Sporting Stars Visiting Pembrokeshire’ Feature:

 
 

Graham Price MBE - a ‘Pooler’ and Lions’ Legend

 


Graham Price was rightly regarded as one of the best props that ever played for Wales and was remembered in song by Max Boyce in his epic “Pontypool Front Row’ poem/song, alongside Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner as his club and Wales front-row team-mates.
 
‘Pricey’ travelled the rugby world with the British Lions, where he was the most-capped prop forward as he went on tours to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
 

‘Pricey’ holidayed in Broad Haven – and was a regular at Mostyn’s epic ‘Lions’ Legends’ evenings

 
What might not be quite so well-known, however, was the fact that he had a holiday home in Broadhaven where he and his wife used to renew a long-time rugby friendship with Mostyn Davies, who owns the Ocean Bar and Restaurant with his lovely wife Kay, and who played in the feared Pontypool pack coached by Ray Prosser and which swept all in its path.
 
Thus it was, whenever Mostyn held his ‘Lions’ Legends’ evenings, traditionally when The British Lions were due to play aboard, he could always rely on Graham, and another former Pontypool and Wales’ star in the late Eddie Butler, to be two of the main speakers, with me as the humble host and large sums raised for ‘The Pembrokeshire Friends of Prostate Cymru’.
 

Popular stories worth a second hearing

 
‘Pricey’ always used his experiences on the tours to captivate the audience, traditionally packed in like sardines, and what if some of the tales were repeated on every visit, they were still worth listening to.
 
My particular favourite was the one about either Charlie Faulkner or Bobby Windsor (it didn’t matter which one) about going down to breakfast in New Zealand and asking for a couple of bacon rolls.  When he was told they didn’t do bacon, Charlie/Bobby allegedly uttered the immortal words,
F*****g hell love, you have 10 million sheep in your country and you can’t let me have any bacon!”
 

Great nights that were a credit to Mostyn and his rugby pals

 
I suspect Mr Price was playing on the tradition that front rowers weren’t very bright - but it worked as he proved it wasn’t true of all props or hookers because he was very erudite indeed, and his telling tales about colleagues, especially those from England, held the audiences spellbound!
 
Such was the popularity of the event, which as well as the great Eddie Butler, included other star names in Clive Rowlands (a born speaker), Mike Ruddock (equally good as a guitarist who could sing songs like ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Crackling Rosie’ with gusto, whilst a local inhabitant in the late, great Peter Morgan was another to feature highly, although his stories were sometimes just a little on the risqué side!
 
David Bishop, Jeremy Pugh, our own Geraint Bowen and Johnny Griffiths, popped up and they were marvelous occasions - and during Covid I managed to avoid the dreaded illness because I was on the one side of the small stage with Mike Ruddock - but ‘Pricey’, Eddie and ‘Morgs’ were all struck down with the virus on the other side!
 

An amazing playing record at the very pinnacle of rugby

 
But one of the best things I liked about Graham Price was his modesty and in speaking to him before, during or after the evenings I was struck by how matter of fact he was, bearing in mind that his record included 41 caps for Wales, 12 Lions Caps, and a massive 567 games for Pontypool, all of them in a time when the game was amateur in Wales.
 
He had made his Welsh debut in 19975, one of six new caps against France at Parc Des Princes, and scored an epic try as he rounded off a 90-metre move that is considered by pundits to be one of the top-four tries ever to be scored by a Welsh player.
 
He helped Wales win ‘Grand Slams’ in 1976 and 1978, and his rightly revered by Welsh fans who recall his immense contribution to our country - and I must admit that every time I acted as MC for those ‘Lions’ Legends’ evenings I always felt a little in awe of him - although he could not have been more friendly and helpful in all that was asked of him during some wonderfully memorable evenings at the Ocean Bar and Restaurant in Broad Haven!