99 replies to this topic

[bowes]

Does anyone know anything about the old Welsh league from the early 90s to 1995, only found out about it today (though makes sense). I know Aberavon played in the MASWARLA at some point so presume they were one of the clubs.

1995 seems to have been a bad year for expansion leagues as the Midlands & South West League, and the Eastern Counties Leagues folded that year as well presumably because of RU opening up.

[Northern Sol]

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Edited by Northern Sol, 05 March 2011 - 08:15 PM.

[Northern Sol]

I know Aberavon played in the MASWARLA at some point so presume they were one of the clubs.

Aberavon played in the MASWARLA in the early '80s.

[bowes]

Aberavon played in the MASWARLA in the early '80s.

Can't have been early 80s as the MASWARLA got founded in 1985 and didn't include Aberavon in the first year. Think they may have actually played in the Lindon League (then Southern League) at one point!

Edited by bowes, 05 March 2011 - 08:31 PM.

[Northern Sol]

Can't have been early 80s as the MASWARLA got founded in 1985 and didn't include Aberavon in the first year. Think they may have actually played in the Lindon League (then Southern League) at one point!

http://www.walesrugbyleague.co.uk/cymru/history-of-welsh-clubs.html

Look at the Community Clubs section.

In the early 1980s an Aberavon club played in the Midlands and South West Amateur Rugby League Association (MASWRLA) and this led to a small Welsh league being formed in the early 1990s that lasted until 1995.

Edited by Northern Sol, 05 March 2011 - 08:50 PM.

[bowes]

http://www.walesrugbyleague.co.uk/cymru/history-of-welsh-clubs.html

Look at the Community Clubs section.

In the early 1980s an Aberavon club played in the Midlands and South West Amateur Rugby League Association (MASWRLA) and this led to a small Welsh league being formed in the early 1990s that lasted until 1995.

They've clearly got a different definition of early to the rest of us, they can't have played in it before 1986, they have have played in the Southern League til then or something. Logically this makes more sense for forming a 1990s league anyway.

Unfortunately the Plymouth website collapsed as they had this sort of information on

[bowes]

http://www.totalrl.c...tenham plymouth

In 1984-85 was just a South West league, 1985-86 expanded to a MASWARLA with no Aberavon yet

[bowes]

Cardiff Sea Eagles is the only name I can find from it

[Silvia Saint]

On a related note - looks like two new clubs setting up in north Wales.

This week's League Express mentioned Prestatyn Panthers (some of the old North Wales Coasters lads I believe) and Conwy Celts will be playing out of Colwyn Bay RUFC too.

You're slipping bowes!

[Marauder]

Does anyone know anything about the old Welsh league from the early 90s to 1995, only found out about it today (though makes sense). I know Aberavon played in the MASWARLA at some point so presume they were one of the clubs.

1995 seems to have been a bad year for expansion leagues as the Midlands & South West League, and the Eastern Counties Leagues folded that year as well presumably because of RU opening up.

85 – 86
Aberavon
Cardiff Uni
Cardiff S.T.A.R.
Cardiff Amateurs
Maesteg
Swansea Uni
South Glamorgan I.H.E.
Tonyrefall Privateers

86 – 87
Aberavon
Cardiff
Channel View
South Glamorgan IHE
Tonyrefail
U.C. Cardiff
U.C. Swansea

87 – 88
Aberavon
Cardiff
Channel View
South Glamorgan IHE
Tonyrefail
U.C. Cardiff
U.C. Swansea

88 – 89
Aberavon
Cardiff
Channel View
South Glamorgan IHE
Tonyrefail
U.C. Cardiff
U.C. Swansea

89 – 90
Aberavon
Cardiff
Channel View
South Glamorgan IHE
Tonyrefail
U.C. Cardiff
U.C. Swansea

91 – 92 & 92 - 93
Aberavon
South Glamorgan I.H.E
U.C.Swansea

[Methven Hornet]

Cardiffe STAR played at the STAR (leisure) Centre in Splott. Splott would have made a fine name for a rugby league side!

Edited by Methven Hornet, 22 April 2011 - 12:30 PM.

[bowes]

This week's League Express mentioned Prestatyn Panthers (some of the old North Wales Coasters lads I believe) and Conwy Celts will be playing out of Colwyn Bay RUFC too.

You're slipping bowes!

Not on sale down here. But good news hope they can sort a league out. Are Penrhyn Eagles carrying on?

Conwy Celts were in the 9s last year of course but glad they're starting properly

Edited by bowes, 22 April 2011 - 06:55 AM.

[bowes]

Thanks for that Marauder, it looks to have been stable for a few seasons then things went badly wrong in 1990.

On a related note if you've got those yearbooks handy can you say the teams from the MASWARLA seasons, both divisions where there were 2 please.

