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Aberavon v Bridgend :
Editor's Viewpoint
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Memories
A well-known former Aberavon coach (no prizes for guessing which one) once
wrote in these pages that while Aberavon was always his first love,
Bridgend was his “little bit of glamour on the side”.
Somehow, I could identify with a sentiment that may go some way to
explaining why I, a lifelong Aberavon supporter, spent a fair amount of
time trundling back and forth between home and the Brewery Field watching
any Bridgend home game that didn’t clash with an Aberavon fixture. I’m
going back about a quarter of a century here (that’s extremely depressing
– reading this back I think I must have completed the transition into a
boring old bloke) but strangely, for a few seasons during the eighties the
two clubs’ fixture lists combined in such a way that there were lots of
midweek games at Bridgend at the time, and during a time when the
responsibilities of parenthood were yet to descend, and life was somehow
altogether less stressful it seemed the most natural thing in the world
for a rugby follower to jump into the car and drive up the road to watch
some of the neighbours in action.
It was something of a memorable era for the Brewery Field faithful. Gerald
Williams and Gary Pearce had a brief reign as Wales’ half-backs, there was
pace in abundance from the likes of Glenn Webbe, full back Hywel Davies
was a prolific points scorer for club and country, while up front players
like Meredydd James, Ikey Stephens, Billy Howe, Gareth Williams and Steve
Penry-Ellis provided the steel.
I can remember wing Vivian Jenkins (whom BBC Wales commentator David
Parry-Jones once compared to “a bar of soap on legs”) jinking his way
through the Moseley defence, flanker Rhodri Lewis ripping through what
seemed to be the entire Cardiff team, Meredydd James defying the laws of
physics simply by being a prop who could side-step, and no end of other
memorable moments and personalities. One such incident that springs to
mind took place during one match on New-Year’s weekend against Newport
when referee Ken Rowlands got his positioning all wrong and ended up at
the bottom of a ruck. Newport prop Rhys Morgan took great delight in
pretending to throw punches into the melee, and I was delighted when some
time afterwards the incident featured as a “What Happened Next?” in BBC’s
“A Question of Sport” – it remains the only time I knew the answer beyond
all doubt.
On another of those evenings I can recall what was then known as South
Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education visiting the Brewery Field. Any
number of that group of students were to go on and make their mark in
Welsh rugby, but the two that still, to this day, stick in my mind were a
centre who displayed silky running and passing skills, and an abrasive
young flanker with a mop of curly hair. The former was none other than
Kevin Hopkins, whilst the latter, who a couple of years later made a
number of appearances in an Aberavon jersey, was a youthful and
fresh-faced Simon King. He hasn’t changed a bit!
It therefore disturbs me to read, on the internet and in the media, that
all is not going too swimmingly off the field at Bridgend right now.
Certain commentators seem to be suggesting that a significant history and
a seriously important contribution to Welsh rugby for more than a century
count for nothing – at Aberavon we know the feeling. With the Ravens
having improved upon their early season form and pulled away from the foot
of the table, we all sincerely hope that things improve sufficiently for
them to stave off the considerable challenge posed by a well-organised and
well-resourced Rugby League outfit. They are the only club in Wales with
local competition from the “other code” on that kind of level, and for the
sake of the game we all love it is important that they prevail.
So, in a break from what seems to have been a lengthy and intense spell
divided between Cup rugby and the Six Nations Championship, it’s back to
the bread and butter of the Principality Premiership today, with the
Wizards and the Ravens ready to resume their age-old yet friendly rivalry.
Enjoy!
Paul Williams
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