It is two weeks since Clay-Thomas’ initial suggestion in the Field to create a Welsh national football team, and the replies keep rolling in. In this Saturday’s edition there are a further two responses, regrettably, again using pseudonyms.
The first came from a gentleman who called himself ‘A Marlborough Nomad’. Incidentally, the Marlborough Nomads were a football club founded in 1868 in the Surbiton area of London. They played under rugby rules and in fact were founding members of the Rugby Football Union in 1871, the club was eventually disbanded in 1911.
At this time in 1876 however, the side was still going strong, and we can only surmise that our ‘Mr. Nomad’ held connections with the club, although in which capacity has unfortunately been lost to time. He also was very enthused about Clay-Thomas’ idea but felt time was of the essence if the idea of a match was to be realised that same season. He reiterated the original suggestion of enlisting the newly formed RFU’s help in sourcing a Welsh side and admitted that (perhaps in a nod to ‘Half Back’ from the previous week) Association football matches would probably follow, but that he was only concerned with the rugby side of things.
The other letter, however, was of an entirely different nature…
Sir, – The idea of an international match, under Association rules, between Wales and one of the sister countries, is being very popularly received in North Wales, and a meeting is to be held in Wrexham at an early date next week to discuss the matter, and to form a committee which shall have power to make preliminary arrangements. Any communications that I may receive shall be laid before the meeting to be held at Wrexham.
It was signed with a single word pseudonym:
‘Cymry’
The Welsh language name for the Welsh people, meaning “fellow-countrymen” or “compatriots”. A truly powerful response to a letter suggesting a London-based team selected from a pool of London-based players. This individual’s team would instead be of the people and for the people of Wales.
History would eventually reveal to us the true name behind ‘Cymry’. He was of course Samuel Llewelyn Kenrick, today celebrated as the father of Welsh football. Kenrick, a 28-year-old solicitor from Ruabon, a keen footballer and founding member of Ruabon Rovers FC, had evidently been busy behind the scenes since Clay-Thomas’ initial letter a fortnight earlier. Whilst George’s rugby match idea still had no clear plan or leader, Samuel had already arranged a committee meeting to flesh out the Association football match and bring it to fruition. Not only had he picked up George’s metaphorical gauntlet…he was running with it!
Thanks to the driving-force of Kenrick, the creation of a national Welsh football team and association was becoming a reality, it had a time, and it had a place…but it needed a name.