Bruce says ‘hello’ from France
My first sporting memories are from North Road Boys School, now sadly demolished. At that time football was my sport and under the teaching of Jeff Davies and Thomas I became captain of the football team, and I recall scoring a goal from almost half way against Barn Street – it was probably about 30 yards! I did play for the school at rugby, under the watchful eye of Ray Palmer, then a young teacher but now recently retired as the county’s primary schools’ advisor. We won a county competition at The Observatory Ground in 1976 (I last played there for Milford in 2006), and in our team were Chris Thomas (Brock) who went on to have trials at under16 level, Paul Lewis (who won Junior Super Stars four years later), and Kevin Milich, who went on to captain the Mariners and is now a football referee.
Taught by ‘Charlo’ and football capers
At Milford Grammar School I came under the wing of Martin Charles, who was known to all as 'Charlo’. Football was not an option in the golden era of Welsh rugby and in the late 70’s and early 80’s the school was a hotbed of rugby. I played for the 1st XV and the county schools’ team alongside players such as Kevin Walsh of Fishguard, Rowland Phillips of St. Davids, Chris Evans of Tenby, Kevin Morgan of Haverfordwest and Texas Jones and Andrew Prettyman from Milford Haven.
During my school days I continued to play football, first at Hakin United, then for Milford Athletic, and again for Hakin at youth level. I carried on playing football after I left school for The Quarterdeck (at the old Esso club), and in friendlies for Milford Rugby Club. In one match, around 1985, we beat Hakin FC! My last football matches in Pembrokeshire were for Camrose in 2002 when I played versus Hakin United and Milford United. Not bad at the age of 37!
Tennis was tops
But my main sport then was tennis. I was introduced to the game by Mike Lee at the old Pill courts, which were run by his parents, and then enjoyed winter coaching at the new Sir Thomas Picton sports hall from Dave Banner and Brian Hearne. I won the junior tournaments at Milford and Haverfordwest Tennis Clubs fairly regularly and used to play in summer tournaments at Cardiff and Langland Bay, Swansea. In 1981 I reached the last eight in the Junior Welsh tennis finals. With my partner, Darrell Scourfield, we won the Dora Lewis senior schools doubles tournament for three out of four years, the only defeat coming against a certain Danny Spurr and his partner. Our main opponents were from the Haverfordwest schools in the form of Nigel Hearne and Chris Scarrett, Carl Evans and Paul Meyor.
I played my first Pembrokeshire Men’s Final in 1986 at the age of 21 and lost to perhaps the best player to come out of Pembrokeshire, Chris Perse. I had beaten Danny Spurr in the semi final but it was Danny who went on to win a record number of titles. On my return home in the 90’s I lost two semi finals to him. But the club team of this era with Danny, myself, Nigel Hearne and Quentin Fitzsimmons, backed up by Brian Hearne and David Banner, was perhaps the strongest of the modern era. I won my second title in 1995, beating Nigel, and defeated Danny in the 1998 final and a youngster from Pembroke Dock in 1999. I then had a five year break before returning to win the title again in 2004, defeating former pupil Richard Price in the semi final, and in 2005 against a young but very talented Tom Richards.
Back to rugby
But by the time of my last year in school, rugby was becoming a bigger part of my life. I was playing regularly for my school and for Milford Youth under Danny Howells and Brian Rees, whom I was pleased to present with an award at the Milford Rugby Club dinner in 2006. I’m glad he received it because, sadly, he passed away not long afterwards. I made my debut for Milford 1st XV a week before I went away to university. It was against The Quins and I remember playing full back and allowing an up and under to bounce because a certain Ossie Boswell was heading for me!! The Milford coach that day was Paul Fletcher, one of the team who’d played in the famous cup match versus Ebbw Vale. One of the try scorers for Milford in a 26 – 6 victory was ‘Noddy’ Norman, and another youngster in the team that day was Mackie McClelland, the current Milford manager.
University Days
I was away from Milford for nine years during which time I played at Twickenham in the 1986 Universities Final, against a Loughborough team containing Andy Robinson, for Chester RFC, Sutton & Epsom RFC in London, Bedford Athletic, and Bedford College RL team in the College Rugby League final at Crystal Palace versus UWIC. I even played for London Students Rugby League versus a Russian under 23 team. I had studied law at university and became a solicitor in London, but I changed direction in 1991 and took a teacher training degree in PE at Bedford College, the same college that my sister, Rachael Thomas, went to.
Back to God’s Country
But in 1992 I returned to Pembrokeshire to take up a position at Tasker Milward School, an institution that became a large part of my life for the next 14 years. Initially, I played for my home club, Milford, but I then decided to give it a go at Narberth, where I spent the best part of the next seven seasons. At the time they were second in the old division two and the training was as intense and competitive as anything I had come across. To play at this level, alongside the like of Domenico Setaro, Colin Phillips, Steve ‘Bopper’ Pearce, Phil Stoddart, Randall Evans, Dai Jones and a young Simon Davies was a privilege. I’ll never forget one comment from ‘Bopper’ when he was trying to close down a game and a win against South Wales Police, and I was running everything from fullback with Dominic’s encouragement. “It’s like playing with bloody Fijians with you and Dominic.” What a great compliment!
