Ralph Phillips - still a gentleman at Narberth AFC
One of the joys of attending the cup finals at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium is that I always meet Ralph Phillips, who has been a great servant for Narberth AFC for over 60 years - and is still as passionate as ever about his football, as a player, manager or spectator!The undoubted highlight of our meetings (at least for me!) came when Narberth won the Pembrokeshire League first division after a 32-year gap in 1991/92 - when his sons Paul and Peter were heavily involved as players but he was also the very proud manager!
He was particularly thrilled because the club could dedicate their win to Ivor Badham and Noel Seabourne, who had been great stalwarts at the club but had passed away without being able to share Ralph and Co’s joy.
It was Ralph’s fourth year at the helm but he had been involved with The Bluebirds for as long as he could remember, including being second team captain at 46 years of age.
He and another old-timer in Anthony Howells took their share of leg-pulling about age and they were eventually dubbed the ‘Two Baldies from Caldey’ by first team captain Nigel Williams.
Early start – and a Wiltshire Cup winners’ medal soon afterwards
At 14 he had been a member of the junior team with players of the calibre of Cliff Jones, John Evans, Owen Thomas, Keith Owen and Billy Morgan - and a little later he scored the winning goal in the Wiltshire Cup Final against Hakin United at London Road, Pembroke Dock - but they also lost to The Vikings in another final a couple of years later.He had made it into the first team by the time he was called up for National Service and was well as playing plenty of football there he was also a useful goalkeeper in hockey.
When he returned to Narberth, he soon settled back into his football action but with a smile once told us that whilst he started off as a left winger, he eventually got pushed back to the role of left midfielder and finished as a hard-tackling, no-nonsense defender who took no prisoners and accepted a few bumps and bruises in return. That’s the passing of time for you!!
Having already played for the Pembrokeshire Youth he was also proud to play for the county at senior level alongside some very good footballers.
Lots of Senior Cup action but few medals
In his time as a first-teamer he actually played in SIX Senior Cup semi-finals and lost the blinking lot - and when The Bluebirds finally made it in 1963/64, where they played HMS Goldcrest (with Merlins Bridge stalwart Davey Edwards in their team) he missed out.“But it was Sod’s Law,” Ralph told its, that I was injured and Keith Scourfield took my place as we lost after extra time.
They also made another appearance in 1988/89 against Fishguard Sports, when Ralph was manager but they lost 1-0 as Paul Hayman scored the winner for The Sports.
After captaining the second team, Ralph did play a couple of matches the following season but he was embarrassed by the pace and skill levels of the youngsters – Another visit from Old Father Time!
More excitement for The Bluebirds of a musical kind
As soon as he called it a day he was roped in as a selector for ten years, four of them where he did the job on his own, working closely with the likes of Des Stone; Mike Johns and Terry Davies, and then with Nigel Williams as an excellent captain too.He was also involved at an exciting time when the club bought into the 1960s rock scene as they held special evenings at The Queen’s Hall where unknown groups like Hot Chocolate, Freddie and The Dreamers, The Alan Price Set, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch, were booked alongside those from Liverpool and Manchester but arrived just after having huge hits in the charts but not being paid like the superstars they had become.
“It was manic.” Said Ralph with a typical chuckle “And Keith Owen and I were kept busy taking the money at the door which eventually enabled to build our own clubhouse.”
Lots of work – and great club workers
Not content with that little lot, Ralph used to cut and mark the pitch, put up the nets and anything else needing doing and he readily admits that wife Margaret has been a saint as he settles down uncomplainingly on a Sunday to watch any football that is televised on Sundays.He would be quick to nominate the likes of Gary Hughes, Mike and Gwyneth Johns, Nigel Davies, Steve Jones, Phil Scourfield, Mark Grey, Mark Lee, Paul Webb and Steve Davies, pus others too many to mention, who have helped out.
But talk to the likes of Gary Hughes and Nigel Williams, as we did, and they would say that Ralph Phillips has done an amazing array of work for, and shown total dedication to, Narberth AFC, which resulted in he and Margaret receiving a lovely wall clock to mark 60 years at the club.
PembrokeshireSport.co,uk can only agree totally with Gary and Nigel because ‘The Baldie from Caldey’ is still a lovely gentleman of football and sport who is a credit to Narberth Association Football Club!