Sylvan Edwards (born 1979) is an English

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

player who plays at either

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...

or on the

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...

. He is currently in his second spell with Bristol side Dings Crusaders where he became one of the top try scorers in

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, N ...

history, with 69 tries in his first nine seasons spent at the club. Sylvan has also been capped by the

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

county side.

Career

First Spell with Dings

After starting his career with Avonmouth Old Boys, Sylvan signed for fellow Bristol side, Dings Crusaders in 2002, and his debut season was a success as his club won South West Division 1 and gained promotion to the National Leagues. The 2003–04 season in National Division 3 South saw Ding's just avoid relegation, five points clear of 13th placed

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

, with Sylvan contributing a respectable 10 tries in a Ding's side that were the lowest points scorers in the division. The next season was far better for both Sylvan and Dings as he scored a (tier 4) career best 17 tries in the league and his club finished 8th. Over the next couple of seasons Dings saw stability as they became a mid-table side in the division. The 2008–09 season with Ding's was a lean one for Sylvan as he only managed 3 tries in a Ding's side that finished 6th. However, his overall contribution was good enough to see him picked for the

county side, with whom he reached the 2009 Bill Beumont Cup final, making an appearance at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

but ultimately ending on the wrong side of an 18–32 scoreline against winners

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

. In 2011 Sylvan was part of the Ding's squad that won the Bristol Combination Cup but it would be his last silverware at the club before his move to Weston-super-Mare for the 2012–13 season.

Weston-super-Mare

Sylvan had a decent debut season with new club

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmi ...

, scoring 7 tries from 21 appearances as his club finished 3rd in National League 3 South West, missing out on the promotion playoffs. Missing out on promotion was tempered somewhat as Weston-super-Mare won their 10th Somerset Cup, beating Old Redcliffians 33–32 in a very close match at the final held at Bath Road in Bridgwater. The next couple of seasons would see Weston's performances in the league start to slip and from chasing promotion in 2013, they were relegated to

South West 1 West Regional 2 South West, (formerly known as South West 1 West) is an English, level six, rugby union league for clubs based in the south-west of England; i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. It is one of twelve leagues at this level ...

by the end of 2015.

Back with Dings

After suffering relegation with Weston-super-Mare, Sylvan resigned with former club, Dings Crusaders for the 2015–16 season, continuing to play in National League 3 South West as Dings had just been relegated from

. Now aged 37 years he is playing in an ambitious Dings side that is looking to get promoted back to the National Leagues.

Season-by-season playing stats

Honours and records

Dings Crusaders * South West Division 1 champions: 2002–03 *Bristol Combination Cup winners: 2009 Weston-super-Mare *Somerset Cup winners: 2013 Peter Spencer cup winner 2012 - 13 Gloucestershire *

Bill Beaumont Cup The County Championship is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. After restructuring in 2007 the top tier of the Championship has been known as the Bill Beaumont Cup, after the trophy awarded ...

runner up: 2009

References

External links

Dings Crusaders RFCWeston-super-Mare RFCAvonmouth Old Boys RFCGloucestershire RFU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Sylvan 1979 births Living people English rugby union players Rugby union centres