I played quite a few games for Narberth 1st XV and benched even more. But I played a lot of matches for Narberth 2nd XV, perhaps my favourite club. At times we would have been a match for many Pembrokeshire 1st XV’s, with a backs such as Ritchie Morris, Rob and Gary Nicholas, Andrew Phillips, myself and Andrew Young, and Aubrey Young, Steve Bowen, Andrew Morris, and Ieuan Matthews among the forwards. Steve Bowen was playing for the team put together by my brother and I, Zimbabwe Welsh, when we won the Newport Sevens in 1995, along with my cousin Craig Moir, Mark Wysocki and Simon Davies.
County honours
I made my debut for the senior county in 1991 and considered it a great honour to represent Pembrokeshire throughout the 90’s. One match away against Monmouthshire in Newbridge stands out as I gave a hospital pass to Phil Stoddart, a young Dean Hadley covered every blade of grass from his best position in the back row, and Phil Sutton controlled matters from outside half. Then in 1999 we reached the Counties Final which we played at Cardigan against Cardiganshire (so much for neutral venues!). We lost but I scored a try and we had an enjoyable celebration dinner for players and partners at the Cleddau Bridge Hotel a month later, at which a certain Bill Carne made the main speech, and I received my county colours.
Other testimonial matches I was proud to play in were those for Nigel Gough at The Obs in 1993, and for Keith Fleming, both about the same time. That season I also played for Haverfordwest against Wales in a warm up game at Tenby, intercepted a pass from Stephen Jones and decided to pass rather than take on Scott Gibbs. I played three seasons at Haverfordwest and enjoyed playing under Gelly James, who had coached me for the County Schools nearly twenty years earlier, and alongside players such as Andrew Thicker, whom I had first played against for Milford in 1988, Richard Brazell and Matthew Kelly, and some of my former Taskers pupils.
Coaching in school
But by now my main focus was coaching in Tasker Milward School, where I taught alongside Huw Jones (better known as ‘Huw Canoe’!) for 15 years. Our basketball, football (with the help of Dave Laugharne and Anthony Wilks) and tennis teams had already enjoyed a lot of success and from 2000 onwards our rugby teams achieved even more. We won our section of the schools’ league five seasons on the trot and our under 16 teams toured South Africa in 2003 and 2006. Perhaps my proudest achievement was when our sevens team, led by Mathew Davies, reached the last eight of the National Rosslyn Park Sevens in 2004, the first Pembrokeshire team to do so. It gives me great pleasure to see the names of my former students in the sports news, whether playing rugby, football, netball or hockey.
Back to The Obs
In 2004 I returned to The Observatory to coach my home team, initially with my former Narberth team mate, Phil Stoddart, and then alongside Dean Hadley. Of course I ended up playing, sometimes with the sons of players I had played alongside 20 years earlier, in particular Mark Wonnacott, the son of Kenny Wonnacott, a great servant of the club through three decades. In my second, and last, season there we finished fourth in the league and did the double over Cardigan and Crymych, and beat Neyland and Pembroke at home. My last Pembrokeshire game was against Crymych away; we just clung on for a win, nearly 23 years after my debut for Milford. I might play for them again if Mackie will pick me on one of my visits home! It really is good to see the Mariners doing well under his guidance.
Off to pastures new
In the summer of 2006 I left Taskers and Milford Haven behind and set off for a new life in France with my French wife, Christine, and my two young boys, Mathieu and Guillaume. We live in a rural region called Charente between Angouleme and Bordeaux. I am playing for a veteran’s team in Bordeaux and enjoying the rugby once a month or so – and the food is a step up from sausage and beans! But my main sport now is tennis. I have improved my rating three times already since starting again two years ago, and play at 15.4. The standard is very good and I play No.1 for my local club in our league fixtures and play three or four tournaments a year. I reached the final of the over 35’s in my last tournament, and I’m looking forward to my 45th birthday so that I can play in the over 45’s. I’m also hoping to represent my region, Poitou Charentes in the national veteran’s league. And this week I am taking a school rugby tour to Dubai for a week and I’m being paid for it!
We run holiday homes in France and I have had a tennis court built so that I can specialise in tennis breaks and coaching. But I am also working as the rugby director of a sports tours company, which specialises in cricket tours, but which just took its first school rugby tour to Dubai, in the form of Reigate Grammar School, and I am hoping to go out again in January with Hull KR professional RL squad for their pre season training! I think they’re looking for some tackling expertise!
Still keeps in touch back home
Of course I follow the results from back home, particularly those of Milford, Haverfordwest and Narberth, and pembrokeshiresport.co.uk is the place I now look, whilst my sister, Rachael Thomas, the Head Of PE in Ysgol Dewi Sant, keeps me in touch with what’s going on in school sport.
Final tribute
Undoubtedly the best “people” coaches I played under, and often those who had faith in my unorthodox play were Bobby Simmons at Narberth and Gelly James at Haverfordwest, and, surprisingly, Brian “Ginger” Davies at Milford in the mid 80’s. I would also pay a big tribute to Brian Hearne who has put so much, along with Sue Jones, into junior tennis.
I hope I haven’t taken too much of your time to read this. Actually, it would have been a lot longer if I’d had time but I’m off to Dubai now with Reigate Grammar School!
