Our History

1960’s

During the 1960’s the club once more unearthed a wealth of talent and most of it was homebred. Indeed in the 1959/60 season a glut of players started at the same time and even the same day. With prompting from Stan John and G.B. Williams, and the promise of a forthcoming tour to Marlow, the following young players started playing on the same day: Anthony Lloyd, Brian Rocke, Brynley Williams, Gerald Jones, Roy Bowen and Jeff Rhodes, and shortly after them came John Williams (from Birchgrove Stars)  Eifryn Paddison (from Glais), Alwyn Thomas, Dai Daniels, Gerwyn Daniels, Terry Bowden, Reggie Jones, Adrian Chudleigh, Vernon Williams, Dai Howells (who became a top class referee and Secretary of Bonymaen RFC for many years), Mike Baugh, Hywel Pickerell, Ken Harris, Howard Williams, Islwyn Jenkins, Keri Jones, (who was in Ystalyfera Grammar School and played with the seconds, soon to be capped by Wales in 1967 and a British Lion in South Africa 1968, went North and played rugby league for Wigan), Keith Williams, Huw Williams, Noel Williams, Mike Thomas, Clive Sterl, Terry Bevan, Stuart Jones, John Walsh, Colin Herbert, Roland Williams, Robert Edwards, Mike Griffiths, David Jones, Stuart Fjaelberg, Gordon Best, Hugh Vaughan, Keith Davey, John Mills, Gary Landeg, Vernon Steadman, Alan Borsden from Vardre, David Pickerell, Ken Williams (former World and European power lifting champion, now weights manager at Trebanos RFC gymnasium) and Alan Jones (who won the British Athletics Youth hurdles championship and a terrific winger, Alan’s studies took him to Northampton and he is now Dr Alan Jones).

With other young players including Peter Williams, Vian Lloyd, Tudor Davies, Del Williams, G.B.Morgan, Gwyn Williams, Glyn Lewis, Raymond Thomas, Derek Evans, Gwynne Morgan (Clydach), Tudor Ben Davies, Neil Kelly and Peter Thomas already playing for the firsts and seconds it was indeed an extremely happy and vibrant club.

However that was soon to be changed, John Rodgers, a great clubman, received fatal injuries during a game with Gowerton at Trebanos Park in 1959. The committee, after launching an appeal, collected £2000 for his young widow and son. Gomer Davies, who was secretary at that time, was unstinting in his efforts to offer support to the family and administered the trust over many years. A charity match was played at Trebanos Park in aid of the fund.

They say that out of the darkness comes light and when Eddie Burns the former Swansea hooker heard that Trebanos were without a hooker he offered his services, which the club gladly accepted. Not only did Eddie ‘fit in’ he also brought some quality players with him to swell the ranks, notably a big No 8 called John Bayliss, and John Greco, who eventually became winner of the British Latin/American dancing championship - you would not have thought him a dancer had you seen him playing. John now has a school of dancing in Swansea. He later brought Arthur John, to play at the club and Arthur served Trebanos unstintingly in the 60’s and 70’s. To top up a quality pack, Ken Hill, a prop forward of repute and a former Welsh Youth international, had transferred from Glais in 1959 and gained a Glamorgan County Cap and also represented Neath. Ken was building a house in Trebanos, and luckily for Trebanos it happened to be opposite G.B.Williams, the chairman’s, residence.  

Indeed Trebanos had a pack of forwards to be feared. Enter Gerald Jones, for me the best scrum half in West Wales. Gerald never played first class rugby and that was a tragedy. He was playing for Trebanos Firsts at 17 and played many times with Lynn Francis, Lynn taking the outside half berth. So here was a player of real class, Gerald Jones had it all, the side step, swerve, and could kick with both feet. All West Wales scrum half’s could kick in this era, or they would suffer as these were the days of, straight off the scrum, the dribble, double banking and skullduggery of the highest standards. To be less than efficient as a scrum half was a hospital bed in Morriston. Before the dispensation law Gerald would nurse the touchline and cheer the hearts of forwards. He pinned many a visiting side down in the corner of Trebanos Park alongside the swings and never let them come out of there. It was a pleasure to play with Gerald, I never thought we would ever see a scrum half like him again, but 20 years or so later, along come three of them, his nephews Anthony, Robert and Rhodri Jones.

Gerald had several outside half partners during his era, but one who was a class player was Alun Chudleigh. Alun played outside half with Lynn Francis and Gerald Jones and was a prodigious kicker of the ball and a natural footballer with all the skills. He caught the eye of Bridgend and played for that club. However, fate intervened and a serious accident, in the colliery where Alun worked, smashed his pelvis and broke both legs plus associated injuries. He spent two years laid up in hospital but, remakably, Alun made a comeback and played for Trebanos after these injuries. However, an extremely promising career ended through that accident. He still supports Trebanos and attends all the "old boys" function. Three Chudleigh brothers played for Trebanos: Donald, Alun and Adrian.

