Welcome all to the start of the new season which, with the World Cup being held in Wales, promises to be quite a busy time for the Junior season, with various competitions leading up to the start of the World Cup.

By the time you read this the World Cup celebrations will be in full swing and the World Cup trophy, bus and relay ball will have visited Church Bank for the first time ever, so let’s hope the Junior Drovers will have success and play a leading role in these celebrations.

Our competitive season started on Sunday, 5th September, 1999, when our Under 12’s, Under 13’s and Under 15’s sides entertained Cwmgors at Church Bank on a glorious sunny morning, which allowed all teams to play some fine running rugby, resulting in all our teams recording comprehensive victories over their opposition.

Trials have also started and I am pleased to report that no less than seven boys have been selected for the Dinefwr Schools’ Under 15’s squad. Well done to these players and coaches involved with them. We wish you the best for the season.

The mini section teams, i.e. Under B’s, Under 9’s. Under 10’s and Under l1’s are now in training and last Thursday, together with the Juniors, there must have been well in excess of a hundred players training, which was a sight to see. I would invite any person who wishes to help out to contact either myself or Helen. I can assure that person that being involved with the Junior Drovers is a worth while experience. Any new player wishing to join the Junior Drovers is more than welcome.

Our season continued on Sunday, 12th September, 1999 with the Under 13’s and Under 15’s playing away against Llandeilo and the Under 14’s playing away to Tycroes.

Since my last report the fortunes of the Junior Drovers have been somewhat mixed.

On Sunday, September 12th the Under 15’s and the Under 13’s played away at Llandeilo and both recorded losses. The Under 14’s, on the same day, played away to Tycroes and also lost. So a poor day for us.

On Monday, September 13th the World Cup came to Church Bank and this saw the Under 16’s playing a District 10’s tournament. Unfortunately on the night their fortunes were not with them, although they played some entertaining rugby especially against our old enemy, Tumble.

The night itself was a success in so much as it gave the opportunity for a lot of the Junior Drovers to see and actually hold the World Cup as well as having their photographs taken with it.

Last Sunday saw the Under 12’s, Under 13’s and Under 14’s play a Sevens Tournament at Pontyberem. The weather was excellent for Seven’s. The Under 13’s and the Under 14’s failed to qualify from their pool games. However the Under 12’s did very well and lost in the semi-finals to Ammanford by a mere two tries to nil.

My thanks to all the players, coaches and parents who helped on the day.

Since my last report both the mini and junior sections of the Junior Drovers have played a number of games and have recorded some good results against teams outside of our district.

The U8s seem to be the leading team within the club at the present time and to date are unbeaten. Many thanks must go to Dai Gealy and John Hughes for their time and effort in coaching the side and also to the players themselves for their efforts.

On Sunday, 1st July 1999 the club played hosts to Merthyr and Pencoed respectively and were able to accommodate no less than seven games played at the same time, so you can imagine the players/supporters present. It was a credit to all involved that this could be achieved and I thank you all, especially the kitchen staff who managed to feed over 200 children in less than an hour, with one bag of chips to spare. So well done all.

Last Sunday there were five games at Church Bank, against Maesteg, Welsh, Brynamman, Gorseinon and Carmarthen. Unfortunately we recorded a few losses on the day, with the exception of the U13s who recorded a good win against Gorseinon. Nevertheless well done to everybody.

One disappointing aspect this season has been the lack of interest shown by the U16 players, with the exception of a few, and I am saddened to announce this team is no longer able to field a side, which is a great pity considering all the work and effort that John Davies has put into this team over the years.