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Press Releases
How coal fed the fires of welsh rugby and boxing
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With the 91Èȱ¬ Wales Coal House families nearing the end of their experience of life in 1927 this week, Eddie Butler presents a special one-off 91Èȱ¬ One Wales documentary Coal House: Work Hard, Play Hard (Wednesday 7 November), which looks at just how closely linked the mining communities of Wales were to the success of both Welsh boxing and rugby over the past century.
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In the programme, viewers will learn how the ebb and flow of the Welsh economy mirrors the success of the golden ages of Welsh rugby and the rise of great Welsh boxers like Jimmy Wilde, Tommy Farr and Howard Winstone.
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Eddie Butler examines how it was that when the coalfields flourished, the mines contributed the backbone to world-class Welsh international rugby squads.
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"The aggressive muscular play of the legendary Rhondda forwards in the first golden age of Welsh rugby evolved as a direct result of the players' daily experience in the south Wales coalfields," says Eddie.
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The programme explores how during times of adversity, the strikes of 1913 and 1926, some miners turned to boxing to keep them going – which in turn led to the emergence of some of the greatest boxers Wales has ever produced. The programme also features fascinating archive interviews with the sporting legends.
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The great Jimmy Wilde from Merthyr Tydfil talks about his experiences of working in the fairground boxing booths, taking on endless bouts in a single day.
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"I knocked out 19 and then said to the owner 'I'm so very tired' and he said 'go into the caravan there and have a cup of tea and a bun and you'll be alright after'. So about an hour later I came out and knocked out another four."
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One miners' son and rugby fanatic, Richard Burton, talks about his memories of taking on one of the all-time rugby greats.
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During the Second World War all sporting fixtures were banned, but games were still played within the Armed Forces. Burton recounts how he took on Blethyn Williams in the RAF cup.
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"I knew that Blethyn could only really break to his left, his sidestep was one-sided. So I said 'leave Blethyn to me, I know exactly the way he breaks'. And he was playing outside half, so naturally he was my prey as I was playing open side wing forward. He scored five tries, I didn't lay a finger on him. And I knew what he was going to do," says Burton.
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And during the last golden era for Welsh rugby in the Seventies, the programme shows how the great Welsh sides of the time represented the aspirations of the Welsh mining clubs and communities.
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Coal House: Work Hard, Play Hard, Wednesday 7 November 2007, 10.45pm, 91Èȱ¬ One Wales
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