Garw Boys capped for Wales

[ctdavies]

From an old notebook compiled by TH Davies, Blaengarw & Llangeinor.

Hopkin Maddocks Pontycymmer
Ivor Thomas Pontyrhyl
Wyndham Thomas Bettws
Jack Thomas (The Lamb)
Cyril Thomas born Bridgend played at Blaengarw
Steve Lawrence Pontycymmer
WJ Moore Llangeinor
Tysant(?) Griffiths Blaengarw

Unfortunately the years in which they were "capped" was not recorded.

[gerald]

Hi Colin, I am just back from a short holiday. I saw this post, I am currently editing some paperwork given to us. About Blaengarw R.F.C's early years. Would you like a copy. It was originally written by a Jack Young, it is a very interesting piece of social history of the area in the 20's and 30's it is from this that I got the 'suicide story'?.

[ctdavies]

Good Morning Gerald

Hope you enjoyed your holiday. I caught your message about Jack Young's article, read it briefly, noted some points of interest, and will contact you again.

Thanks

Colin

[ffaldauboy]

Garw Valley Rugby Internationals - by David Jones
Hopkin Thomas Maddock, MC – (6 caps)
“Hop” Maddock was born in Pontycymmer on the 1st July 1881. He was educated at Christ College, Brecon and played on the wing for Pontycymmer RFC prior to 1900. In 1900 he went to London and joined the London Welsh club where he played until 1913.
His Wales debut was against England at Richmond on 13th January 1906 when he scored a try. His last cap was against France at St Helens, Swansea in 1910 in which he scored another try. In total “Hop” achieved a remarkable total of scoring six tries in six internationals for Wales.
For many years he held the record for being the only London Welsh player to score five tries in one game and he actually achieved this feat twice! Once against Ilford Wanderers and incredibly against the outstanding team of the day and the previously unbeaten Oxford University who lost to “Hop’s” team by a score of 39-9 with Maddock scoring five second half tries! This record lasted for over sixty years when Gerald Davies scored five tries against Newport in the 1970’s. His overall career record of 170 tries is still a London Welsh club record. He also played county rugby for Middlesex and Glamorgan.
In the Great War he joined the Public Schools Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and was wounded on the Somme. He later accepted a commission in the Machine Gun Corps and in 1918 won the Military Cross for outstanding bravery when becoming isolated at his Machine Gun post whilst his men retreated to safety. He was the last to leave the action and had become the enemy’s main target.
He died at Cardiff from his wounds on the 15th December 1921 aged just 40. London Welsh RFC wore black armbands at their next match in his honour.
Ivor Thomas – (1 cap)
Ivor Thomas was born on 30th April 1900 at Pontyrhyl, (the writer believes Sweet Wells). He played Hooker for nearby Bryncethin RFC and remarkably, that is the club in which he received his solitary Welsh cap from on 19th January 1924 when he made his Wales debut against England.
Ivor worked the Friday night shift at a local coal mine, finished work, returned home to get his rugby kit and caught the Blaengarw to Swansea train in order to play at St Helens in the afternoon! He played against the legendary Wavell Wakefield (later to become Lord Wakefield of Kendall) in a three tries to four tries defeat.
After his solitary Welsh cap Ivor moved down to Devon where he played for the powerful Torquay RFC in a team that contained thirteen Welshmen including Bridgend’s seventeen times capped Bobby Delahay. The two wings, Tooze and Foot were the only Englishmen in the side.
Ivor became an Engineer and oversaw the rebuilding of some bomb sites in London including Peckham. He also became bowls champion of Devon in his later years.
For a while in the 1990’s Ivor Thomas had the distinction of being the oldest living Welsh Rugby International.
William John Moore – (1 cap)
Billy Moore was born in the Garw Valley on 17th February 1910. He played for Bridgend RFC and Glamorgan County before gaining his solitary cap as a Lock forward for Wales against Ireland at Ravenhill Park, Belfast on 11th March 1933. Wales lost the game by 10 points to 5 and Billy signed for Rochdale Hornets Rugby League Club soon after. Billy also played for the Wales Rugby League side and therefore became a “Duel Code” International. He later signed for Oldham RLFC and died in Oldham on 31st March 1976.

