This year, once more, bowlers from various clubs have been battling through several rounds on many different Greens to compete in the Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours to reach the Annual West Glamorgan County Finals held at Brynhyfryd Bowls Club, Neath. The Semi-Finals were held on Thursday 11 July and the Finals on Friday 12 July 2024.

Resolven Bowls Club were represented in as many as five of the tournament sections this year.

The Resolven fours were through from the early rounds to the Semi-Final where they put up a good fight against the Briton Ferry Steel Bowls Club four.

In the Under 25 tournament, 16 year old Regan Ace played an excellent Semi-Final game against Matthew Thorne, Briton Ferry Steel Combine BC to get through to the Final the following day.

A little later Regan joined his Father, Simon in the Open Pairs against J Flynn and E Thomas, Pontrhydyfen.

In his first full season of playing lawn bowls with Resolven Bowls Club, Regan was outstanding and his experienced opposite number, Jamie Flynn later commented that he “had no chance against him”. The photo’ shows Regan’s bowls on one end during the game. Needless to say that Simon and Regan Ace were successful in their bid to get into the final.

It was a busy day on the Brynhyfryd green for Resolven Bowls Club members because Andrew Hopkins and Stephen Allen were also successful in their pairs match against Mike Brain and Rhys Colwill, Briton Ferry Steel Combine BC. Which meant that the Pairs final would be an all Resolven game.

Stephen also won his Open Singles Semi-Final match against Geoff Mellor, Skewen to also play in Friday’s Open Singles Final.

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Friday – Finals Day

In the U25 County Singles final Regan gave another great display against a high quality opponent, Rhys Colwill, Briton Ferry Steel Combine. Final score 16 – 21. Rhys Colwill and the County runner-up Regan will be competing in the Welsh Championship at Llandrindod Wells between 9 and 19 August 2024.

From April at the start of the outdoor bowls 2024 season individual West Glamorgan clubs have also been playing what is called a Double 4’s tournament. Two teams of four players play against a club with one team playing home and one team away. No communication is to be made between the teams until all the ends have been completed. In this tournament Resolven Bowls Club (RBC) have been successful many times. The final of this Double 4’s is played on the one bowling green at the end of the last day of the County Finals.

This year RBC played Dunvant BC in the final.

After18 ends of play Resolven beat Dunvant BC by 15 shots to become 2024 County Double 4’s Champions.

Back Row Lt to Rt: Steven Gall, Shaun Kelly, Aeron Humphries, Nigel Davies

Front Row: Martin Addis, Tony Gregg, Lionel Stock, Simon Williams

The Final of the Open Pairs between Regan Ace, Simon Ace and Andrew Hopkins, Stephen Allen was being played at the same time as the Double 4’s therefore Resolven BC had 12 bowlers on the Brynhyfryd green simultaneously.

Lt: Stephen and Regan with Tony Gregg and Simon Williams, part of the Double 4’s in the background, on the adjacent rink.

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After 18 ends and an excellent match Stephen and Andrew become the 2024 WGCBA Champions and they will be playing in the Welsh Championship Finals at Llandrindod Wells as will the runners up, Simon and Regan.

A little earlier Stephen Allen also successfully defended his Open Singles title against Paul Champion, Mount Pleasant BC.

After a tense few minutes and a difficult measure for the Umpire and marker, Paul congratulated Stephen on winning 21 – 15 and again becoming the Open Singles Champion. He is only the 5th player in the history of the West Glamorgan County finals who has retained the Open Singles title.

Congratulations to RBC members for a very successful 2024 West Glamorgan County Bowls Association tournament. It was good to see that Resolven Bowls Club was so well represented in the County Finals at Brynhyfryd.

Resolven BC can be very proud of their achievements so far this year.
Well done to all concerned!

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The Park field before the Parade and crowds arrived

The Parade

And into the Park field everyone goes.

Well done and congratulations to

The Resolven Community Events Group.

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North Pembrokeshire 2

One week after the scorching ‘thirstatholon’ I returned to North Pembrokshire, tent in tow and optimism (maybe slightly delusional) in overdrive. Sunshine was promised, so I’d conquer two days and a glorious night under the stars. Strumble Head greeted me with its flashing lighthouse and cliff top views, then it was on to Fishguard, its ferry groaning so loud even the seagulls flee in terror.

Stena Europe – its last month of service.

Just along the coast is the old harbour, full of character. An ancient castle whispered tales of battles past, then the path ushered me… into a caravan park. Don’t judge, they’re labyrinths, especially after several wrong turns fueled by a daydream of scoops and sprinkles.

Fishguard Castle.

Finally, out of the caravan maze and onto Dinas Head, a dark sand beach named Pwllgwaelod stretched before me like a pirate’s secret cove. Past the dramatic headland, I reached Cwm-yr-Eglwys. My daydream has been fulfilled, ice cream as I soaked in the ruined church and the gentle ebb and flow of the tide.

Pwllgwaelod

Cwm-yr-Eglwys

Onward to Parrog, Newport, the tide is in and the water is up to the garden walls of the houses. Rain came as I pitched the tent, there’d been weeks of sunshine and no rain forecast, my maiden camping experience was a washout.

Newport

Next day I drove to Cardigan, a quick bus ride whisked me back to Newport. Carreg Coetan, an ancient burial chamber humming with time, was worth the detour. The rain stopped just as I left, the emerald hills across the estuary glowing in the sun.

