HISTORY - 1895 to 1974

Newport can justly be regarded as the pioneers of  Hockey in South Wales for until the Section started there was no regular team playing in Monmouthshire or South Wales.  The first season was in 1895-6 when to quote from the Club report " a new and promising branch of the Club is Hockey, which during the past season was under the able Captaincy of Mr. Theo Harding". 

The first Secretary was Harold Wood who in addition to his efforts on behalf of the Club was the inspiration of the South Wales Hockey Union which was to be formed in 1898.  In that first 1895-6 season the team was very largely a scratch one, but regular fixtures were established in 1896-7.  The team captained by R. B. Evans played sixteen games, winning ten and losing six.  Although only in their second season, the Club staged the first County game at Newport in which Monmouthshire (comprising in fact all Newport players) beat Gloucestershire by four goals to one. 

By the 1807-8 season the game had become more popular in the area with the number of Clubs playing  in South Wales increased to about twenty.  By the same token the Section's fixture list had grown to 31 matches of which 19 were won and 12 lost. 

1899 was the next landmark when South Wales (represented largely by Newport) played North Wales at the Club and won 3-0.  Another sign of the growing popularity of the sport was the formation of a second eleven. 

In this period the Section recorded its first International honours when five players, H.Wood, T. W. Pearson, G. T. Davies, A. H. Davies and W. M. Carnegie won Welsh Caps in matches against Ireland and England.  The first match was  played against England at the Club on the 18th March, 1899. 

In 1901 L. Foster Stedman took over as Hon.  Secretary  from Harold Wood. This season also saw the brief appearance of  a Thursday XI. This was discontinued  when banks and some local shops altered their business arrangements. 

In the 1902-3 season the Section staged the  International match between Wales and Scotland at the Club. Wales were captained by T.W. Pearson of Newport and the match, watched by one thousand spectators was the first game of the International series which Wales had won. 

During the 1903-4 season further progress was made and a further six  international caps were secured by the Newport side - P.  N. Baylis, G. S. Davies, E. H. Francis, G. T. Jones,  W  E. C. Hadden and T. W. Pearson.  The season was noteworthy for under the captaincy of J. Ralph Williams the team lost only three of the 22 games played.  This progress was maintained and in the 1904-5 season surely what must be a record for any Club was established when nine members of the Section represented Wales against England in a match played at the Club on the 11th March, 1905. 

The  next season still under the captaincy of  J. R. Williams, this strength was reflected in the results when fifteen out of sixteen games were won.  The following season saw defeats only at the hands of English teams, the, Captain now being Guy T. Jones.  These successes were continued in subsequent seasons and during the 1908-9 season the Section had three representatives playing for Wales in the Olympic Games of that year, R. F. Lyne, F. G. Phillips and J. R. Williams. 

The season  of real achievement however came in 1912-13 when the first team completed their matches with an unbeaten record  for the first time,  under R. F. Lyne as Captain.

As with other Clubs the first world war halted the progress, for when the Section   played its first  season after the war in 1919-20 they could again only  field one team, captained by G. F. Rainforth.  However, the second team was restored during the following season.  The teams in this period however were not quite as successful as in the past. 

As a general note, however during the period up to 1925 of the Section's history,  twenty-three players were capped. Their names were T. W. Pearson, W.  M. Carnegie, H. Wood, G. S. Davies, A. H. Davies, P. N. Baylis, J. H. Cannop, E. H. Francis, W. E. C. Hudden, G. T. Jones, E. S. Baylis, R. F. Lyne, Geoffrey Davies, C. E. Dawson, J. R. Williams, F. G. Phillips, C. F. Bates, R. Stratton, S. E. Richards, K.C. Raikes, G. F. Rainforth, L. J. Kilsby and J. E. Dunn. The last named was Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary of the Welsh Hockey Association and C. F. Bates umpired many  International matches.

[1923-24, 1925-26, 1928-29, 1939-40 Team Photographs]

In 1925-6 the first XI more than justified the optimism built up in the preceding years.  Captained by Major C. E. L. Lyne they remained unbeaten winning 16 of the 20 games  played and drawing the other four.  The second XI were only a degree behind winning 12 of the 17 games, drawing one and losing only four. 

