History - The Past
Club History - A History of Penallta RFC
Extracts from Shaking the Tree Boss - Portraits of a Welsh Rugby Club
The Past
Penallta RFC was formed around 1952 by a group of miners from Penallta Colliery. Mining, comradeship & togetherness brought the inaugural side together then & it is those roots that keep the side strong today. Throughout the early years Penallta battled on due to the hard work of a few voluntary workers, Founder member Len Hatcher, timekeeper at the Colliery, was a Trustee when Penallta purchased a Clubhouse alongside Penallta Pit.
In the 60s, Penallta developed into a strong side & in the 67/68 season played against a Welsh International 15 lead by Alun Pask. The club lost but managed to score a try through Mike Thomas, father of today's second team coach - an indication of the family club that Penallta still is.
As the club emerged into the 70s, it was still very much a home to a village side & a social outlet for its players & the wider mining community. Throughout the 70s the club remained at the Cefn Llwyna. Despite job losses & seemingly endless downsizing, the NCB pit wheels continued to turn & its miners kept joining the pit team. In the later stages of the 70s, Penallta took a further step towards the direction of club enhancement, they introduced a Youth side & Penallta's own brand of "sexy rugby" was born.
The Penallta side of the 80s & 90s enjoyed unparalleled success; they also stuck together as a side and earned a mountain of 1st team caps. For the first time in its history Penallta began growing significantly as a club. A mini rugby section started up and a consistent youth team started to produce more players. In the early 80s Penallta started up a second side as so many players had joined the club. On the field things were going well but off it things were sadly going wrong. Miners on strike struggled to earn a living and the community suffered. Penallta Colliery closed down - the last shift left Penallta on November 1st 1991. Penallta RFC looked after its players as well as possible. It wasn't an easy time for the Valleys but the Penallta spirit lived on regardless.
The 1990s & 2000s were up and down times for the Club - the downs of Robert Moore's awful injury, relocation to the rickety Nalgo, the news that our pitch will soon become an A&E ward - But also the ups of wonderful Youth sides, attacking rugby, the achievement of WRU status & the headlong rush up the Leagues.
The victory in the 2001 Worthington Welsh Districts Cup was a fantastic achievement for the Pitmen. Penallta's form during the competition was outstanding & they were rarely troubled. That form was emulated in the Rhondda & East Districts League where they were unbeaten & also in the Keith Jones Districts Cup where Penallta defeated Ferndale. It was some treble!
In 2003 Penallta gained probationary status as a member of the Welsh Rugby Union & haven't looked back since. Champions of Divisions Five South East, Four South East & Three South East in consecutive seasons - comfortably beating many long-established WRU sides in the process, Penallta have gone on an unprecedented rise through the ranks.
Extracts from Shaking the Tree Boss - Portraits of a Welsh Rugby Club
The Past
Penallta RFC was formed around 1952 by a group of miners from Penallta Colliery. Mining, comradeship & togetherness brought the inaugural side together then & it is those roots that keep the side strong today. Throughout the early years Penallta battled on due to the hard work of a few voluntary workers, Founder member Len Hatcher, timekeeper at the Colliery, was a Trustee when Penallta purchased a Clubhouse alongside Penallta Pit.
In the 60s, Penallta developed into a strong side & in the 67/68 season played against a Welsh International 15 lead by Alun Pask. The club lost but managed to score a try through Mike Thomas, father of today's second team coach - an indication of the family club that Penallta still is.
As the club emerged into the 70s, it was still very much a home to a village side & a social outlet for its players & the wider mining community. Throughout the 70s the club remained at the Cefn Llwyna. Despite job losses & seemingly endless downsizing, the NCB pit wheels continued to turn & its miners kept joining the pit team. In the later stages of the 70s, Penallta took a further step towards the direction of club enhancement, they introduced a Youth side & Penallta's own brand of "sexy rugby" was born.
The Penallta side of the 80s & 90s enjoyed unparalleled success; they also stuck together as a side and earned a mountain of 1st team caps. For the first time in its history Penallta began growing significantly as a club. A mini rugby section started up and a consistent youth team started to produce more players. In the early 80s Penallta started up a second side as so many players had joined the club. On the field things were going well but off it things were sadly going wrong. Miners on strike struggled to earn a living and the community suffered. Penallta Colliery closed down - the last shift left Penallta on November 1st 1991. Penallta RFC looked after its players as well as possible. It wasn't an easy time for the Valleys but the Penallta spirit lived on regardless.
The 1990s & 2000s were up and down times for the Club - the downs of Robert Moore's awful injury, relocation to the rickety Nalgo, the news that our pitch will soon become an A&E ward - But also the ups of wonderful Youth sides, attacking rugby, the achievement of WRU status & the headlong rush up the Leagues.
The victory in the 2001 Worthington Welsh Districts Cup was a fantastic achievement for the Pitmen. Penallta's form during the competition was outstanding & they were rarely troubled. That form was emulated in the Rhondda & East Districts League where they were unbeaten & also in the Keith Jones Districts Cup where Penallta defeated Ferndale. It was some treble!
In 2003 Penallta gained probationary status as a member of the Welsh Rugby Union & haven't looked back since. Champions of Divisions Five South East, Four South East & Three South East in consecutive seasons - comfortably beating many long-established WRU sides in the process, Penallta have gone on an unprecedented rise through the ranks.
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