Sad news of former player

It was with great sadness that we learned, from his son Kim, that Jack Lawrence, our scrum-half of the early 50s, has died aged 92.  Club scribe and historian, the inimitable Roy ‘Rel’ Lewis, remembers him well, and said, “Jack Lawrence was one of our greatest scrum-halves and an important member of the Ebbw Vale side that won Welsh Championships in the 1950s.  He also played in the Ebbw Vale-Newbridge team that beat the South African Universities (The Sables) before a packed ground at Ebbw Vale in 1957.”

Jack’s former team-mate Francis Matthews was saddened when told the news and commented, “I was privileged to have played for Ebbw Vale in a period when we were such a good side and as a backrow forward benefited from such an exciting player as Jack who would break away at great speed with me in support. Someone once said before a game, ‘How many tries is Jack going to make for you today?’”

In 1960 a Past v Present game was arranged and Jackie Lawrence once again stood out. A real Ebbw Vale clubman and an outstanding scrum-half.

Our thoughts are with his family.