"This is Gwyn, he played for Llanelli..."

And so, work throws up a random excuse for a 606v2 article.

I am a solicitor in a small South Wales town. There are however 9 Rugby Clubs within a couple of miles of my office.

They are wonderful organisations, but terrible at organisation. Hence, I get to see them quite often.

I won't bore you with legal details, but I needed a bit of club history from one of them. The usual thing, "we must have the deeds to this clubhouse somewhere!"

So, a club elder is brought to me. Names are changed to protect the innocent, and my practicing certificate.

The Sec: "This is Gwyn, he played for Llanelli in his day..."

And Gwyn was off. Sec regretted the terms of his introduction almost immediately as the well worn narrative trajectory was plotted. This was a story recited with relish and with no detail overlooked.

I imagined myself as a small Greek child at Homer's knee as he warmed into the Iliad. Unlike Sec, this was my first hearing and I was fascinated.

Gwyn started playing for the village when he was 16. He worked his way up through the hierarchy of the West Wales Division, work taking him to play for the Carmarthen Quins. Then in the early 60's came the call.

"Would you like to play for Llanelli?"

Gwyn, yes, would very much indeed like to play for Llanelli. And so, using storytelling techniques handed down through generations, the scene is set, for Gwyn's debut, for Llanelli.

"It was Christmas Day. That shows you how Rugby has changed. We were full of Turkey and sprouts. That was our training. The team talk went like this..."

Gwyn pauses and then starts to pound his hand with a clenched fist.

"Forget the season of peace and goodwill to all men, its time to develop some bile..."

The pack was made up of players like Gwyn, called up from local second class sides. They were playing the "University Student's Union". The Llanelli back line however had all played for Wales. He lists them all. Some I've heard of, like local legends Wyn "the Golden" Evans and Cyril "you know Cyril" Davies.

Two of the names however are among the most significant in the Scarlets' history and folklore; Carwyn James and Terry Davies.

For those who may not know, Carwyn James was a bright, mercurial talent at outside half, kept out of the Welsh team by one Cliff Morgan. Whilst Morgan went on to set the pattern for sports reporting at the BBC, Carwyn coached Llanelli, the Barbarians and the British Lions to victories over New Zealand. He never coached Wales, but that is another story...

Terry Davies played his first game for Llanelli when just 15. A prodigious talent, he would have been a legend of the Welsh game, but he "went North". After a glittering Rugby League career, he then went out West as a field goal kicker in the NFL.

"The backs had less work to do of course, and whilst the first choice Llanelli pack were rested on Christmas Day, the backs were all down to play London Welsh on Boxing Day as well...".

Two games in two days and the backs to play both!

Gwyn is in full flow, but Sec has had enough, after two earlier attempts to gently lead the subject round to the matter in hand, he goes for the direct approach:

"Look Gwyn, Mr Davies is a busy man and we are paying by the hour!"

So, the epic tale is cut short in its prime; you need a bit of pathos in all of the best stories though.

The rest of the appointment is brief. Gwyn has compiled notes which are more than sufficient for my purposes.

As I watch them leave I'm struck by the way the game has changed. The training regimes, the call ups from local teams, two games in as many days. Most of all though, I'm struck by the fact that for all of Rugby's progress, for all the changes resulting from it being a professional sport, for all the PR and marketing; in the early 60's, Llanelli could fill Stradey Park, on Christmas Day, for a friendly game, against some students.

http://v2journal.com/this-is-gwyn-he-used-to-play-for-llanelli.html

Enticing tale...!

Can you in the legal trade not allow a petitioner some grace with their balance for the end of a good yarn..???

I'm sure a number of us could contribute funds for your time if we had too.

Sounds fascinating.

Yes good story & there was a thriving club culture in Wales once....

Anyway, good to here about Welsh clubs on the 'club' section of V2 ;-)

I was prepared for the pro bono, but Sec would have had a nervous breakdown!

Reads like an episode of "Stella" on Sky. That Ruth Jones really has her finger on the pulse of modern life in small town Wales.