Tag: w t jones

The Growth of Football in Merthyr Tydfil – part 6

Transcribed by Phil Sweet

These articles which appeared in three consecutive editions of the Merthyr Express in March 1921 are Harvey Boots’ own reminiscences of the development of three football codes in the town up to that date.  

ARTICLE 3 MERTHYR EXPRESS 19TH MARCH 1921 (continued)

THE GROWTH OF FOOTBALL IN MERTHYR

(By Harvey Boots)

We had some really good men with us now and to mention a few here would be in keeping with the rest of the story. I don’t think they played in the same season, but about those doughty days to which I have just referred. To recall a few, I can remember now the first two backs who played for the club. I had forgotten for a moment, but I was reminded of these names by the genial Vicar of Cyfarthfa (whom we all regard as Paterfamilias apart from things pertaining to football). They were Carrier and W. Davies, the latter of whom hailed from Bristol; Jack White, a good back; little Holmes, also a back; Sam Wightman who went from us to Middlesborough (at what I think was a record fee as transfer to date), Fisher, Gates, Churchill, Whittaker, F. Taylor, Spriggs, Costello etc., etc.

As I have brought this little history nearly up-to-date, I must obviously refrain from comments. I can only say in passing that some of these served the Club really well. Just here came the parting of the ways as far as the Merthyr Athletic Club was concerned. Although the game had undoubtedly come to stay, it was not by any means a paying proposition, and we felt that if the public wanted Association Football, they should help to support it, and so the Merthyr Association Football Club, Ltd., came into being. A limited liability company was formed, and we of the old Athletic Club retired gracefully in favour of the new company formed to carry on. The only one of the old pioneers remaining was Mr. W. T. Jones, who still acted in the capacity of secretary. A strong directorate was elected, embodying the various interests of the district, and everything seemed on a sound basis, but alas! Football, like life, is very uncertain, and the new regime had to encounter the same vicissitudes as formerly. But I think the culmination arrived when that great holocaust of world war smote us all. Football was out of the question, and for five years the game was not seen or even spoken of. The Park was still there, but owing to these unforeseen circumstances it was becoming sadly dilapidated. However, as soon as things became normal, and the menace that had been threatening us as a nation had been laid by the heels the old Club was once again resuscitated. The chairman of directors (Dr Duncan), who has held that office since the formation of the Club into a limited company, called a public meeting in the Drill Hall, presided over by the esteemed president, Mr. Seymour Berry. I was at that memorable gathering, and I shall recall how the enthusiasm of the President gripped the meeting. Money was wanted and he got it! I think the sum promised that evening was over £2,000. I am not going to relate how many or who subscribed but it was a goodly sum, and just depicted how willing the public were to foster the game that had now become so popular. But I believe a great portion of this went to put the ground in proper repair again. After an interval of five years things had sadly got out of repair, and although £2,000 seems a great del of money, by the time the necessary repairs, etc., were done, it was not a great deal for a fresh “dip” into the uncertain waters of Association Football. However, Dr Duncan, with that spirit of the “dour” Scot, with the aid of his loyal board, has now at last seen the fruits of his labours.

In conclusion, I trust, too, that the Merthyr Club will make history in the football world and that our genial President, who has for so long been in loco parentis, will in the near future have the pleasure of seeing that insignificant, elusive, but highly interesting trophy, “The Cup” gracing his sideboard.

The Growth of Football in Merthyr Tydfil – part 4

Transcribed by Phil Sweet

These articles which appeared in three consecutive editions of the Merthyr Express in March 1921 are Harvey Boots’ own reminiscences of the development of three football codes in the town up to that date.  

ARTICLE 2 MERTHYR EXPRESS 12TH MARCH 1921 (continued)

THE GROWTH OF FOOTBALL IN MERTHYR

(By Harvey Boots)

Meanwhile we of the Rugby Club were left in a quandary. The membership of the team that had been doing so well for us the previous season, and had raised the status of the club to a position it had never attained before, went over to the new game. A few remained true to the amateur cause, but we were left with little more than a skeleton of a team. Worse still all our supporters left us; our gates dwindled down to zero; while the other code grew in proportion. However, we kept pegging away, but things were going from bad to worse, our exchequer was dry, and we were owing the bank a bit. We continued for two or three seasons and the struggle was a long and costly one. To give an idea of how wealthy (?) we were becoming, on one occasion we played Cross Keys (a club now at the prominent head of all Welsh Clubs) to a gate of 17s 6d. On this princely sum we had to pay the return visit to Cross Keys. We were not forgotten entirely by the tradespeople of Merthyr at this period.

