Newcastle Emlyn RFC - Club History

Club History

The club was formed on the 5 July 1977 following a public meeting held at the Emlyn Hall, Newcastle Emlyn which agreed that it should be named in Welsh Clwb Rygbi Castell Newydd Emlyn and that the red and white hooped jerseys worn by the football club should be adopted.
Mike Heycock of Felingeri Flour Mill, Cwmcou donated a set of jerseys and became the club’s first President.
The first games were played at Gelligatti fields next to the town cemetery. Four pine trees were felled in Cwm Morgan and transported by coal lorry to the town where they were stripped and painted in the club's colours for use as goal posts. The Headmaster of Emlyn School helped by allowing the use of the changing facilities and the occasional use of the school’s pitches for second team games.
The club’s H.Q. was established at the ‘Red Cow’ in Adpar and the old disused stables, ‘Y Stabal’, became the committee room, tea room, and changing room.

Clive Griffiths of Llanelli RFC was the team’s first coach who went on to become the Wales defence coach under Graham Henry and subsequently Mike Ruddock.

On Saturday 4 September 1977 Clwb Rygbi Castell Newydd Emlyn played its first game of rugby union football. The first team played at Laugharne against their 2nd XV and the Emlyn 2nd XV played a Cardigan 3rd team at the Secondary School field in Cardigan.

Although affiliated to the Llanelli and District Junior Rugby Union the club did not play in the league in its first year of existence but during the season, 1977/78, the 1st XV had played 37 games achieving ten wins and two draws with the first victory on the 1st October against Fishguard, 7-0. The Second XV played fourteen matches with one victory.

At the beginning of the 1978/79 season the club moved to a field on Cwrcoed Meadows, which was large enough for two pitches and training lights were also installed. The First XV played in the newly formed Section E of Llanelli and District and were promoted as runners-up behind Carmarthen Athletic Druids, in addition they reached the semi-finals of the Llanelli and District Cup. The Geraint Howells Knockout Cup for local teams was won by Emlyn in the 1987/88 season.

The 1980s saw a period of consolidation. The First XV were promoted to Section C of Llanelli and District, in 1979/80 and remained there for the next few seasons. By the 1987/88 season the club was playing in Section A of Llanelli and District and finished as Runners-up in the Championship.

At the end of the season 1988/89 the club was admitted as probationary members of the Welsh Rugby Union.