Sport In Profile UK Issue 01 | Page 57

CAERPHILLY CAERPHILLY Based at Virginia Park in Caerphilly, Caerphilly RFC currently competes in Division 2 East of the SWALEC Leagues. They are led by the team of President Rhys Ryland and Chairman Phil Emanuel and have made a considerable amount of progress under their guidance. The first record of the club being established came on the 26th of August 1887 when The Monmouthshire Merlin reported that, “… on Wednesday evening, at a well-attended meeting at the ‘Castle Hotel’, for the purpose of establishing a rugby football club at Caerphilly, a strong committee was formed. Their first fixture came on the 24th October when they managed to defeat St Andrews from Cardiff. The set-up gathered pace quickly as they established a 2nd team by Christmas of their first year and their 1st team had played at the Arms Park and claimed a no score draw against Cardiff. A lot of time has passed since Caerphilly was first established and they have certainly come a long way. Last season their first team put together a solid campaign, compiling a record of 9 wins, a draw and 12 defeats from 22 matches. This saw them finish in a safe mid-table position with 49 points on the board. They have put a lot of effort into making sure that they are well prepared for the new campaign as they look to push on. As long as they are able to retain their current group of players and perhaps make one or two quality additions they should be in for a successful season. Their first match ended in defeat as they went down by 18-13 against Brynmawr however there were plenty of positives to be taken. Caerphilly is not a club to focus solely upon their senior section however and they also have a youth set-up which is the envy of many. This part of the set-up looks to provide young players from the local area with an opportunity to play the game in a safe and enjoyable environment whilst helping them to reach their full potential. This should mean that they are able to rely