Throughout Rydal Penrhos history
When discussions take place regarding Wales’ greatest ever all-round sportsman, then Wilf Wooller is one of the first names that enter the conversation.
The Rhos on Sea native attended Rydal School and was an exceptional academic and athlete, graduating with a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from Christ’s College, Cambridge upon leaving the school. To say Wooller had an eventful life would be something of an understatement.
He earned his first full international cap for Wales during his time as a schoolboy and turned out for Sale during the holidays. He was part of the Welsh side that broke their Twickenham bogey against England in 1933 and won 18 caps for his country. Wooller is best remembered for his starring performance in Wales’ memorable victory over the New Zealand All Blacks in 1935.
Wooller was also a supremely talented cricketer, beginning his career at Rydal and at Colwyn Bay Cricket Club before making his debut for Cambridge University in 1935 against Sussex. After graduating from Cambridge, Wooller took employment in Cardiff and joined the St Fagans club north of the city.
His bowling performances and aggressive batting attracted the attention of Maurice Turnbull, Glamorgan’s influential county captain and he was selected for the Championship match against Yorkshire at the Cardiff Arms Park ground. He debuted in 1938 and in his first bowling spell for the county took 3 wickets for 22 runs in nine overs. After the war, Wooller was appointed Captain-Secretary of Glamorgan in 1947 and led them to an unexpected County Championship triumph in 1948.
As a formidable all-rounder, he was twice thwarted from playing Test cricket for England in 1948-49 and 1951-52, due to business commitments. He retired from first-class cricket in 1960 (reappearing briefly in 1962) and as Secretary in 1977. He served as a Test selector from 1955 to 1961.
If that wasn’t enough, Wooller also turned out for Cardiff City Football Club, represented Wales in squash racquets, survived incarceration by the Japanese in the Changi prisoner of war camp in Singapore during the Second World War and was a successful BBC broadcaster and Sunday Telegraph sports journalist.
http://www.rugbyrelics.com/Museum/biogs/Wooller-Wilf.htm
A fine sportsman who has achieved a significant amount in both rugby and cricket, Pat Leach (RPS 1996-2003) comes from a family that will forever be associated with Rydal Penrhos.
The son of legendary figure Mike Leach, Pat honed his skills in both sports at the school before eventually deciding to pursue a professional career in rugby. The talented back turned out for the school and Colwyn Bay and caught the eye considerably with a series of outstanding performances.
Leach joined Orrell upon leaving school before returning to the Bay. This was followed by a spell at Manchester Rugby Club, where he impressed enough to make their first XV. His strong displays also earned a call-up to the Cheshire and England Counties team for their tour of Japan and South Korea in 2009. Leach had a trial at English Premiership side Worcester Warriors during the same year before eventually signing for Newport.
He penned his first contract with Newport Gwent Dragons in August 2009, but an ankle injury hampered his ability to make an instant impact during his first season with the region. Leach eventually made his Dragons’ debut in May of 2010. Leach was also an immensely gifted cricketer and made his debut in the Liverpool and District Competition for Colwyn Bay at the age of 14. He briefly went on trial with Glamorgan County Cricket Club in the summer of 2002, playing for their U17s team in matches against Monmouth School and Wiltshire Under-17s. In 2005, Leach was selected to play for the Wales Minor Counties in a Minor Counties Championship match against Shropshire in Colwyn Bay. He bowled 11 overs in the first innings, taking no wickets for 63 runs, but did not bowl in the second innings and did not bat in either innings.
Leach earned selection to a Wales select XI for a three-day game against the Marylebone Cricket Club at the SWALEC Stadium in 2011. He opened the bowling for his country, taking two wickets for 29 runs in 12 overs, before scoring 40 runs off 74 balls.
In the second innings, he took one more wicket for 25 runs off 11 overs and added 35 runs off 54 ball. The match finished as a draw.
When you think about the growth of netball in Wales, it is hard not to think about the impact Suzy Drane has had on the game. The former Rydal Penrhos pupil has a legacy within the sport that will forever be remembered. Drane is a prolific international and has been capped more than 100 times by her country.
A talented playmaker who boasts superb vision on the court, Suzy has been at the heart of Wales’ rise up the world rankings in her role as captain and reached her centenary in a 72-53 win over Grenada in July last year. She recently stepped away from her role with Celtic Dragons after a glittering career with the team.
Suzy has also assisted in the development of hopefuls at the school in recent years. She was part of the coaching staff that saw Rydal Penrhos’ senior squad travel to Greece for a memorable tour that will live long in the memory.