Lyn Davies – (3 caps)
Lyn Davies was born in Blaengarw on 2nd February 1940. He joined Bridgend RFC in the 1964-65 season after serving for six years in the Welsh Guards. His preferred positional choice was being a centre but Bridgend already had two International centres in Bradshaw and Evans so Lyn opted for the wing.
By January of 1966 Lyn’s hard running, “battering ram” style that earned him the nickname of “Tank” had propelled him into the Welsh national team where he displaced the legendary Dewi Bebb! He won the first of his three caps in the Welsh victory at Twickenham and followed up with a win over the Scots at Cardiff. Lyn’s last game was against the Irish in a narrow 9-6 defeat at Lansdowne Road.
The writer recalls seeing Lyn score four tries in a game for Bridgend against Glamorgan Wanderers in 1966 and dropping an amazing long distance goal from close to the touchline at the Arms Park for Bridgend v Cardiff RFC.
Lyn died on the 26th September 2004.










David John Lloyd – (24 caps)
Prop forward John Lloyd was born in Pontycymmer on 29th March 1943. John was just 22 years old when he joined fellow Garw Valley boy, Lyn Davies in making his debut for Wales against England at Twickenham on 15th January 1966.
John had already represented a Welsh XV against Fiji and played for the Barbarians so was well prepared for the big stage. He had also previously captained Cardiff Training College before joining the Bridgend club and had represented Pontycymmer RFC a few times pre Laurence Park days when they were playing at Llangeinor Park.
John was to go on to win 24 caps for Wales and it is generally considered to be a travesty of justice in rugby circles that he never became a British Lion. He captained Wales in 1972 and played his last game for Wales in 1973. He became Wales Coach between 1980 and 1982.
The writer recalls that when his first cap selection was announced by Mr Williams of Ffaldau School a group of us (after school) knocked his door in nearby Park Street and he readily autographed our school exercise books!
John Lloyd became a PE teacher at Ynysawdre School and eventually the Headmaster of the Lower School.

Boyo James – (1 cap)
Boyo James was born in Blaengarw on 4th September 1938.
He was a cornerstone of the Bridgend pack of forwards for many years and despite a glut of international props available to the selectors at the time he forced his way into the Welsh team and rubbed shoulders with the elite of Gareth Edwards, Barry John and Keith Jarrett. Boyo made his debut against England at Twickenham on 20th January 1968 in a match that Wales drew 11-11.
He later coached Blaengarw RFC.






Jeffrey Young OBE – (23 caps + 1 Lions test cap)
Jeff Young was born in Blaengarw on the 16th September 1942 and attended Garw Grammer School. From here he played five times for the Welsh Secondary Schools. At senior level he played for Blaengarw RFC, The RAF, London Welsh, Bridgend, Harrowgate and Yorkshire. He made his Welsh debut against Scotland at Cardiff on 3rd February 1968.
Jeff played in the Wales Grand Slam winning team of 1971 with great distinction and in total played 23 times for Wales and in one test for the British Lions in South Africa in 1968 making 24 international appearances in all.
Jeff Young died in Harrowgate, Yorkshire on 5th October 2005 aged 63.





John Devereux – (21 caps)
John was born in Pontycymmer on the 30th March 1966 and attended Ffaldau Junior School and Ynysawdre. From here his education continued at the South Glamorgan Institute where he shone in a Schweppes Cup game for the college against Cardiff RFC. The writer was present at that game and recalls John Devereux running through Welsh International Robert Ackerman at will on every occasion that he received the ball. Cardiff just about won by the skin of their teeth but Devereux’s man of the match performance sent the press into a frenzy as to who this new star was? Very soon “Devs” made the full Welsh team and soon became a household name, renowned for his powerful style of play and “piston-pump” like hand off. He made his Welsh debut at Twickenham on 18th January 1986.
In total “Devs” played 21 times for Wales and scored five tries. He played in the 1987 World Cup in New Zealand when Wales finished in third place. On the way to the semis John scored three tries, one each against Canada, England and New Zealand. He will always be remembered for handing off three Australians in the same tackle in the play off match at Rotorua.
More caps would have surely followed but he joined Widnes Rugby League club and went on to be another Duel Code international by playing rugby league for Wales and also Great Britain. From here he went to Sydney, Australia where he played for Manly Sea Eagles.
Upon returning to the union game John played for Sale Sharks, Bridgend again, Pontypool and Maesteg.

