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12 March 2024 / Club News

Next Trebanos

Development of the game at Trebanos can be traced back to 1897, first matches being played on Gwarch-y-Llwynau field, now a housing estate. Later they moved across the Swansea road via the old Sewerage field to their present ground, the Park, first leased in 1946. In the twenties the Club had almost permanent ownership of the Swansea and District Cup and Championship. In the Thirties came the celebrated ex-schoolboys side Trebanos Barbarians, who placed the accent on attacking football. In 1936, a controversy arose between Pontardawe and Trebanos when four members of Trebanos’ brilliant back division defected to play their rugby at Pontardawe, Danny Bowen, Arthur Kift, Mandy Kelly and WT Jones. It was many years before the quartet were forgiven. Disbanded during the Second World War and re-formed in 1945, the chairman Tom Jones, Secretary GB Williams and Treasurer Stan John (plus Dai Gibbs) made house to house collections in the village for clothing coupons so that a new rugby kit could be purchased. In 1948 season Trebanos played three recognised Northern first class clubs, Percy Park, West Ho and Durham City, the committee realising the way forward was playing organised competitive rugby. Subsequently great efforts were made, aided by officials from Ystalyfera, to gain WRU recognition, this being achieved in 1949. The same year Trebanos entered the West Wales Championship, with Mervyn Morgan now the Secretary. In 1952 our visitors made research into the origin of the name ‘Trebanos’, accepting a derivation from Tref-bran-y-nos. A Club crest was thus designed with two crows, the date 1897, and the motto <Chwarae Gorau, Chwarae Teg>

Early meetings between Trebanos and Ystalyfera tended to favour the more senior side, ‘Fera gaining two League ‘doubles’ before 1960. However, fortunes changed abruptly during the Ystalyfera ‘nightmare’ years in the sixties, when Trebanos gained four consecutive league ‘doubles’ in succession. The much improved Ystalyfera side of the seventies then partly re-dressed the balance, gaining a ‘double’ in season 1974-75. Both Clubs being founder members of Section ‘D’, Trebanos won their first Championship in 1987-88, and in the last ever season of West Wales, finished second in Section ‘C’, their best achievement, winning the ‘Eurof Davies’ most league points (518), and most Trys (69). Founder members of Division 7 West in 1994, Trebanos steadily raised themselves up to Division Three in 2003-04, this record being beaten after three consecutive promotions between 2010 and 2013. In 2013-14 a 4th place in Division Two saw them lifted into the new Division One West Central, followed by a Championship and West Wales Cup ‘double’ in 2016-17. Trebanos have been a constant presence in the Championship since then, winning the first ever Championship Plate competition - beating 4th place Bedwas 23-21 in a close 2021-22 final. Ystalyfera suffered an eight-match losing run versus Trebanos between 2016 and 2023, when Ystalyfera won a 12-0 League fixture at Ynysydarren.

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