog, as there are lots of Whitchurch people who have a great interest and knowledge in this. I have to rely on others (again) for the information

Most of my knowledge about the club is relatively recent, sitting in the bar drinking a pint and enjoying the camaraderie

History books tell us that the Laws (not rules mind you) of the game were first standardised in 1870 or thereabouts, and the first game of Football played in Whitchurch was in 1885, just 15 years later. There is confusion about what the game was called even; Football, rather than association football (soccer). Association football apparently dates from 1863 with its rules, and introduced into Wales by 1876

Perhaps for clarity I should refer to the game as rugby football for the rest of this blog!

If I thought that the naming was difficult enough, the scoring was even more fraught. According to a match report in the Western Mail dated 27th October 1885 (copied below) between Whitchurch Football Club and Penarth resulted in a win for Penarth with 3 goals and 2 tries against 1 try and 1 touchdown from Whitchurch. Matters were decided by a majority of goals scored

The match didn’t live up to much, but then again it was their first proper match

Thanks to Gary for the early history of the club, and how, after some debate, the date of formation was finally settled as September 1885, making the club 137 years old this year

Whitchurch RFC, from its inception seems to have been centred at the Fox & Hounds public house in Old Church Road, playing their home matches on what is now the hockey pitch of Whitchurch High School

Terry is also a mine of information and has provided a lot of what now follows:

It seems there are records of Whitchurch playing Taffs Well on 20th November 1885, just a month after their first game against Penarth. A brief report of the game reads: ‘Play owing to a very unpleasant incident came to an abrupt conclusion, it was decided that the result should be a draw’. No further explanation was offered!

In July 1899 the South Wales Echo reported that the AGM of the club was held at the Fox & Hounds. The report is copied below, and it would be fascinating to know what happened to all the people mentioned. We already know about JH Cory (who the following year moved into his posh new house at Coryton). But who was the hon sec Mr D Davies and where was Skier Villas?

The finances seemed sound and the fixture list for the upcoming season boded well

A few years later, a fixture list for 1904-05 shows a disappointing season playing a range of clubs such as St Saviours on 3rd September, Aberdare, Blaina and then Weston-Super-Mare on 24th September. However, on 1st October, Whitchurch RFC played Old Monktonians and won 11-0!

As an aside, and by digging further into the information provided by Bob Brinning, it seems that Old Monktonians were a precursor to the Glamorgan Wanderers team. They played their home matches in Whitchurch too, on the Polo Field. Their base was at the Three Elms public house adjacent. It think though, that’s a story for another time

Terry has quite a family connection with Whitchurch RFC, and tells of his paternal grandfather (and 2 great uncles) all playing together in April 1900. Does anyone have information on other families with brothers playing together?

Apparently, at some point, the club merged with the Melingriffith works team and were known as ‘The Melins’. With the demise of the Tinworks, many men left the area, and this saw a decline in the club’s activities. There’s no record of this though. Does anyone know more?

1958 saw a recovery and the club was once again centred at the Fox & Hounds, and now playing their games, as they do today, at Caedelyn Park

After a few years, the club was forced to move, first to the Plough, then to the Hollybush and then finally back to the Fox & Hounds. This couldn’t last, and the club began to look at acquiring its own base. Fortunately, the old Melingriffith Band Hall with adjacent land became available. Sterling work from Gwyn Hopkins, then secretary, negotiated a loan from Webb’s Brewery of Aberbeeg to acquire the old hall and land

Now, as a well-established club within the Cardiff and District, Whitchurch RFC enjoyed a series of successful seasons through the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The 1990s was a particularly fruitful period, with Whitchurch winning the Mallet Cup in 1991

The development of their land for prestigious housing c2005 allowed the club to build a delightful clubhouse with facilities that many rugby clubs would be envious of

Which brings the story back to the beginning with me drinking a pint in the bar

Happy reading. More next time!

 

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