Blaen Bill’s still going strong at Crymych!
Andrew Morris probably has a unique claim to fame in local rugby and that is the fact that since the formation of the National Leagues he has played in every section from Division One (West) to Division Seven (West) during his long stints with Narberth and Crymych.
Known to all as ‘Blaen Bill’, after the family farm of that name near Llandissilio, Andrew is now 40 years young but work on the farm keeps him fit and he readily admits that he is not the best watcher of a game so he still turns out.
Had intended retiring
He had intended retiring before last season but he was roped in to play when he turned up to watch the opening match, and finished up the campaign as ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ at the annual dinner!
“Not bad for an old-timer,” he says with a chuckle!
Not content with that achievement, Andrew was also chosen as man of the match on two consecutive occasions, one of them the local derby against Cardigan, which gave him a lot of pleasure. The other opponents he can’t remember but says the fact that he won it might be something to do with the fact that the sponsors were from Llandissilio!
Started out as a Junior Otter - and was roped in for young farmers
He started out in the game at Narberth playing as flanker for the under 16 team under Bobby Simons and then playing for the youth team coached by Rob ‘Basher’ Lewis – and made his first team debut for the Otters alongside great club players like Dai Perkins, Dai and Glyn Jones, plus Simon Perkins, who all looked after him up front. Then there was Geraint Bowen, Adrian and Andrew Young behind the scrum, with Geraint Bowen and Richard ‘Stag’ Jones always available to give sound advice to a youngster at that time, when the likes of Nigel Bevan and Randal Evans were also getting into the side.
He also enjoyed the hard work of tug-of-war with Clunderwen Young Farmers and in his six-year spell they reached the finals at the Royal Welsh Show.
Senior success
Ask others about Andrew’s talents on the pitch and they would comment on his speed, his ability to get to the break-down quickly and his big tackling for a relatively small feller, all of which secured him a place in the first team at an exciting time where The Otters won the local league and KO Cup double at the expense of Tenby and he played during a period where they were eventually successful in Divisions Three, Two and One (West).
He stayed at the Lewis Lloyd Ground until he was 32 and also had a spell with the second XV which included real characters like Huw Howells, who was a great help, Aubrey Young, Steve Bowen, Rob and Gary Nicholas, Bruce Evans and Emyr ‘Trehws’ Davies. He made something of an impact there, too, because for three consecutive seasons he was chosen as ‘Supporters’ Player of the Year’.
Fresh start at Crymych
Andrew had more or less decided that it was time to finish playing but he is good pals with Adrian Howells, the enthusiastic team manager at Crymych, who kept nagging him about having a few games at Parc Lloyd Thomas. Andrew eventually got fed up of refusing and so he started playing for Crymych and now, eight years on, he is still playing as well as ever. He has said that he really has stepped down for this season but it is a fair bet that if the call comes from Crymych then he is not going to say no!
When he started out at Crymych they were coached by Glyndwr Richards and Robin Davies, and he settled in straight away at his new club, for whom he played in Division Seven (West) and helped them gain promotion to Division Six (West) – and when the leagues were redefined they moved up to Division Five (West). The Preseli Men duly won that section and also gained promotion to Division Three (West), where they only just missed out on promotion, coming third with Elgan Vittle and Lyn Williams as good coaches.
KO Cup and tries galore
Andrew and Co at Crymych have also reached the KO Cup twice on the trot, the first when they lost narrowly against Pembroke Dock Quins at Whitland and the following season when they went down heavily to Whitland at Haverfordwest.
“We had our chances against the Quins,” says Andrew, “but it was hard going against Whitland because they were so strong up front.”
Ask him about opponents he enjoyed playing against and it was two Borderers who immediately sprung to mind from the local derbies during his time at Narberth.
“Phil Morgan and Paul Jenkins were masters at winning ball on the ground and I enjoyed some great tussles against them. ‘Jenks’ eventually came to join us at Crymych and he was a great team mate because I could see his skills at even closer hands. They were both terrific grafters who did so much in winning the ball for Whitland wherever they played.”
Andrew certainly wouldn’t highlight his very similar ability but there is no doubt that his support play and commitment are unquestionable, as he proved with four tries in one match against Llanybydder, plus a hat-trick at Tycroes a couple of seasons ago. He grabbed another five tries last season, playing alongside younger back row players like Richard Llewellyn, Mark Oakman and Cennydd ‘Kenco’ James, who is the joker in the team.
Family matters
Ask Andrew about family and he would unhesitatingly say that his wife Jennifer has been his best supporter and she is also from a sporting family since her brother, Ritchie Adams, plays football and cricket for Narberth. They have daughters in Emma (12) and Jess (8), with Emma already involved in netball.
And finally . . .
Whether he plays this season or not he will still be involved at Crymych because he joined the committee two years ago.
“Now that’s a sign of old age,” says Andrew with a smile, “but it’s a way I can contribute because I could never have the patience to be a coach. Crymych have been good to me and I have really enjoyed my involvement there.”
That’s always nice to hear from a player but the admiration is mutual because one only has to talk to anyone at Crymych and they will say that having Andrew ‘Blaen Bill’ Morris at the club for almost a decade has been a real plus for them in their excellent development.
