"RODNEY COMMENTARY"
"MEMORABLE FOR A QUARTET"
"The past few weeks have certainly been most memorable for four Newport rugby players - Glenn George, the captain, Paul Turner, the vice-captain, Nigel Callard, the long serving scrum half, and Alun Harries, the regular right wing."
"George passed the 250 mark in the club's first team appearance chart, Callard, in only his second first team appearance of the season, reached a double century in senior matches in the game at Nottingham, Harries was selected for the Wales five-nations championship squad, and Turner set up a new scoring record for the club."
"Turner's 16 points against Nottingham enabled him to eclipse the long standing record of former full back Welsh international Norman Morgan. He brought his points total for Newport in club and league matches to 598, seven more than Morgan scored between 1955 and 1962."
"Morgan also kicked 14 points for Wales in championship matches, but Mr Campbell Black, Newport's honorary secretary, tells me that Turner's points total does not include the points he registered during Newport's tours of United States, Canada and Spain. In those tour matches Turner collected 170 points."
"Meanwhile, injuries continue to haunt Newport, and their latest casualty is young scrum half David Llewellyn, who sustained a shoulder injury when he was called up for training with the Welsh squad. He is likely to be out of action for another month."
"Fortunately, there is better news of two of the earlier casualties, Kevin Withey, who scored 16 first team tries last season, and Andrew Lewis. Both resumed training last week after having been laid low for several months."
"Newport have enjoyed the luck of the draw in the fifth round of the Schweppes Cup. They will have ground advantage in their clash with Glamorgan Wanderers who they heavily defeated early in the season."
"After the cuptie the players and officials will fly to Tenerife for a six-day stay in the sunshine beginning on January 28th. This means that Newport have been been obliged to cancel their match with Ebbw Vale, which was due to be played at Rodney Parade on January 29th."
"It may not be possible to re-arrange the Ebbw Vale game unless both clubs have no cup or other commitments. After the match with Glamorgan Wanderers Newport will next be seen at home on February 8th, when Bridgend will provide the opposition."
"W. H."
"TODAY'S VISITORS."
"WELCOME, NEWBRIDGE!"
"Newbridge Rugby Club were formed in 1888, but it was not until the Second World War ended that they were generally regarded as one of the Welsh first-class organisations. They have certainly justified that recognition, for they have since established themselves as one of the leading clubs in Wales and over the border."
"Such is their reputation that they have been invited to carry out many overseas tours, and needless to say, they distinguished themselves on all of them. Their travels took them to Czechoslovakia when it was one of the countries "Behind the Iron Curtain", and to France where they played a special match against Toulon to open a new municipal stadium. They have also toured the United States several times, and among their other trips were to Belgium, Cyprus, Canada and Northern Ireland."
"Newbridge have provided Wales with a string of senior and B internationals, the first of whom was hooker Bill Gore, who played Scotland, France and Ireland in 1947. He thus followed in the footsteps of his father, the old Blaina forward, who was capped four times in 1924-5."
"The most famous of the club's senior caps was Don Hayward, who, besides playing for Wales 15 times between 1949 and 1952, toured New Zealand with the 1950 British Lions and played in three Tests against the All Blacks."
"Among other Newbridge players capped by Wales were Ray Gale, Ken Braddock, Clive Davies, Dennis Hughes, Terry Shaw, Paul Turner (now Newport's vice-captain), Andy Allen, and more recently Ken Waters, who was in the Welsh World Cup squad. A number of other Newbridge players have appeared for Wales in B internationals."
"And another well-known personality who has been closely associated with Newbridge for many years collected nine England caps. He was Derek Morgan, who was spotted by the English selectors playing for Medicals and Newcastle during the time he was studying dentistry in the north. Morgan later became chairman of the England selectors and also the Monmouthshire county coach."
"But it was not only these players who gained prestige for Newbridge, and who can forget the strong band of stalwarts, many of whom did not get the international recognition they richly deserved - players such as Glyn Meredith, who was renowned for his audacious play, not only on the rugby field but also at cricket, Arthur Hughes, Paul Evans, Tony Browning, Mike Grey, Chris Phillips, Keith Westwood, Lloyd Davies and Eric Phillips to mention just a few."
"Today Newbridge again have an array of excellent players whose performances already this season have sent Cardiff, Neath, Bridgend and Llanelli crashing to defeat in league matches. The surprising thing is that they had only one player, Jonathan Reynolds, selected for the squad chosen to prepare for the five-nations championship. It is little wonder that their coach, Paul Evans, the former Newport and Newbridge half back, was thrown into a state of astonishment!"
"W.H."