Several came to our aid, and one, in particular, rendered us very valuable financial assistance. I refer to Mr. J. T. Harrap. We had only to state our case and he was ever-ready to come to our help, but this sort of thing couldn’t go on indefinitely. We were in arrears with our rent, and when making application for Penydarren Park for what was eventually the last time, we found an offer had been made on behalf of the other club at a rental of £200, which was just double what we were charged. This, I am happy to say was turned down by the Athletic Club, although we, at this time, owed £100 for rent and no prospects of paying it.

We felt at this time that since we had been engaged for a number of years in fighting the battles of Welsh Rugby, it was time the parent body came to our assistance, and so began the beginning of the end. I went to Cardiff to interview them on innumerable occasions; as did W. T. Jones and E. Biddle, but all to no purpose. Although they had some thousands of pounds on deposit, they evidently thought it was a real pleasure for us, as private individuals, to keep on shelling out the money to keep the game alive. We wanted to book the Park again for the coming season, and although we owed the Athletic Club £100, they very kindly offered to forgo this, and write it off as a bad debt if the Welsh Union became guarantors for the rent in future. Down we go again to meet these gentlemen with this new proposal. “We don’t want financial assistance,” we told them. “We shall pull through if you will become guarantors for the rent.” Did they? No, bless you! With an ostrich-like wisdom they turned us down again, popped their heads back in the nice warm sand, and went to sleep. These valleys were then teeming with Rugby clubs. To-day there is only one between here and Cardiff – I refer to Pontypridd. All else is Soccer. I have always maintained – and always shall – that this particularly wise move on the part of the Welsh Union paved the way for what is now the popular game – Association.

Well, here were, we with a ground leased for a number of years (16), with nearly £4,000 spent on its improvement, and no tenant for it. The Athletic Club then held what was easily the most momentous meeting in its history and at this meeting we decided to form an Association Club. Believe me, Mr. Editor, had we known the troubles and pitfalls ahead I very much doubt if we would have decided as we did. However, with quick dispatch and unbounded enthusiasm, Dr Llewellyn Jones, Mr. H. C. Davies, with Mr. W. T. Jones as secretary, went up to London to interview the Management Committee of the Southern League. After viewing our ground and few other preliminaries, we were duly accepted as a member, and thus became the first Welsh Club in the Southern League. Our troubles had really only now commenced.

We had decided to introduce a new code into a district where previously, as I remarked before, an Association ball was rarely, if ever, seen. We were now in the Second Division of the Southern League, and as we were the only Welsh Club our fixtures in this section were all with English clubs. We advertised for players in the “Athletic News,” and, believe me, we got them. Our knowledge of the new game was not quite up to date, and I think some of the players who applied for places in the new combination must have been aware of the fact. Some of them came clean shaven, and with close-cropped heads, vowed they had played for Aston Villa and Newcastle, and had “scored the goal that had won the ‘Cup,’” which statement, if true, should have entitled them to whiskers of patriarchal dimensions and old age pensions.

All these things (and others) were sent to try us, but we were learning our lesson. The Northern Union Club were still going, but there were evident signs of a falling off here. Some of the South Wales clubs had already closed down for want of support, and the local club were beginning to feel the drain of those long trips to the North every other week. While they retained the popular fancy, a few spectators used to honour us with a visit just to see how the new-fangled game was going. Indeed, our gates were a thing of beauty, but not a joy for ever. They consisted of the players’ wives or sweethearts, the directors and a few friends, and a number of small boys who had managed to get in without paying. And there I think you have it. We didn’t want a bag of any sort to take the cash to the bank. I believe Mr. W. T. Jones used to put it in his waistcoat pocket to bank on Monday. It was only last week that Mr. John Evans (Royal Stores) mentioned that he remembered looking in on his way to the other game and was surprised to find as many players as spectators Many of my readers make take this cum grano salis, but I can assure them it was very near the mark.

To be continued…..

The Growth of Football in Merthyr Tydfil – part 2

Transcribed by Phil Sweet

These articles which appeared in three consecutive editions of the Merthyr Express in March 1921 are Harvey Boots’ own reminiscences of the development of three football codes in the town up to that date.  