A look at the committee of that time is of interest with such well known names as J. E. Dunn,  A. F. Dolman, C. F. Bates, H. Jones, K.C. Raikes, J. F. Rust and lastly the Hon. Secretary J. P. Treloar. 

Jack Treloar is  a classic example of the long serving member referred to previously his having served continuously from 1919 until 1937. 

The season 1926-7 was not quite so successful as far as results were concerned although fourteen wins and three draws out of twenty matches bears comparison with most seasons.  Major Lyne was again skipper whilst the Second XI was captained by S. G. Blow.  During this season E. McDonnell gained three caps for Wales, a well deserved honour. 

It is interesting to note that the section subscription at this time was two guineas per year or one and a half guineas for those members elected prior to 1919. 

The next season  1927-8 is noted in the records for its bad weather, resulting in a high proportion of cancelled  or abandoned fixtures, but despite this the two teams captained by J. F. Rust and W. Coles again finished the season well on the " plus side". As in the previous season E. McDonnell gained a further three caps. 

It was during this season that the Club made its first appearance at the Bournemouth Easter Festival.  Although not doing too well it nevertheless paved the way for many future enjoyable visits by members. 

The story during the next two seasons is one of continued success.  In 1928-9 the First XI captained by W. E. Jones won seventeen and drew five out of twenty-four games played and the Second XI under D. T. Williams won fifteen and drew two out of eighteen games.  E. McDonnell yet again received three caps whilst A. T. Cutter was also honoured twice.  A second visit to Bournemouth proved more successful than the first and five games out of six were won. 

The section entered the next decade on the same continuing high note.  The first team led by A. J. Bateman lost only four games out of twenty-four whilst the second eleven captained by K. Fulton remained unbeaten for the first time since the war.  They won twenty out of twenty-one games, drawing the odd one.  Equally impressive was the fact that they scored 122 goals (almost six per match) with J. F. Rust's personal tally amounting to forty, a. tremendous achievement. 

In addition to this playing success it was also a year to remember for C. F. Bates, who was elected President of the Welsh Hockey Association, whilst on the playing side A. H. Rocyn Jones was capped three times for Wales. 

The next season the Second XI captained by J. F. Rust unbelievably again remained invincible, winning eighteen and drawing three out of twenty-one games played. 

The first team led by E. C. Dolman also continued in powerful form, losing only two matches out of twenty-six played with four drawn.

The season 1931-2 was not quite so successful judged purely on results and indeed few Clubs could have been expected to maintain the momentum of the previous four or five seasons.  However, the season was notable on several accounts, due in some cases to the success of the immediate past years.  The Club was honoured by having players selected for the National team, A. H. Rocyn Jones gained a further three caps and G. F. C. Coleman one. It is noted in the records that the fixture lists were now much stronger than previously and this season saw the birth of the Third XI, a tribute to the growing popularity of the game in general and the status of the Section in particular. 

The team again returned to the Bournemouth Festival at Easter and won all its five games. One more milestone must be mentioned. The Captain of the Second XI or "A" eleven as it was now termed, was noted as a certain W. S. Hazell, the first time this name appears in the records, but certainly not the last. 

The seasons 1932-3, saw a further increase in playing membership, with the innovation of some matches being played midweek.  During this period the first team was Captained by J. M. Smith followed by Dr. D. N. Rocyn Jones.  D. T. Williams led the third XI, A. T. Cutter was awarded four further caps. Captains of the "A" XI were A. H. Pratt and J. P. Capper whose sons were later to represent the Section. 

The following seasons could be described as quiet with results not as impressive as previous years, but a winter of extremely bad weather seriously disrupted the fixture list.  For example in the 1935-6 season the first eleven captained by A. J. Way had a third of its matches cancelled. A further honour for the section was gained this season with the election of J. E. Dunn as President if the Welsh Hockey Association, again an honour richly deserved. 

