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Jeff Richards: my moment to remember as a ball boy

It was 1969 and I found myself as a ball boy at the infamous South Africa versus Swansea RFC game at the St Helens ground in Swansea. At the time I was a 14-year-old playing rugby for my year in Bishop Gore Grammar school and for the Swansea schoolboys under 15 side. 

In Bishop Gore Grammar school, we were taught Latin by an infamous Latin teacher called Viv Davies who to his credit taught all the boys who passed through him to recite Amo, Amas, Amant......he was also an old-fashioned teacher who, whenever you fell asleep (which you often did in Latin) threw a board duster, piece of chalk or his keys in your direction. In his younger days he had played for Swansea RFC and I am not sure but at this time was either on the committee or he might even have been the chairman.

In school one day and prior to the match he pulled me and three friends to one side and asked us to be ball boys at the game, he advised us that we were not to do anything other than get the ball back whenever it had left the field of play. 

On the day of the match the four of us arrived at the players entrance and walked over to the pavilion side of the pitch, I remember there being a huge standing crowd on both the terraces and the scoreboard end I also remember the tall television scaffolding which did not seem to be that far away from the pitch.

During the match I do not remember which side put in a very high clearing kick, it crossed the touchline and I caught it as it came down, I remember the crowd clapping approval. I also remember the mayhem at the scoreboard end on the occasions that the crowd there tried to get on the pitch. 

Memory added on July 4, 2021

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