Abertillery RFC
Abertillery Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Abertillery. They were founded in 1883 by a coal miner named Doug Wallace, who was a local resident who moved from Scotland in 1882, Wallace was known for his commitment for the club until he died in 1899.
Imagem: Dean Pratten · BY-SA · Openverse
1883–1914
According to the club's official centenary book, Abertillery Rugby Football Club, Abertillery were founded on 21 September 1883 in a local public house, The Prince of Wales. Like many towns and villages in Wales in the late 1880s, Abertillery was home to many rugby teams; these included Abertillery Town, Abertillery Harlequins, Abertillery Wednesdays, Heart of Oak and Abertillery Rovers. Abertillery FC and another local team from Abertillery amalgamated around September 1887 into a single club called "Abertillery Football Club". These clubs had periods of growth and decline until two main teams emerged, Abertillery Town and Harlequins; these two sides merged into a single club known as Abertillery RFC in 1901. The early clubs did not originally own a match pitch of their own, so relied on sympathetic landowners to let them play on vacant fields. These included the Gas Works Field and Old Barn Field. The club also did not possess a club-house, so from 1890 they used Wilkinson's Temperance Hotel.
Present day
In 2002 Abertillery RFC, followed Brynmawr RFC and withdrew from the Principality Cup, after the Welsh Rugby Union made an error during the live draw for the fifth round. Within the week, the club made a complete about turn and begged the RFU to be allowed back in the competition.
Imagem: Jaggery · BY-SA · Openverse
Abertillery have been Welsh Champions twice. They have provided players for Wales and the British Lions, including Haydn Morgan, Allan Lewis, Robert Norster, Byron Hayward, Rupert Moon and the late Alun Pask. They have more recently provided Ospreys players, notably Shaun Connor.
1 A joint Abertillery/Cross Keys team 2 A joint Abertillery/Ebbw Vale team 3 A joint Abertillery/Newbridge team
