CAPTAINS BOARDS
INTRODUCTION
The club’s first Captains Board was compiled by Mr T. L. Evans, BA, Senior Geography Master at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Carmarthen and was included in his booklet Carmarthen Rugby Football Club 1874-1974 published by J. W. Thomas and Sons, County Press, Llandeilo. The booklet formed a part of the club’s celebrations for its centenary season 1974/75. My understanding is that Mr Evans was assisted in researching the club’s history by some Quins Committeemen who spent several weeks at the town’s local library pouring over past editions of the Carmarthen Journal; the Welshman; the Weekly reporter and the Carmarthen Times. (In those days the actual newspapers were available at the local library for anyone to look at).
We do not know if any of the research papers created at the time had survived as access to them might help me to understand how some of the names were actually included on the Captains Board. My own research over 18 months or so at the local library has led me to challenge some of these names. I have therefore created a new list of Quins Captains which I believe is now as accurate as it could be.
For some seasons, I have included two names as shared captains. For pre-1920 seasons, this is due to a lack of records as to which player was chosen as team captain prior to the season commencing. In that season’s match reports in local newspapers, the name of one player would be stated as the captain and a week later the other player’s name would appear as team captain. My solution to this was to name them both as “Joint Captains.” In more recent times, a player would be chosen pre-season as team captain but may have left to play first class rugby before the first Quins game was played. The vice-captain would take over the captaincy for the season. However, in some situations, the player originally chosen as captain would return. In the absence of the vice-captain in any game, he would reclaim the captaincy. Again I felt the best solution here was to name both as “Joint Captains.”
The present Captains Board was a gift given to the club as part of its centenary celebrations in 1974-75 by Mrs J. M. Lloyd in memory of her late husband Mr John Lloyd who captained the 1st XV in 1914/15 and 1921/22. For a photo of the unveiling ceremony Click here . Unfortunately, we will soon need to replace our Captains Board as we are running out of space to include new names. Therefore, the existing Captains Board will be removed and will be replaced with a large flat screen TV which will display the new board along with other features forming a part of the club’s history. The new TV screen will be part sponsored by Mr Martin Stevens who captained the 1st XV in the 1975/76 season. The Quins Committee have approved the changes I have recommended and the 1st XV Captains Board included here is the amended version.
We have a large wooden shield on display at the clubhouse which was made by Mr Tony Rowberry back in the 1970’s listing the Captains for the Seconds/United XV. My Seconds/United Captains Board shown here is a duplicate of the names on this shield. Many names prior to 1962 are missing as we do not have playing records to fall back on. Very few reports of any Seconds/United XV games made it to the sports section of our local papers.
I started to put together a Youth XV Captains Board some 10 years ago and again, due to the club not having kept playing records, many names are missing.
Did you play for the Seconds or Youth XV and can you help us with the missing names?
1998/99 Season – 21 Quins Captains
Percy Jones
Club Archivist
Up-dated January 2018