“A STEP BACK IN TIME”
(By Percy Jones)
SEASON 1981 -82
The captaincy for the 81/82 season was retained within the Quins’ backline with full-
back Roger Evans taking over at the helm. The results for this season compare very much with last year’s in that the team played 30 games, winning 13; losing 13 with 4 drawn. They played 18 league games winning 7; losing 9 with 2 drawn. The Langdon brothers on the wings grabbed 13 tries between them with Michael scoring 8 and
Nigel 5. They had a successful Easter tour to Worksop winning both matches. They beat Worksop by 34pts to 10 and North Kesteven by 24pts to 19.
There were no reports in the Carmarthen Times for any of the Quins 1′ XV matches for the 1981-82 season so for a change, I have included a Youth XV match report which I was pleased to come across as this was my first season as an official with the Youth XV. Several players from this squad went on to play with distinction for the lst XV and one name you may recognise is someone who went on to play for Wales at both Rugby Union and Rugby League (more below).
10th October 1981
DOYLE OPENS THE FLOOD-GATES
Felinfoel Youth 3pts; Carmarthen Quins Youth 24.
(By kind permission of the Carmarthen Journal)
A fine display by Carmarthen’s forwards and backs left the outcome of this match in no doubt. From the start the Quins pack took the ball close to the home line and from a strong drive Steve Doyle touched down for Tony Bowen to convert.
By now, the Quins backs were putting on their best display of the season and were to soon combine well to give centre Dai James the chance to take the ball across for a second, but unconverted by. Felinfoel’s skipper Dai Jones put fresh heart into his men with a grand 30 yard penalty but the Quins held sway. Their backs made ground down the right, switched direction and left Bowen well set up to score. The conversion
failed but the visitors were able to swap ends with a comfortable 11 points lead.
This they soon extended as wing Wayne Thomas went over wide out on the line.
Felinfoel defended desperately but constant good play by Nigel Soper, Doyle and
Bowen kept the Quins well into the home half. The pressure was complete as close to the final whistle, Jonathan Griffiths picked up from a quick heel near the Felinfoel line, broke through several tackles and crashed down near the posts leaving Bowen to round off the final score with his conversion.
For Felinfoel, Mike Cronin, Mark Rees and Jones did a good job against such strong opposition but the efforts of Mike Baskerville, Griffiths and James at the back and Doyle, Bowen and Steve Bryant up front were too daunting.
Jonathan Griffiths played for the Quins Youth XV in the 1981/82 and 82/83 seasons. He had 12 games with the Quins 1st XV in the 81/82 season and this may have cost him his place that season in the Welsh Youth XV. However, the selectors made
amends when Jonathan was selected to play for the Welsh Youth XV at scrum-half in the 82/83 season.
Jonathan joined Llanelli RFC from the Quins and went on to win two Welsh caps. His first was in a friendly against New Zealand in Auckland on the 11`h June 1988. The second cap was away to Scotland in the 5 Nations on the 2 l st January 1989.
Jonathan turned out on three occasions for the Barbarians. He represented them at Cardiff on the 2fid April 1988; against Leicester on the 28th December 1988 and in the Hong Kong Sevens Tournament in January 1989. Jonathan also played for the Welsh and British Fire Brigade XV’ s as well as Cricket for the Wales Cricket Team.
Jonathan then moved to Rugby League and joined St Helens in 1989. He played on six occasions for the Welsh Rugby League team and was selected for the Great Britain Rugby League team that took part in the 1995 World Cup Tournament.
Jonathan returned to Llanelli RFC in the 1996/97 season under coach Gareth Jenkins who picked him that season at flanker, scrum-haff and outside-half, the outside half berth being the position Jonathan played mostly for St Helens. Jonathan retired from rugby in 1998.