Carreg Coetan.

Then, things got epic. The path clung to the cliff face, my legs complaining like rusty swings, but the views! Pwll y Wrach, a turquoise pool born from a collapsed cave, and Ceibwr Bay where the rocks danced like frozen waves banded with colours like sunrise on the sea. These moments shut up even the whiniest of muscles.

The cliffs around Foel Fach

Godir Rhyg

Careg Yspar, Pwll y Wrach

Careg Wylan, Ceibwr Bay

Reaching Cemaes Head, and down to Poppit Sands I saw the sign: “Pembrokeshire Coast Path – First Gate.” And a grin filled my face. I was walking the whole thing… backwards! Not exactly the plan, but who says you can’t conquer a trail in reverse?

The Coast Path the wrong way

On I went, dodging cars and admiring Saint Dogmaels, a medieval monastery telling tales of monks and pilgrims. Just like that the Pembrokeshire part was done, another chunk of the coast conquered, one lost turn and one soggy campout at a time.

The end of the Pembrokeshire Coast path, looking over the Teifi Estuary

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Barry Britzman spent some of his younger years in Resolven and he has just published a book of poetry much influenced by his time in the village and the valley.

BARRY’S STORY

The full title of the collection is “INEXPLICABLE FRAGMENTS.  Selection of Poems of  Love, Life, Time & Place”.

It is a personal, biographical and historical account of what the valley gave to me, and a little of my life since leaving the valley.

Few will know, that my mother was a member of the Melincourt Bowen family that hailed originally from Llantwit, and Llandeilo Talybont connected also with the Jones family of Ammanford. As the Britzman family, we arrived in 1939, to live in Maesgwynrig near Cwmgwrach. Fewer still will know, my father worked at the RAF camp at Stormy Down – or that he and I, on a visit from Pyle to Swansea, on February 19^th 1941, were caught up in the Swansea Blitz. An event after which, our lives took an extraordinary turn for the worse. Brief historical notes are included at the end of the book reflecting on both our reluctant leaving of Wales and domicile in East Yorkshire – all at the whim of the War Office.

By the strange quirk of misfortune becoming good-fortune, I returned to Wales in 1953, where but for two brief interludes I have remained ever since. It has been a life blessed with good fortune and blighted by the accidents  of fate.

BARRY BRITZMAN

Barry’s book is avalable at “Between the Covers” in Mumbles

Also at:

zen311932@zen.co.uk

A Report on the 40^th Anniversary Celebration of Resolfen History Society

Some 26 members and friends of the Society gathered at the Church hall to celebrate the milestone of having been in existence for over 40 years. Mrs Jane Llewelyn provided a sumptuous buffet for the occasion, which was enjoyed by one and all.

It was intended that the occasion would be an informal one and anecdotes were freely voiced of the history of the Society since October 1983. However, the formal aspect was not ignored and Mr Trefor Jones, read an extract from Resolfen Recalled which set out the early history of the Society and noted that at the turn of the Millennium the membership stood at 59 full members. He then took up the story of what had happened in the following 24 years. Firstly he paid tribute to the giants of the Society, in particular Phylip Jones who was the inspiration for its foundation in the first instance. He then pointed out some of the milestones, including memorial tablets to the Three Doctors of Music and to Professor Cliff Darby, who was and adviser to Churchill during the war. Reference was made to dinners, concerts, visits and treasure hunts held by the Society during the years. Reference was also made to the website which had received almost 250,000 visitors since its inception and included a digital modern history of the village via the work of Alun Morgan.

Turning to the more recent past, the Society had survived the pandemic with difficulty, and the road had been arduous in the past few years. However there were signs of recovery in the form of new members on both the committee and in general. Another welcome development had been the new found cooperation with sister organisations in the local area. In an age of instant satisfaction via Google it was important that original scholarship was given a platform in societies such as Cymdeithas Hanes Resolfen.

We now look forward to the 50^th celebration!

Trefor Jones

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A message from the Secretary for the Resolven Miners Welfare Scheme

Big News from the Resolven Miners Welfare! 

We’re thrilled to share exciting progress on the restoration of our cherished old miners’ welfare building! This heart of our community is poised for a grand revival, promising to once again be a vibrant hub for all.

Restoration Updates:

Our dedicated trustees are in deep discussions about the building’s future. As insurance issues are being resolved, we are brainstorming potential business collaborations to breathe new life into this historic space. Imagine a revitalized centre buzzing with activities and opportunities!

Community Involvement:

We’re setting up a dynamic new volunteer group and eagerly seeking community members to join us. Got ideas or time to contribute? We’d love to hear from you!

Social Media Revolution:

Stay tuned as we transform our social media into a ‘community hub’. We’re planning a series of engaging posts starting May 13th to keep you informed and involved. Expect heart-warming stories, key updates, and perhaps even sneak peeks into the architectural plans!

Looking Ahead:

Meetings with funding bodies are already on the calendar. We’re committed to ensuring every penny is put to good use restoring the heart of Resolven.

Join Us:

Be part of this exciting journey. Together, we can turn the dream of reopening this historic site into reality. Let’s make history, Resolven! You can access read the full summary of our feasibility study along with viewing some drawings of what we have planned by visiting – https://resolvenwelfare.co.uk/feasibility-study-2/

Feel the excitement? Spread the word, and let’s make this project a shining example of what we can achieve together! 

Robert Sims

Secretary for the Resolven MIners Welfare Scheme

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