St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future

JY132

Jersey

CIC

Owain Bale

1967-1968

Jersey, Boys' Club of Wales, red with white collar. B.C.W. badge on left breast. White No 15 on back.

This is a Boys' Club of Wales (B.C.W.) international jersey v England in 1968. It was worn by Owain Bale, who attended B.C.W. at Ynysmeudwy near Pontardawe as a youth. The badge has the words "International Rugby" and the B.C.W. initials and Welsh dragon. It was the last time the words "International Rugby" appeared on the jersey. Owain was capped twice for B.C.W. that year. He had joined the Swansea Youth in 1967 and progressed to the Swansea Athletic team at St Helen's in August 1968. The Boys' Club of Wales was initiated in 1922 by Captain J Glynn-Jones and David (later lord Davies of Llandinam) Davies. The objective was to provide healthy outdoor exercise for young boys in the mining areas of South Wales where such opportunities were scarce. Initially just a boys club, it later incorporated a girls section and became the Boys' and Girls' Club of Wales. The first club was opened in Treharris in 1922, soon to be followed by clubs in Nantymoel, Ton Pendre & Gelli, Treorchy, Wattstown and Nine Mile Point. B.C.W. member Owain was a promising outside-half and played a season for the Athletic, but left to attend Training College at Wrexham and played for the Wrexham RFC and also played for Denbighshire and North Wales between 1969 and 1978. Owain kindly presented this jersey to the collection in September 2022.

boys club of wales, swansea youth, swansea athletic, owain bale, ynysmeudwy,