Colwyn Bay RFC

Last updated
Colwyn Bay RFC
Full nameColwyn Bay Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)The Seahorses
Founded1923
Location Colwyn Bay, Wales
Ground(s)Brookfield Drive
PresidentGeoff Taylor
League(s) WRU Division 2 North
2018-1910thWRU official site Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine </ref>
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body whitesleevelinesandsidesthick.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Team kit
Official website
www.colwynbayrugby.com

Colwyn Bay Rugby Football Club (Welsh : Clwb Rygbi Bae Colwyn) is a rugby union team from the town of Colwyn Bay, North Wales. Colwyn Bay RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for RGC 1404. [1]

Contents

History

The first record of a match played in Colwyn Bay took place on the Rhos Preparatory School ground on New Year’s Day, 1923, when the opponents were a Chester XV. There were frequent changes in playing locations and changing rooms and consequently the game did not prosper after the promising start of the first few seasons.

One success at that time was Wilf Wooler, a Club member who went on to represent Sale RFC, Cambridge University, Cardiff RFC and then Wales, starring in the 1935 Welsh victory over the All Blacks. In 1936 it was decided that the Club could not continue and players who were keen joined Rhyl and District RFC, who were also recipients of the goal posts. The princely bank balance of £15 was handed to the North Wales Rugby Union.

In 1953 rugby football became more firmly established in North Wales and a meeting was called at the Queens Hotel, Old Colwyn, at which 12 people attended. Led by a very active Secretary, Tom Bellis, aided by Rydal School (now Rydal Penrhos) masters and old players of the school, the foundations were laid for today’s successful club. A settled "home" was a long time coming but the local Council were most helpful in 1965 in providing us with a pitch at Glan-y-Don, Old Colwyn, and cow sheds which were part of Glan-y-Don Home Farm. The cowsheds were converted into adequate changing rooms and a licensed bar was also applied for and set up.

Unfortunately, there was a further hitch in the late 1960s when the new Police H.Q. required part of the field and the Highway Authority acquired the other half of the pitch for the slip road from the A55 Expressway to Old Colwyn. The council came to our rescue once more and provided us with a long lease on our present ground at Brookfield Drive, which was donated, to the Council by the late Victor Wilde for recreational purposes.

The ground consists of three flat adjoining pitches, training area, car park and Clubhouse. In September, 1975, the present Club House was officially opened by Mike Roberts, a Club member, Welsh International and a British Lion, and additional facilities of a lounge bar and gymnasium have been added since.

The early nineties saw Colwyn Bay Rugby win the north Wales Championship twice prior to promotion to the National Leagues. Colwyn Bay Rugby currently fields a 1st XV that play in WRU Division Two (North). We also run second XV, Women's and Youth XV's as well as a vibrant and growing Mini & Junior Section.

In 2008, Colwyn Bay were losing finalist against Ruthin in the North Wales Cup. [2]

Notable former players

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denbighshire (historic)</span> Historic county in Wales

Historic Denbighshire is one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which covers an area in north east Wales. It is a maritime county, bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the east by Flintshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, to the south by Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire, and to the west by Caernarfonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colwyn Bay</span> Town in Conwy County Borough, Wales

Colwyn Bay is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorporated within its postal district. Established as its own separate parish in 1844 with just a small grouping of homes and farms where the community of Old Colwyn stands today, Colwyn Bay has expanded to become the second-largest community and business centre in the north of Wales as well as the 14th largest in the whole of Wales with the urban statistical area, including Old Colwyn, Rhos-on-Sea, and Mochdre and Penrhyn Bay, having a population of 34,284 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleddyn Williams</span> British Lions & Wales international rugby union footballer

Bleddyn Llewellyn Williams MBE, was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of their tour of Australia and New Zealand. Considered to be the nonpareil of Welsh centres; he was robust in the tackle and known for his strong leadership and surging runs; he was often referred to as 'The Prince Of Centres'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rydal Penrhos</span> Private day school in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, Wales

Rydal Penrhos School is a private day school in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. It is the only Methodist school in the independent sector in Wales. It is located on multiple sites around the town with a site in the neighbouring village of Rhos-on-Sea where it keeps its watersports equipment for easy access to the beach.

Wilfred Wooller was a Welsh cricketer, rugby union footballer, cricket administrator and journalist.

Penarth Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based since 1924 at The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road, in Penarth, in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Uplands RFC</span> Rugby team

Swansea Uplands RFC is a rugby union club based in Upper Killay, Swansea, Wales, who play in the WRU Swalec Leagues. They are currently in Division 3 West A.

Pill Harriers RFC are a Welsh rugby union club based in Newport in South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Abergavenny Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club team based in Abergavenny. Today, Abergavenny RFC plays in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Two East league and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Bangor Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Bangor, North Wales. Bangor RFC is a founding member of the Welsh Rugby Union. The club fields a Seniors, Youth, Juniors and Ladies teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Emlyn RFC</span> Rugby team

Newcastle Emlyn RFC is a Welsh rugby union club based on the outskirts of the town in the community of Adpar, Ceredigion on the north bank of the River Teifi. The club currently plays in the WRU Division One West having spent 4 seasons in the Welsh Championship following the title win in 2015. The club is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.

The Welsh Rugby Union Division One North is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season. The league was known as Division Four North before the 2008-09 season. Division One North, Two North and Three North are self-contained leagues within the larger Swalec leagues, and clubs can not be promoted or demoted outside of the two leagues.

The 1933 Home Nations Championship was the twenty-ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-sixth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six matches were played between 21 January and 1 April. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Ruthin Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Ruthin, North Wales. Ruthin RFC presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division One North League and is a hub club for RGC, the North Wales Regional team.

The Welsh Rugby Union Division Two North is a rugby union league in Wales. The league was known as Division Five North before the 2008-09 season.

Ian Martin Buckett is a former international rugby union front row forward who played for Swansea and London Welsh and played county rugby for North Wales. He was a championship winning player, an international and an academic.

Monmouth Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club, from Monmouth in South Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Patrick James Handley Leach is a rugby union player for Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team. He usually plays at centre, but he has also played at fullback. Born in St Asaph, Flintshire, Leach began his career with Colwyn Bay RFC and joined Orrell RUFC after leaving school. He also played for Manchester Rugby Club and had trials with English Premiership side Worcester before joining Newport RFC in 2009. He received his first call-up to the Dragons side in May 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Wales Crusaders</span> Welsh rugby league club

The North Wales Crusaders is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in Betfred League 1, the third tier of European rugby league. Until the end of 2016 they played their home games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. From 2017 to 2020 they were based at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham, but also played several games at Hare Lane in Chester. In 2021 the club moved to the Eirias Stadium in Colwyn Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eirias Stadium</span>

Eirias Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as Stadiwm CSM, is a multi-purpose stadium that is part of the outdoor complex of the Eirias Events Centre in Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay, Wales. It is home to the Principality Premiership team, RGC 1404 and RFL League 1 team North Wales Crusaders. The stadium had been used for sporting events, until its redevelopment in 2011, where it now can host international televised events.

References

  1. ↑ BBC News (2004-07-08). "Wales' regional rugby map". BBC . Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  2. ↑ Ruthin beat Colwyn Bay in cup final Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine dailypost.co.uk May 27, 2008
  3. ↑ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp474, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.