[Mike S]

What information I have is taken from Tries in the Valleys and is slightly contradictory but Swansea university started in 1979 with friendlies against Reading and Oxford and reached the university semi finals a couple of times and the final in 1983

Aberavon were formed in August 1982 and played friendlies in that year against Irlam, Peckham and on an annual basis against Underbank

They then joined the Southern League for two years 82/3 or 83/4? and this then became the London League. For the following year they joined MASWARLA and appear to have played in both this and the Welsh League for 83/4 which comprised Cardiff teams!, Maesteg, South Glamorgan Institute and Cardiff and Swansea Universities

A mention is made of a team in Porth

I accept the dates do not actually tie up

[thirteenthman]

Interesting thread. I've got a few old copies of Open Rugby, and 2 of them mention MASWARLA. December 1989 the MASWARLA South West Division was -
Plymouth Tamarside
Aberavon
Bath
Gloucester
Endsleigh Cheltenham
Swindon Bulldogs
Bristol
Dursley

The article mentions MASWARLA probably being dissolved and split into seperate bodies for the 2 regions. There's also mention of the Mansfield & Notts League MANARLA and the formation of an Eastern Counties League.

The September 1992 edition reported that MASWARLA had been dissolved during that summer. The Mercia ARLA was set up in the Midlands comprising
Birmingham
Coventry Students
Crewe
Redditch
West Mids Police
Wolverhampton

There's also an article about a lad from Bristol who'd just signed for Oldham. The irony being that MASWARLA has just finished and the teams in the South West were no longer playing.

[bowes]

Birmingham and I believe Crewe ended up in the East Midlands League at some point. They did rejoin the regional divisions I think initially split division 1 and 2, though at some point Stoke won it (1990-91 or 1991-2 I think) and were going to go pro for the 1992-93 season but seem to have folded not long after. The demise of the South West teams appears quick but was the same story elsewhere.

Not sure what the Mansfield and Nottinghamshire league was, though perhaps a feeder league to the East Midlands League?

I'm led to believe there was a Staffordshire League in the 1980s which I'm guessing is where Crewe and Stoke came from but I can't find anything about it (one of these days I really need to look at those BARLA yearbooks) though it's on my list of things to research.

The first MASWARLA division was 1985-86 with:
Birmingham Polytechnic
Wolverhampton
Worcester
Redditch Halcyon
Gloucester
Cheltenham
Cheltenham Trinity
Bath
Bristol
Wokingham
Plymouth

In 1984-85 there had been a SW league:
Gloucester
Cheltenham
Cheltenham Trinity
Bristol
Bath

There used to be stuff on the Plymouth website but unfortunately it crashed. They also at various times had a Plymouth league (4 clubs) and a Devon league (two Plymouth clubs plus Exeter), the former being when Plymouth dropped out of MASWARLA from the travelling and the latter when the MASWARLA had folded.

EMARLA was founded in 1986 mostly from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire clubs from the West Yorkshire Sunday League but also Leicester (their first season) and universities.

I think the Eastern Counties League lasted 2-3 seasons and only ever had about 5 clubs but was scrapped when they regionalised London League division 2 and absorbed some sides there (that was when Felixstowe Eastern joined and became Ipswich Rhinos).

The last EMARLA was 1998-99 and included 5 teams: Birmingham Bulls, Toyota-Ilkeston (their only season), Derby City (last winners), Nottingham Crusaders 'A' and Garibaldi 'A'

Edited by bowes, 22 April 2011 - 06:57 PM.

[thirteenthman]

Birmingham and I believe Crewe ended up in the East Midlands League at some point. They did rejoin the regional divisions I think initially split division 1 and 2, though at some point Stoke won it (1990-91 or 1991-2 I think) and were going to go pro for the 1992-93 season but seem to have folded not long after. The demise of the South West teams appears quick but was the same story elsewhere.

I'm originally from Crewe so I do vaguely remember reading about the Crewe side back in the MASWARLA days, although it was before I really got into the game. It does ring a bell about them being in the East Midlands at some point, although I don't think it lasted long as they drifted away before reforming when the RLC started late 90s.

Remember well Stoke applying to join the pro ranks - around the same time Scarbrough Pirates came in? I don't think it got much further than the initial enquiry though - not even sure where they would've played. Strange how a team has never resurfaced in the Stoke/North Staffs area.

Edited by thirteenthman, 22 April 2011 - 07:03 PM.

[bowes]

Turns out the Devon leagues were all after MASWARLA. 1993-94 they had a league of West Park Warriors, Stonehouse Saints, Devonport Pirates and St Budeaux Bulldogs. Not sure when the Devon league was, I thought it was after the Plymouth league but guess it could have been during the MASWARLA era.

[bowes]

oh yeah there was meant to be North Staffordshire (based in Stone) in the merit league last year but it never materialised

[Janner]

Plymouth now have a pitchero site. The history page is
here http://www.pitchero....story-9330.html
The Devon League was in 1991, the Plymouth and District League 1993/4.