The next season saw a slight improvement both as far as results and weather were concerned but the only feature of note was the resignation of J. P. Treloar after eighteen years of excellent service as Hon. Secretary, 

The season 1937-8 could be described as the beginning of an era. For the first time the name of P. H. J. Berthon appears in the records and with the exception of the war years was present until he passed away in 1990. He captained the First XI and they were unbeaten by any Welsh Club and lost only four matches, all in the Bristol area, out of the twenty-seven matches played. 

To cap a successful season, the team were the only Welsh team invited to the Imperial Six-a-side Tournament in Bristol and they duly obliged by winning it, against really first class opposition. 

Not to be kept unnoted, J. P. Treloar crowned a career of service to the game by being elected President of the Welsh Hockey Association. 

The next season was a repeat, with the first team again led by John Berthon maintaining its high standard and losing only four games out of twenty-five. 

At this point what looked like the beginning of a successful era was rudely interrupted by the Second World War.  However, the Section were fortunate to have the use of their ground during hostilities and a group of enthusiasts, for much of the time with a bare eleven players available, performed the invaluable service of continuity by keeping the flag flying, thereby providing a useful spring board for the immediate post-war years. An average of twenty games a season were played, no mean achievement considering the difficulties of the period and the thanks of the Section must go to E. A. Armstrong who acted as Honorary Secretary and captained the side for much of the time.  On many occasions a patrol of Newport High Street was necessary on a Saturday morning, no doubt observed with suspicion by the Local Constabulary. Eyes probed for that person who might once have played the game, to make up the team for the afternoon. At this time it might be of interest to recall the names of the players of this period, the average age of the team in 1944 being thirty-six - R. Harmston. A. Soper, H. Matthews, Very Rev. Ellis Evans, J. Capper, G. Rocyn Jones, W. Burridge, W. Hazell, Ewart Jones, Cyril Honeywell, W. Williams and Eric Armstrong. 

In addition to his administrative work during this time Eric gave long and faithful service on the field. He first played for the Section in 1932 and had an uninterrupted career until he retired in 1967.  In April, 1958 an Argus report on the game in which Stroud were beaten 4-2 records that Eric and Rodney became the first father and son combination to appear together in the first team.

The season 1946-7 saw a return to normality although  the weather did its utmost to take over where the War had left off.   Returning members enabled the Section to start the season with two teams and the third team was re-established before the end of the season. 

During this time John Berthon again resumed the captaincy and was further honoured by being capped for Wales on three occasions, with W. Irving also receiving one cap.  This season also saw "P.H.J.B." resuming as Hon. Secretary a post he held for many years. 

During the following seasons it has to be admitted that judged purely on playing records the period was not of the best. Nevertheless the Section still had its share of proud moments but during this time they were more of a personal nature.  The main point was that the Section was still regularly turning out three teams each week, at this time the only Club in Wales able to do so. 

The season 1947-8 saw the Section make a triumphant return to the Bournemouth Six-a-Side Tournament winning it against strong opposition.  During this season further honours were achieved by J. Berthon and B. Griffiths each of whom were capped a further four times by Wales. W. Howells also played for South Wales. 

The following season J. Berthon gained three more caps whilst Bill Griffiths brought further recognition to the Club by being made Captain of Wales and also attaining one of the ambitions of any hockey player that of being selected to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games. He thus emulated the record of the three members, R. F. Lyne, F. G. Phillips and J. R. Williams who played Hockey in the Olympic Games in 1908-9. 

The season 1949-50 saw Bill Griffiths gain three further caps and in the next season, in a year when bad weather reduced the domestic fixture list, the Section staged its first International match since the War, Wales v Scotland, with Bill being capped on his own home ground, a very great honour and one of which the Club too is very proud. 

The 1951-2 season saw the First XI skippered by another well known local name, J. F. Lovell, having its most successful season since the War. The Third XI led by T. J. Hughes also had its best season ever, losing only two games out of the twenty-two played.  The following season saw John Lovell and Pat Wallace selected to play for South Wales and the Section again staged an lnternational match, this time Wales v England. 

The next milestone for the Section came in the 1955-6 season.  The First XI under the Captaincy of R. Hannah improved slightly after two comparatively poor seasons, whilst the "A" XI led for the third season running by Derek Northwood and the Second XI under Ivor Ravonscroft enjoyed good results each losing only four games in the season. 