[janemoore2]

William John Moore was also a boxer. He was my father's first cousin, the son of Bertrum and Lilly Moore, grandson of William and Fanny Moore. My father was Bryn Moore and his parents were Arthur and Rosina Moore - Arthur being Bertrum's younger brother. I have two photographs of Will John [as he was known in the family] which I will post up. He used to have boxing sessions in the Green Meadow pub in Llangeinor. He lived in Llangeinor.

[ffaldauboy]

I knew Bryn Moore. If it's the same Bryn he worked for McAllisters in Coity Road, Bridgend and used to deliver clothes to my house and collect money for them on a weekly basis. I found Billy Moore on the 1911 census living at the cottages near the Green Meadow.

[yjbowden]

Hi All,


Thank you for posting all the above fantastic information above.

This is amazing a family connection janemoore2 who I do hope we can somehow get connected as showing dated 2014.

Billy Moore was born on the 17th February 1908 he was the only son of Bertram who was a coal miner born in Bettws his Mother Lilian Moore
who was a housewife. Billy was born in his Grandparents William and Fanny Moore's sweet shop in Greenmeadow Terrace Llangeinor.
Billy lived in Tynyrheol and attended Tynyrheol School before becoming a quarryman he played rugby union then league and was also a boxer.

Billy was married to Ada Josephine Allingham from Aberkenfig Glamorgan they had two children both girls. Fay Patricia and June Christina. 

Billy Moore played for Bridgend RFC and Glamorgan County before gaining his solitary cap as a Lock forward for Wales against Ireland at
Ravenhill Park, Belfast on 11th March 1933. Wales lost the game by 10 points to 5 and Billy signed for Rochdale Hornets Rugby League Club
in 1934. Billy also played for the Wales Rugby League side and therefore became a “Duel Code” International. He later signed for
Oldham RLFC during the 1937/38 season playing mostly Prop forward in a war interrupted career in which he played 158 games mostly at
prop forward his Rugby playing days finished in 1948 at Oldham.


(Billy was signed up into the Royal Air force he was drafted to Nassau in the Bahamas where he entertained the troops boxing).


Billy and Ada became publicans when Billy was signed up to play for Rochdale Hornets they moved into the Spread Eagle Public House
in Rochdale.. transferring across to Oldham they moved firstly into The Park Hotel on Park Road in Oldham then into
The Waterloo Public House at the top of Waterloo Street in Oldham.


On leaving that trade behind they became greengrocers...their shop was on Coppice Street in Oldham where they lived with Lillian Moore
before she died in 1960.


I'm Yvonne Bowden one of Billy Moore's (William John Moore) Granddaughters. as a family we are looking into the history of our
Grandparents and this information was gathered from their eldest daughter my mother Fay Patricia Bowden nee' Moore who sadly
passed 16.10.2016.


Their youngest daughter June Christina Radford nee' Moore has also sadly passed.


Billy Moore died on the 31st of March 1976 and his ashes was scattered at his request on the Oldham Rugby League ground.
Ada Josephine Moore died on the 3rd of October 1978

Fay and June decided they wanted Billy Moore's cap to go back down to Bridgend for his cap to be displayed within the club or local pub.


We made a family trip a few years ago to hopefully to view Grandads cap to find it had disappeared. we have made numerous enquires
searching every avenue we could... this included getting help from an ex Oldham Rugby Player who was Welsh who knew Billy who very
kindly helped us the best he could  this included putting us in touch with Chris Edmunds
a media assistant @ Aled Thomas Media officer to no avail..


We also put a request forward in October 2021 within Garw Valley Heritage Society to see if anyone could help but it still
hasn't been located. if anyone can help with this enquiry please do get in touch within this forum it would be
fantastic.
 
I'm unsure whether we can put an email address contact down within this forum.