The former pupil is currently a lecturer in Sport Development and Performance Sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University, a role she took up in 2011 following the completion of a BSc and MSc at the Sport Development and Physical Activity and Health respectively.
Working alongside the programme director she has contributed to the design of the new Sport Development course and is now part of the delivery team for these. Suzy continues to balance teaching at the university with her Netball playing commitments.
When you talk about the greatest ever Welsh rugby union players throughout history, then Bleddyn Williams is always high on the shortlist.
Williams, who attended Rydal School on a scholarship from a recommendation by Wilf Wooller, is regarded as one of the country’s most gifted rugby players and was dubbed ‘The Prince of Centres’ thanks to his exceptional standard of play during his career.
He attended Rydal from 14-18 years-old before earning legendary status playing in the blue and black of Cardiff RFC during the 1940s and 50s. Williams went on to win 22 international caps and captained his country on five occasions.
In 1953 he had the unique distinction of captaining his club (Cardiff), and his country (Wales), to victory against the touring New Zealand All Blacks. Williams was a member of the 1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia.
He turned out in three of the four tests against New Zealand and both tests against Australia. He captained the Lions in the third and fourth tests against New Zealand, deputising for the injured captain Karl Mullen. Williams scored one international try for the Lions, in the first test against Australia.
During World War Two, Williams trained as a fighter pilot and later became a glider pilot, taking part in the famous Operation Varsity. Throughout the war years, he continued to excel at rugby both for Great Britain and the RAF. Williams played 283 games for Cardiff and formed a formidable and world-famous midfield partnership with Dr. Jack Matthews, he also served as president of both Cardiff RFC and Cardiff Athletic Club.
He was the rugby union correspondent for The Sunday People for three decades following his retirement, was awarded an MBE in 2005 and died in 2009. Rydal Penrhos holds the Bleddyn Williams Trophy over Founders’ Weekend, which is a round-robin rugby tournament featuring former pupils.
We have very little history of Chris Jennins (RS 1949-1959) in school, however, we do know that in February/March 1967 played two Internationals in that year’s Five Nations’ rugby series (before Italy joined to make it the Six Nations).
Christopher Robert Jennins was born February 5, 1942 in Runcorn and played at centre for England.
His peers and underlings at school recall crowding into a school room to watch the matches on a small television and cheering loudly.
One of the real success stories of the Rydal Penrhos Rugby Academy was Sean Lonsdale, who attended the school from 2011-2015 and developed his skills considerably during this time.
Lonsdale quickly emerged as one of the brightest young talents anywhere in the country, with RGC introducing him into their squad at a very early age during their outstanding progression through the Welsh pyramid structure.
This culminated in Lonsdale playing a significant role in the Gogs securing promotion to the Principality Premiership in 2015/16, which is the top-flight of domestic rugby and something that caught the eye of professional sides over the border.
Lonsdale signed for English Premiership side Exeter Chiefs in the summer of 2016 after catching the eye of head coach Rob Baxter. Both RGC and the Welsh Rugby Union made a big play to try and keep the former pupil, but he decided this was the best thing to progress his career.
He started last season on dual-registered terms with Championship side Cornish Pirates, but keen to ensure his development did not stall due to a lack of significant game time, the Chiefs coaches moved Lonsdale to Plymouth Albion, where he figured regularly for them in the National Leagues.
Back at the Chiefs ahead of the 2018/19 season, Lonsdale used the opportunity of pre-season to showcase his worth to the club's coaches - and the tactic certainly paid dividends as he made his Gallagher Premiership debut in the comprehensive home win against Leicester Tigers on the opening day.
By the end of the campaign, Lonsdale had indeed established himself within the first-team ranks, featuring not only in the top-flight but also the Heineken Champions Cup – which is the pinnacle of European rugby.
Such was the contribution Lonsdale has made during his short time with the Chiefs, they offered him a new deal which the forward accepted as he looks to make an even bigger impact in the years ahead. He has made a total of 47 appearances for the Chiefs so far, scoring five tries.
Our very own Sport’s teacher Sean Kitchen (RPS 2007-2014) whilst at Rydal Penrhos at the age of 15 (year 10) in 2011 won the u18 and u16 Welsh Hockey Nationals in the same year.
He went on to be a part of the team that won the Schools Six Nations 10s Rugby Plate in 2012 (Year 11). That was a tournament with schools from England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Wales, with Rydal Penrhos being the Welsh representative.
In 2014 we came runners up in this same competition but for the Cup - https://www.ukboardingschools.com/news/rydal-penrhos-flies-flag-wales-schools-six-nations/.
He also won the Cheshire 7s shield in his final year, 2014 - see photo attached/below, and treasures the shirt from this match.