M. Savage and W. Powell each represented South Wales but the undoubted high spot came in April when the Section staged Great Britain v. Germany. This match was in fact televised and therefore became the first event to be screened from the Athletic Club.  Another honour for the Club lay in the fact that one of the Umpires on the day was A. T. Cutter, a former player and Captain of the Section.  At this stage one must again mention John Berthon whose untiring efforts and organisation established the venue and success of this fixture. 

The 1956-7 season is best remembered for an " off the field " event.  This occurred in December when the Section held a Dinner at the Club to celebrate Bill Hazell's 65th birthday.  Over one hundred guests attended and Bill was presented with a new stick (hockey not walking).  Bill must rate as the Section's most remarkable member, his fame being later noted in a T.V. programme featuring the oldest active hockey player in the country.  He first played for the Section in 1907 as a lad of seventeen and was playing regularly as recently as 1971. 

The following season saw John Berthon receive further deserved recognition when he was selected as an Umpire for the Ireland v. Scotland International and elected President of the South Wales Hockey Association as well as to the Selection Committee. 

The next two seasons were again uneventful except that in March, 1960 the Section again staged an International, this time Wales v. Ireland. 

The season 1962-3 was again marred by bad weather, the disruptions being reflected in the results. During this season Blair Sessions gained three Welsh caps one of them on his home ground when the Section staged Wales v. Scotland in April. 

The next two seasons progressed in similar vein but then came something of a revival of fortunes.  In 1965-6 the first team captained by V. Jones lost only six matches, and the following season led by P. Dimery had their best season since the war.  They won nineteen games out of twenty-five and were unbeaten by any Welsh side.  This was also the first season of the Welsh Cup and the team reached the final only to be beaten by Swansea after extra time. 

This season also saw Col. Lyne stepping down as Chairman of the Section and John Berthon being elected, a post he held until 1988. 

The successful run continued in the following year under Nigel Williams.  Only five matches were lost and at the end of the season the team were still unbeaten by a Welsh side (the Cup excepted) since November, 1965. 

In March the Section again staged Wales v. Ireland.  During the 1968-9 season the First XI again reached the Final of the Welsh Cup only to be beaten 4-2 this time by old rivals, Cardiff. 

Nigel Williams continued as Captain in 1969-70  with C Gerrard taking over in the succeeding two seasons, but they were just average seasons with no honours of note by any of the three teams. 

In 1972-3 M. Kerr took over the Captaincy and the First XI won 14 of the 33 matches played and lost only seven.  The "A" XI under R. Manby had a wonderful season winning 22 of the 30 matches played and lost on two occasions only. In the 2nd XI League Championship of South Wales they were unbeaten winning 16 of the 17 matches played scoring 57 goals to 8 and had the best record in any League Championship in the British Isles.  Also in this season Alan Padmore, the team's goalkeeper played for Wales. 

Hockey, however, had by now, in line with other amateur sports become much more organised and in addition to the Welsh Cup and the South Wales (Wares Ibrahim) Cup, the Section's first two teams competed in the Welsh League's Divisions  One and Two respectively. 

The first team have never won the 1st Division but had high hopes of being successful in the 1973-4 season. At the halfway stage, captained by E. M. Grace they  lay second, within striking range of the leaders, but it was not unfortunately to be in the end. 

The "A" XI also had an outside chance of success, but they could not quite emulate the 1972-3 season. 

The 1st XI were however, very successful and reached the finals of the South Wales (Wares Ibrahim) Cup and the Welsh Cup. Unfortunately they lost 2-0 in the former but won the Welsh Cup for the first time by beating Swansea University 1-0. an achievement deserving the most sincere congratulations from all members and one upholding the best traditions from the past. Brian Stacey scored the goal well befitting one of the top marksmen in Welsh Hockey. The Cup Final team was: Alan Padmore, Mike Kerr, John Evans, Jim Robinson, Mike Grace (Captain), Steve Cary, Chris Holland, Allah Yar, Brian Stacey, Stuart Lindsay and Alan Rookes.

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