Mountain Ash RFC is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club from the town of

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

, in the

Cynon Valley Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. It lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash in the south. From 1974 to 19 ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. Mountain Ash RFC is a member of the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...

and is a

feeder club In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

for the

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...

Early history

The team was founded in 1875 at a meeting in the Mountain Ash Inn, but their first game in earnest was not until 1891, against

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

at the Washery Field. Some of their early fixtures were against

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

. Mountain Ash provided their first

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

international in 1892, when

Frank Mills Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit " Music Box Dancer". Early life and education Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started p ...

was selected for the Home Nations Championship, though at the time he had left Mountain Ash and was then representing

. It only took another four years for Mountain Ash to claim their first full international to represent Wales while still playing for the club, when Fred Miller was chosen to face

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in the

1896 Home Nations Championship The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...

. They managed to beat the touring

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team in 1904, and in the same year, moved headquarters to the Cresselly Inn. Four years later, they moved to the Recreation Ground, and established their headquarters at the Glancynon Hotel, their current clubhouse. In 1912, the team toured the south of France, and managed to beat Bayonne RFC and Pau, but the outbreak of the First World War made it difficult for the club to continue. The situation grew even worse during the Second World War, when there were no games played from 1939 to 1946. They survived through this period, however, often maintaining at least one player in the Welsh team. In 1953, the county council removed the grandstand and the perimeter fence from the Recreation Ground, which proved to be devastating for the club, as most first class clubs refused to play there. During the late 1959/60 season, Mountain Ash had an excellent season losing only four matches under the captaincy of Denis Bryant, who became the club President in the 1970s, and was also instrumental in the creation of the senior second team in the 1960/61 season. In 1963 the first clubhouse was opened by former Welsh international Judge

Rowe Harding W. Rowe Harding (10 September 1901 – 10 February 1991) was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Swansea, a barrister, and a judge. An intelligent player, Harding played for several teams at club and international l ...

, which was followed by silverware in the 1964/65 season when they won the Mid District Championship. In 1994–1995, the club moved to the Parc Duffryn Pennar Ground. In 2000–2001, as part of the club's 125-year celebrations, a game was played against

Public School Wanderers The Public School Wanderers Club is a sports club in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1940 by Charles Burton, a Fleet Street journalist. It was formed to provide cricket and rugby for public schoolboys during their school holidays, but wi ...

At present

There are two senior teams, a youth team and a junior section. There is a clubhouse in the town attended by an enthusiastic supporters club and committee. The home ground, Parc Duffryn Pennar has modern facilities, including floodlights and a well maintained playing surface. Many representative games have been played there, including schoolboy internationals. Tours such as one to Canada in 2005 and South Africa in 2007 are regular features. The first senior team play in the Division One east of the Welsh League. They are coached by Mike Butts and Robert Downes.

Notable former players

:''See also :Mountain Ash RFC players''

Rugby union internationals

Tom Collins The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. This "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically served in a Collins glass over ice with a cherry garnish. A non-alcoholic "Collins mix" drink mi ...

(1923) * John Evans (1958) * Anthony Windham Jones (1905) *

Leslie Manfield Leslie Manfield DFC (10 November 1915 – 2 November 2006) was a Welsh rugby union international. He was the second oldest Welsh international of all time, and at the time of his death, aged 91, the oldest living man to have played as a ...

(7 caps) (1939–48) * Jonathan Mason (1988) * Fred Miller (1896-1901) *

(1892–96) * Hayden Morris (1951–55) * Will Osborne (1902–03) (6 caps) * Fred Samuel (1922) * Dick Thomas (4 caps) (1906-1909) * George Travers (25 caps)''Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981'', David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980) pp472 (1903–11)

Rugby league internationals

* T. Emlyn Gwynne * T.B. "Bert" Jenkins * John "Jack" Charles Jenkins * Charles Sage * Richard "Dickie" L. Williams * Brian Juliff

Honours

* Glamorgan League Champions 1895–96, 1908–09 * Glamorgan Challenge Cup 1913-14 * Glamorgan Knock Out Cup 1913-14 * Evening Express award of Merit 1920 * Mid-District Champions 1964–65, 1989–90, 2010 * Ivor Williams Cup 1965–66, 1980–81, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2005–06, 2007–08 * Coleman Cup 2004-2005 * W R U National Sevens District C 1968

References

External links

Mountain Ash RFC
Official Site {{Authority control Rugby clubs established in 1875 Rugby union teams in Wales Sport in Rhondda Cynon Taf

Rugby Football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

1875 establishments in Wales