In those seasons there was still a wealth of experienced players available to the club, Tom Jones, Morgan Jones, Peter Parker, Iswyn Phillips, Alwyn Williams, Byron Hopkin who once, so it's told, ‘tackled the goalposts’ in Ammanford, breaking his collar bone. Len Thomas was a player of quality who could easily have graced the first class scene should he have wished, and did indeed, play a few games for Bridgend. Len retired from rugby in 1967 but whenever Trebanos were shorthanded, played on for seconds or firsts. A hard man on the field, he also served for many years as a committeeman. Whilst not forgetting that magician of a scrum half Lynn Francis, who was an amazing player he gave Trebanos great service, but like so many, left the village with others including the faithful Dai Williams in 1962-63 when the collieries  and steelworks shut down. At that time there was a mass exodus of people to Richard Thomas and Baldwins steel works in Llanwern, Newport. Lynn went on to play for Caldicot RFC and it was certainly their good luck. Dai returned to Trebanos five years later, served as a committeeman and is still an avid supporter of the club. All three Williams brothers played for the club Alwyn, David and Vernon.

Following them to Newport in 1969 was yet another erratic genius in the form of Neal Rogers, who was an exceptional soccer player and who came to play for Trebanos RFC on the day he was supposed to have captained South Wales Boys Clubs against North Wales Boys Club in the final trial at Cardiff. He literally threw away an opportunity of becoming an under18 Boys Club international, but that was Neal. First division sides offered him terms that he declined. He had extraordinary self-belief and enough confidence for the whole of Wales, indeed he was a superb player and a fierce tackler or should I say, ‘running into you tackler’ (before the days of arms around you) and many players were ‘floored’ during his time. In one game whilst playing centre, he broke through the opposition defence, and with nobody to beat and the line at his mercy, decided on a drop goal, that went hopelessly astray. His favourite pastime was to challenge Danny Walters to an arm wrestle, never anybody else except Danny, he never did win and to this day still challenges him.   

Adrian Thomas captained Trebanos four times in the 60’s. Adrian transferred to Trebanos from Glais, (which was mightily frowned upon by Glais loyalists) and became a popular figure amongst the Banos boys and was lovingly known as ‘Lugs’, but not to his face. He gave the club total dedication, was a fierce competitor and a tremendous character. Trebanos desperately needed floodlights for training, so, during one evening training session, he invited Peter Parker to go for a run with him, they ended up at the Vardre’s rugby field where they proceeded to re-locate some of Vardre’s floodlights to Trebanos Park. In the ensuing years its best season in West Wales was 6th position in 1965-1966, Barrie Lovelock who came to Trebanos from Port Talbot YMCA RFC, was a prodigious full back and contributed to a successful season with 126 points, quite an achievement in those days. 

Along the way the Trebanos would upset several top of the table West Wales teams in the sixties. In 1963 another club Trebanos upset was top of the table Cwmllynfell. Having lost at Trebanos by 5-3, they duly lodged a complaint with the West Wales Union, complaining Trebanos had played a schoolboy, Gwyn Williams, who was a studying for ‘A’ levels at Ystalyfera Grammar School. Soon it was big news and the main rugby subject in the Swansea Valley, but Trebanos kept the two league points because it was half term and schoolboys were allowed to play.

Another was Kidwelly. In 1967 Trebanos arrived at Kidwelly firmly placed at the lower end of the league table with a scratch team, less Peter Parker, who had got held up in traffic. Nobody expected the surprise of the season, Kidwelly were beaten by 8-6, John Michael Davies scoring a try, converting it and adding a penalty goal. The ‘Evening Post’ correspondent was frantically phoning G.B. Williams‘s house to confirm if it was the correct score and that evening there was more than the traditional Trebanos celebration.

In the very early sixties the committee felt that the backs were too intelligent, and the moves too complicated and maybe they were correct. At one time the backline consisted of Ron Hutchinson, a prolific goal kicker and an Accountant with the old Pontardawe District Council; Peter Thomas, then in Cardiff University studying for a degree in Mechanical Engineering and later Works Engineer at BSC Cardiff; Gwyn Byron Morgan, studying for a doctorate in Physics, later to work on the moon shot and latterly a lecturer at Cardiff University; Gwyn Williams studying for a teaching degree, later a teacher in Kent and went on to play for Swansea and London Welsh, for years was Chairman of Sidcup RFC; Tudor Davies (New Road) an Accountant with the Inland Revenue who played with distinction for Fishguard and Lampeter after leaving Trebanos, and served for many years as treasurer of Lampeter RFC and there was Delfryn Williams, who could play anywhere, and often did, studying for a Mathematics degree, became a Group Captain in the RAF and was honoured with an OBE.

In 1966 Trebanos RFC purchased the then defunct Darren colliery pithead  from National Coal Board and set about re-furbishing the building as its clubhouse, at a cost of £25,000. The work was completed in 1968 and the club was officially opened by the President, Councillor R.J.Jones M.B.E. on 5th September 1968. Gwyn Williams the chairman took the opportunity to thank Raymond Williams, the architect, who himself was a member of the management committee ‘for without his services the venture would not have got off the ground’. Prior to the opening ceremony Neath XV led by Welsh International Brian Thomas and containing several guests including Ray Williams the former Llanelli and Wales winger, played Trebanos at the Park to celebrate the opening, eventually winning 19 points to 6 points. 

With new facilities available, the club entertained local and touring teams. The first touring team to be entertained by Trebanos on completion of the club was Harlow RFC, they were amazed at the three course sit down meal and the welcome they received.

More images can be found in our galeries.