ARTICLE 1 – MERTHYR EXPRESS 5TH MARCH 1921 (Continued)

THE GROWTH OF FOOTBALL IN MERTHYR

(By Harvey Boots)

About this time most of the veterans had dropped out of the game, and the club were in somewhat low water; Indeed, if my memory serves me well, a new club had arisen Sphinx-like from the ashes of the old one. Merthyr Alexanders, or Alexs, was the name of the new combination, and compatible with the greatly-improved play now general in Wales they possessed one of the finest back divisions that ever played for Merthyr, or, indeed I might add, any club. The following names would be conjured up by the old Rugger fraternity recalling memories of great deeds:- Bill Henry Jones, Bert Jenkins, Phil Thomas, Llew. Treharne, and last, but by no means least, J.C. (Chris) Williams, a youth, who, in the heyday of his play, could make the most strenuous opposition look small. He had the honour of being selected first reserve for Wales with the great Dicky Owen, and although the half selected to play for Wales on this occasion was unable to turn out owing to injuries, the Union Selection Committee with that great distain which no “fellar” can understand picked another player in place of our local boy, who was thus robbed – and I think that is the only word – of this Welsh Cap.

The following little incident with regard to the above-mentioned young man is quite worth repeating. We were touring the West of England one Easter, playing Lydney, Bream and Stroud. I was in charge of the team, and although Chris had retired from active participation in the game (owing to the unfortunate loss of an eye whilst playing football) we pressed him into service to play on the wing while on tour. He ran in with two or three beautiful tries against Stroud on the Easter Monday, which caused the Chairman of the Stroud Club to inquire of me who the prodigy was. On my replying that “he had practically given up football as he only had one eye”, he exclaimed “Good God! I wonder how many he would have scored if he had two!” From the sporting standpoint, and for the utmost fun to be had out of a game of football, the old Merthyr Thursdays were no doubt it. I have many happy memories of days while playing for the old Thursdays. I have a photograph now hanging in my waiting-room taken over twenty-five years ago, and it would be very interesting to recall some of the group. Among others who figure there are Ernest Biddle (now deputy Town Clerk and a director of the Merthyr Association Club), the late Tom Davies (Temple), Major D.C. Harris, Major J. E. C. Partridge (popularly known as “Birdie” who afterwards played for Newport and Blackheath) D. J. Thomas (Hetts), the Brothers Thomas (then known as Thomas the Tea Shop), Percy Ward, the late Gwill and Howell Thomas (the latter of whom it may be truly said, was one of the best sports that ever kicked a Rugby football. He was captain of the Thursday team for more years than I care to remember, and his whole-hearted enthusiasm for the game was wonderful. He was a man who never knew when he was beaten, and a grafter to the very last. Under his leadership we had a very successful leadership, and at that time the team was considered the best mid-week team in Wales.

Our great fixture in those days to which we all made a special effort to get to was with Brecon College. The departure on Thursday morning in Thorney’s four-horse brake – there were no motor charabancs in those days – was sight to behold, and the return (triumphant or otherwise) was an even more wonderful picture. At that time Brecon College team contained boys who were destined to make history in Welsh football. Who hasn’t heard of Teddy Morgan, W.M. Llewellyn and A. F. Harding? Llew Thomas, a Welsh International, was a master there at this time, and always turned out with the boys.

Coming down to more recent history, and the real reason for this article, a new Merthyr Saturday Team had now been created. The Alexs were defunct; many of them had been lured over to the Northern Union game, and so had left the district to play for these Northern Clubs, but the old game was not allowed to flag. A new power had arisen to control the destines of the game. I refer to the late W. T. Jones, known to all and sundry as “Jones of Wales”. A man who worked early and late, in and out of season for the love of the game. I often wonder what “Poor old Bill” would say if it were possible for him to see the fruits of his early labours by taking a peek at Penydarren Park some Saturday afternoon as we see it to-day? But alas! He left us just as the old ship that he steered for so long was just about to make harbour.

We had at this time the best club that probably ever represented the old town. Penydarren Park had been secured permanently for sport, football etc., by a representative body of gentleman comprising, I believe, the late Mr. J. Plews, Mr. H. W. Southey, Mr. Aneurin Jones, Mr. A. J. Howfield, Mr. Gomer Thomas, Mr. D. C. Harris, Dr. Biddle, Mr. W. W. Meredith and others whose names, for the moment, escape me. The club was flourishing as never before, and we were on the high road to obtain fixtures with the leading clubs of the country.

Another body of gentlemen had now sub-let the Park from the afore-mentioned for the purpose of making a ground second to none – Dr Llewellyn Jones, Mr. W. B. Harris, the late Joe Jones (Manchester House), the late Howell Thomas, D. C. Davies, Mr. Sam Dix, of the Tiger Hotel,(which at that time was the headquarters of the football club), the late W. T. Jones (who acted as secretary) and myself (as chairman).

To be continued…..