Bryn-y-Mor Field, Swansea by Andrew Hignell

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Ground:

Bryn-y-Mor Field, Swansea

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DateLine: 20th January 2008

 

The Bryn-y-Mor Field was used by Swansea Cricket and Football Club prior to the development of the St. Helen’s ground on the foreshore of Swansea Bay.

 

 

Bryn-y-Mor was on higher land, a mile or so inland, opposite the Uplands Hotel. As the name of the tree-lined ground suggested (roughly translated as The Hill by the Sea), it commanded superb views out over the Estuary, and with the fine hostelry alongside, it was a popular meeting point for the healthy young sportsmen of the town.

 

Indeed, the Swansea cricketers enjoyed their summer activities so much that they decided to maintain their camaraderie by playing football during the winter months. Their first fixture, played against Neath on November 23rd, 1872 was played under Association rules, but during 1874 they switched to the rugby union code, and on November 28th played their inaugural fixture against the young men of Llandovery College.

 

In their days of just playing cricket at Bryn-y-Mor, the town’s eager sportsmen encountered very few occasions when the ground was too wet for matches. But after diversifying into winter games, the pitch frequently became unusable and as one cricketer of the time commented,the upshot of playing football over the cricket pitch was that the wickets only began to get in decent condition about the end of August.

 

The cricketers and rugby players were therefore not too upset when Bryn-y-Mor was acquired for building, and during 1873 the Swansea Cricket and Football Club successfully acquired the area of sandbanks owned by Colonel Llewellyn Morgan, adjacent to the Oystermouth Road on the foreshore of Swansea Bay, and 1874 was the final summer of cricketing activity on the Bryn-y-Mor Field.

 

(January 2008)

(Article: Copyright © 2008 Dr.A.K.Hignell)