Welsh rugby greats pay homage to Ken (From Free Press Series)

Welsh rugby greats pay homage to Ken

THE setting of St Peter's Church high up in the Eastern Valley at Blaenavon witnessed a gathering of so many all-time Welsh rugby greats.

Pre and post-war giants all of them. They were there to pay homage to perhaps the greatest of them all - Ken Jones. The former Newport, Wales and British Lions flier, who also won a relay silver medal at the Olympic Games in 1948, was being laid to rest in his native town before the group moved on to his other spiritual home, Newport Rugby Club.

He was surrounded by some of Newport's finest such as Bryn Mededith, Brian Price, Stuart Watkins and Haydn Mainwaring all helping him on his way.

A little way back stood Hedley Rowland, teammate for so long and best man at Ken's wedding in 1947.

Many more of his former Rodney Parade teammates were there as Brian Jones read out achievement after achievement in the great man's glittering career.

There was Bobby Owen, Ian Ford, David Watkins, Peter Rees, Alan Thomas, Dennis Perrot, John Anderson, Welsh Rugby Union president Keith Rowlands, Terry Vaux, Mal Beynon and Ken Hewitt from the WRU, former British Lions and Wales captain John Dawes, London Welsh pair Gwyn Lewis and Fred Williams and Doug Ackerman, another ex-Newport teammate and former club secretary who travelled from Scotland. There were those old 'foes' Bleddyn Williams and Jack Matthews from Cardiff, as close now as in their playing days and both from Welsh rugby's hall of fame, alongside one-time Newport opponents, but all united in grief. Blaenavon Male Voice Choir added to the occasion when they sang the heart-rending Myfanwy and Gwahoddiad.

When it came to crossing the rugby or athletics white line after such a long innings it couldn't have been bettered.