Tom Slater is very much an unsung hero in his role as a tight-head prop at Narberth RFC but the really knowledgeable rugby folk at the Lewis Lloyd Ground would say Tom is very much a key player who in a 12-year stint in the Otter pack has now played 195 times for the club - and would have joined the rare handful of players who reached the magic 200 mark but for a year out with a broken leg.
 
That injury came in the February of the 2015/16 season in a match against Pontypool where he was stretchered off with a damaged ankle but after a short spell in the changing room wanted to get back on - but when he tried to put even a trainer on he knew it wasn't possible.
 
"My mother Vanessa took me to hospital and after an X-ray it was confirmed I had a broken ankle and it was the start of a very frustrating year until the following February but had great support from her and father Jason, the other players, officials and especially supporters at the club."
 
Since then Tom has been back in action, anchoring the scrum and doing his work quietly but efficiently as a key cog in the pack.
 

Junior rugby with Haverfordwest . . . and honours for colleges and with Llanelli

 
It must all seem a long way from his start at Haverfordwest at junior level, where he was the 'biggest and fattest' player and was immediately stuck in the front row.
 
"I played throughout my junior years and then youth with the Blues' team which beat Pembroke at Neyland to win the Griffiths Cup - and I was thrilled that when I studied at Pembrokeshire College I twice played twice for Welsh Colleges against students from England, and also several times for the British Colleges.
 
Tom also played for The Scarlets at under 16s and 18s, and in the latter was part of a team that beat The Ospreys by 37-8 at the Millennium Stadium alongside fellow Otters Steve Martin and Alex Jenkins before having one season with Haverfordwest first team and then moving to Narberth when he was still a teenager.
 
In his first season at the Lewis Lloyd Ground he represented The Scarlets under 25s as they beat the Dragons be 24-22 at Pontypool Park, and to round off a memorable season played in the Pembrokeshire KO Cup as The Otters beat Whitland 22-18 at Pembroke.
 

Never afraid to work hard

 
"We were coached by Jonathan Dodd and Sean Gale but Justin Hughes was the regular player in the tight head position so I had to learn how to play as a loose head to get more game time.
 
"When Justin eventually retired I switched back to the tight head berth and really enjoyed myself since, with one undoubted highlight being voted 'Players' Player of the Year' in 2013 and others being some great wins, like the one in the final match of the season a couple of years ago where we played at home to Ebbw Vale, who had already secured promotion and had a huge crowd of supporters with them, as well as the 'Scrum Five' entourage.
 
"We played really well as a squad to spoil their celebrations in a cracking win and since then a feature of our play under Sean (Gale) and Jonathan (Dodd) has been the way we have succeeded in establishing our play, with second place last season as reward for our improvement."
 
Tom reached the coveted 100 matches for Narberth against Ebbw Vale and also had a great experience from his spell in South Africa on an exchange visit with Steve Martin where they played for Chemspec Jaguars under the guidance of the Natal Sharks Academy.
 

Hugely regards by team-mates, coaching staff and supporters

 
Small wonder then that Tom is held in huge regard by Sean Gale, The Otters director of coaching, who told us,

“Tom Slater has been a cornerstone of our pack alongside the likes of Dan Smith, Steff Phillips and Alex Jenkins and has resisted offers from Llanelli in the past and at the start of this campaign; we can’t do without the steadfastness of these players with Rhys Lane, Nick Gale and Ianto Griffiths, who have played over 100 times.
 
“He is a real battler on the field but a gentleman of sport off it – and long may he continue to be an Otter through and through.”
 
So what of the future for Tom Slater, who is now 31 and using his wealth of experience to good effect as he approaches the 200-game mark.
 
"I could have tried to play at a higher level but have such strong ties with The Otters that I hope to stay with them for as long as possible and am looking forward to my special cap for 200 games - and lots more if I can steer clear of injury because I am still relatively young for an experienced prop!"
 
**Written by Bill Carne, with specialist help from Narberth RFC’s outstanding historian, Ken Mathias.