Jack Matthews, a Cardiff doctor, had to pay a locum to deputise for him while he was on tour.Williams was a prodigy who played for the Cardiff second XV in 1939 when he was a 16-year-old schoolboy. Known as the “Prince of Centres” – sidestep, swerve, pace, you name it he had it – he was in his prime between 1945 and 1955, winning 22 caps. After serving in the RAF and playing for the Combined Services, he became a sales manager “There was no remuneration in rugby at all,” he said. “If you played for your country you trained twice a week but there was nothing particularly organised. We used to meet for a couple of hours on a Friday, go home and return to the ground on Saturday for the match. We didn’t even meet for lunch.”If the game was at the Arms Park I was lucky because I lived in Cardiff but others would have to travel from the valleys, go home, and come back again the following day. If it was cheaper they’d have to travel by bus rather than train After the match we had tea and went home again You had to buy your own kit.

The only thing given to you was your jersey and that had to last for the season. I remember that, because of the shortages, I didn’t get a jersey until 1948.”Williams now writes on rugby for the People “I have no regrets I’m not convinced I would enjoy playing today.”. South Australia 9

England A 66
The England A coach, Mike Slemen, expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s performance despite seeing them overwhelm South Australia in their opening tour match in Adelaide yesterday.Derek Eves and Jim Naylor both scored two tries as the tourists collected 10 touchdowns, but Slemen said: “We made too many mistakes.”He added: “We put too much ball down. Sometimes when you get into a looser type of game that can happen, but we won’t be happy with all the times we didn’t score when we should have.”The strength and fitness of England proved crucial, with six of the tries arriving in the second half. John Sleightholme, David Sims, Andrew Gomersall, John Fowler and Paul Hull also crossed the Australian line, with a penalty try and five conversions and two penalties accounting for the rest of England’s points.England face Victoria in Melbourne on Wednesday in the next leg of their six-match tour.South Australia: Penalties Elliott 3 England A: Tries Eves 2, Naylor 2, Fowler, Gomersall, Hull Penalty Sims, Sleightholme Conversions Grayson 5 Penalties Grayson 2.. This is an important season for me. I have been given some of the responsibility for coaching and captaining the youngsters in the Second XI, it is my benefit year, and I’ll be turning out for the First XI if we get into the `sticky stuff’ during the long summer ahead.

I’ll be involved with a lot more of what goes on at a county cricket club than at any stage in my career to date at Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. It’s a challenge and hopefully the experiences ahead – and my past international experience – will give you an insight into first-class English cricket. Professional cricketers can be very secretive, but I’ll even let you know if one of the horses I own in partnership is in form, although it might have to be just after it wins.
For now, I’m sitting down a lot I’ve ruptured a hamstring. We’ll keep medical reports to a minimum; it hurts.n n nThe selection of Peter Martin for the England one-day squad wasn’t such a surprise on the county circuit Peter was my choice for the A tour this winter.

He is a good, highly regarded county bowler, who at well over six feet can get a bit of bounce from the wicket. In many respects, he is a lot like Peter Lever, the new England bowling coach, an old fashioned seamer. Very much an Illingworth type of bowler.Alan Wells being picked was a greater surprise Even he, himself, thought he had no chance of selection. I thought they might have gone for Kent’s Trevor Ward, who has been full of early-season runs in the Championship and Benson and Hedges zonal games.I think England can win the one-day series.