A Step Back in Time Report 1963/64 v Llandybie (build up to the cup semi-final)

“A STEP BACK IN TIME”

(By Percy Jones)

 SEASON 1963/64

Build up to the WWRU Cup Semi-final

Having been vice-captain the previous season Barry Jackson was handed the captaincy in what turned out to be an up and down season in the league but quite an amazing turn of events in the West Wales Rugby Union Cup. As can be seen from the club’s playing record (see below), a team had to play a minimum of five games to get from the first round of the cup to the final. Carmarthen Quins took the longest route to the final by playing a total of nine matches as four of them were replays. They actually played Tumble four times in the second round (having played Cefneithin twice in the first round) before succeeding by 5pts to 3pts at Pontyberem. Compared to the high scores we are accustomed to today, its interesting to note that the total points from all four games was just 9pts to Tumble and 11pts to Carmarthen

Fixture List

The teams which featured against the Quins in the 1963/64 season were:-

League – played 17; won 9;  lost 4; drawn 4 against:-

Morriston; Loughor; Brynamman; Bynea; Crynant; Pontyberem; Trebanos; Felinfoel; Pontardulais; Hendy;

Friendly matches – played 10; won 3;  lost 4;  drawn 3 against:-

 Haverfordwest; Kidwelly; Tumble; Welch Regiment; Tredegar Ironsides; Laugharne; Cilfynydd.

Cup matches against:-

Cefneithin: 3-3,  Quins win 6.0 on replay; Tumble: 3-3; 3-3; 0-0; Quins win 5-3 at fourth attempt; Hendy: Quins win 19.0; Llandybie (semi-final) Quins win 14-3; Pontardulais (final at Stradey Park) Quins lost by 8pts to nil.

Match Report 

Following the team’s exploits in the West Wales Rugby Union Cup I was spoilt for choice in choosing a match report for today’s programme. Any semi-final game is a huge occasion for any club and this one was no exception. The Carmarthen Times a week before the game at Stradey Park between Carmarthen and Llandybie had two whole pages dedicated to this match with pen pictures of players from both teams. Carmarthen’s selected XV were:-

Keith Lewis; Barry Jackson; Brian Davies; Handel Marks; Noir Bryan; Clive Evans; Gwilym Beynon; Graham Rees; Delme Davies; Royston Davies; Tudor Lewis; Derek Lewis; Andy Barnett; Graham Thomas; Windsor Marks.

QUINS HEAVIER FORWARDS SHOULD TIP THE SCALES

(By kind permission of the Carmarthen Journal) 

Carmarthen Times 13th March 1964

Next Thursday Carmarthen and Llandybie clash in the semi-final of the West Wales Rugby Union Cup at Stradey Park, Llanelly. It is expected to be an interesting battle, for both teams differ a great deal in their approach. Llandybie, who won the cup four years ago, have a light but extremely fast set of forwards who rely on their elusive half-backs, Malcolm Hale and Eifion Cox to get the side into an attacking position.

The Carmarthen forwards will have their hands full in holding these two, for they have schemed and plotted their side to many victories this season. But Llandybie will be up against a heavy pack, which should tip the scales in the battle for honours in the set pieces. The players pictured are not the selected teams that will be engaged in the battle. Gerald Davies, David Davies and John Evans are also included in the Carmarthen 18 from which the side will be chosen.

Tomorrow winger Tudor Lewis, who has not been playing during the last few weeks because of an injury, will have a run out against Laugharne in a friendly game. Windsor Marks who has also been out of the side with a chest complaint, will also be testing his fitness tomorrow. If he is not fit there is a possibility that Brian Richards will be included in the side. The selectors will be faced with a difficult problem of choosing either Delme Davies or Gerald Davies for the wing-forward position.

The Llandybie team pictured is not the official team which will oppose Carmarthen. There are expected to be one or two changes.

The semi-final will be Carmarthen’s third in successive years. They were beaten by Felinfoel in the final three season’s ago; beaten in the semi-final by Tumble last year and once again they are in the semi-final this season. Out of the championship play-off, Carmarthen can be considered to be unlucky not to have won a trophy during the last few seasons, but this year they hope it will be third time lucky.

One out of every five cup games are a good spectacle and everyone is hoping that a good display of rugby will be given by both sides. All too often in these games the main method of attack is the boot, with lines-out a preliminary for long boring mauls followed by a series of lunge and thud tactics. Anyway, I hope we won’t get another repeat performance of the Carmarthen-Tumble marathon.

The final score in the semi-final at Stradey Park was Carmarthen, 14 pts;   Llandybie, 3 pts

A quick glance at the score gives one the impression that Carmarthen had a walk-over, but there is no hint in the bare figures that even when the game was well into the second-half, not even the most ardent Carmarthen supporter would have dared to forecast such a margin.