Penarth RFC member Chris Thau has produced an extensive history of the club, entitled The Spirit of Penarth: One Hundred and Thirty One Years of Seaside Rugby (1880-2011).

The book will be launched on Saturday (April 14) at the clubhouse at 11.30am. All proceeds from the book will go to Penarth RFC, who have funded the printing costs.

The Penarth Times has been running extracts from the book in the run-up to the launch, and this week author Chris Thau rounds things up...

The Spirit of Penarth

IT is strange, but finishing a book of this magnitude feels very much like an anticlimax, despite the obvious sense of fulfillment.

Ending this non-fictional account of more than a century of Penarth rugby brings a close and indeed privileged relationship with its heroes to an abrupt end.

Farewell then James Lot Thorn, Jack Bassett, Dick Garrett, Jason Allen, Jack Hayes, Henry Owen Roe, Austin Matthews, Greg Swaine, John Heslop and all other who gave Penarth club sense and meaning and this book a soul.

There are several thousands of them, the young men of the town and surrounding villages, fathers and sons, brothers of the extended Penarth families: the Garretts, the Kirbys, the Bests, the Hamiltons, the Bryants, the Matthews, the Heslops, the Chandlers, the Watts, the Whites, the O'Briens, the Goodings, the Crothers, the Blakes, the Gills, the Coxes, to mention just a few.

One of the most touching moments was discovering that Israel Norman who featured in a team photo of 1906/07 Athletic side, displayed in the Long Room, was the father of 97-year-old Harold Norman, the club's oldest player, who played for Penarth before and after the Second World War. Alas, there is no equivalent photo of Harold, as the club's precarious finances did not allow the hiring of a photographer for the 1946 Barbarians match, the first after the war.

It is difficult to pinpoint what I could choose as the highlights of this century-long roller-coaster.

In rugby terms, the selection of Richard Garrett for Wales must be regarded as the climax of the club's formative period, when Penarth evolved from a strong District team to one of the leading forces in the land.

The arrival of the Barbarian tribe in 1901 and their decision to make Penarth their home at Easter may be regarded as the turning point in the modern history of the club. For 85 years the Good Friday fixture provided the club with a highlight for the season and the Town, with an opportunity to bask in the glory of being the centre of the rugby-playing Universe.

During the late 1920s, the decision of PC John Archibald "Jack" Bassett to join the club was equally significant, as the formidable fullback became the Wales guardian and eventually skipper. His mysterious decision to leave Penarth after 11 years of loyal service, as well as his traumatic retirement from International rugby, had never been fully explained until now.

Furthermore the decision of Henry Owen Roe to make the French port of Bayonne his home, deprived Penarth and Welsh rugby of one of its most precious gems, while helping to change the style and fortunes of the Basque club and perhaps France forever.

In human terms, the most remarkable story is the way Penarth had survived against the odds, in an increasingly sharp market place in which the proximity of the Cardiff club was perhaps the most significant factor.

The story of Penarth will always include those who in search of fame and fortune left the club for greener pastures and an elusive Welsh cap, from 'Reggie' Gibbs to Tom Johnson and Frank Trott.

Nevertheless it has to be said that the Penarth survival story must also include far-sighted and dedicated club officials of the likes of Samuel Thomas, James Lot Thorn, Dr G E Lindsay MC, JS Blundell, John Heslop, Kevin Bush, John Coughtrey, George Moore, Mike Gooding and last but not least the Plymouth family and the Earl himself.

THE AUTHOR

CHRIS Thau, the Romanian-born author of this book has played and coached rugby in his native Romania, France, England and Wales and travelled the world extensively in his media roles, as a journalist, broadcaster or tournament official.

He visited most rugby-playing countries as a rugby reporter for the Times, the Scotsman, the Observer and French weekly Midi Olympique. He was assistant editor of Rugby World and Post magazine and edited The World of Rugby and Kick Off magazines, as well as a host of IRB publications.

He worked for both Romanian and BBC Radio and Television as a director and producer and was Executive Producer of the IRB TV flagship "Total Rugby". He became the RWC Press Officer in 1993 and was appointed Head of Communications of the International Rugby Board in 1995.

He joined the Welsh Rugby Union as Media Manager in 1996 and was part of the team who successfully delivered the RWC in Wales in 1999. He covered every RWC tournament since 1987 and has written several books.

He has lived in Penarth since 1996 and is now Secretary of the IRB Hall of Fame.

WHAT THE PUNDITS SAY ABOUT THE BOOK:

* Gerald Davies, author and columnist, The Times - (Cardiff, Barbarians, Wales, The Lions):

"In the changes that have occurred in rugby since 1995 when the sport was declared 'open', the most significant image that remains in my mind of that dramatic transformation is the role Penarth Rugby Club once uniquely played.

To an extent Penarth represented the amateur Corinthian ideal of the game when on Good Friday they played the Barbarians on their opening match of their Easter tour of Wales. It was where also the Barbarians made their Headquarters.

The scene might not have been as heady or imposing as the Arms Park, St Helens and Rodney Parade, but there on the one day of the season, Penarth was the centre of the rugby universe and the only place for any rugby aficionado to be.

Those joyous days may have gone but Penarth's significant contribution to rugby remains. Not only for the Barbarians game but for the spirit the club represented, for the joy of being there. We long cherish that mood and embrace the spirit of Penarth Rugby Club."

* Chris Rea, author and Broadcast Controller, IRB - (Scotland, Barbarians and Lions):

"Penarth! The place is seared into my brain. For the Scottish selectors, the Esplanade Hotel, prior to its incineration, with its unlimited supply of large drams at 5 o'clock in the morning, was Nirvana.

For the players, about to do battle against the best side in the world at Cardiff Arms Park, it was a cross between Strangeways and Fawlty Towers.

Yet those visits to Penarth, and to its wonderfully hospitable Rugby Club, with both Scotland and the Barbarians on their Easter tour, are fondly remembered.

The author's encyclopaedic knowledge of all things rugby is without equal, as is his unflagging devotion the game. It is a love affair without limits, whether it be in the rarified atmosphere of the international arena, or where rugby's heart beats strongest, in clubs like Penarth, which remain true to the long cherished values of loyalty, respect, comradeship and fair play."

* Nigel Starmer-Smith, TV commentator - (Harlequins, Barbarians and England):

"The Barbarians' visit to South Wales was an occasion that epitomised the camaraderie of the amateur days, when legendary players could revel in a rare, relaxed showpiece of the game they loved, enjoying the opportunity of playing along team-mates who would otherwise only meet as opponents on the international field.

The memories are flooding back: the warm hospitality of the delightful seaside town, the enthusiasm of the local Rugby community, the pre-match walks on the seafront, the Saturday-night dance on the Pier, the freedom and kindness of the old Esplanade and last but not least, the ability of the home team to raise their game to unprecedented heights, which on those few famous occasions saw outrageous, deserved victories."