Before this weekend’s match against Merthyr, Bargoed was undefeated in the Championship having won 23 of their league games played this season. The closely fought match ended in a narrow 29-34 win for third placed Merthyr.
Bargoed carried off the title with 114 points, seven points clear of their nearest rivals Swansea.
Leigh Meades, who has led Bargoed in his role as Club Captain for the past nine years, said that the community has really rallied around to support the squad on a weekly basis during this Championship winning campaign.
He said: “This is my proudest achievement as captain without a shadow of doubt. Today we’ve made a lot of our fans – members of our community – very happy by winning the Championship. I’ve seen old men who once played for Bargoed beam with joy. I’ve seen kids as young as six or seven have their picture taken with the Cup – some of our players are heroes to them. And now they are the future of Bargoed RFC.”
“To beat both Merthyr and Swansea away earlier in the season was a massive achievement for us. They were two massive games. But to be honest all season we’ve gone about our business without looking too closely at anyone else’s games, seen gaps opening and then taken advantage. We’re lucky to have such a close-knit group of boys so there’s a real togetherness here which has helped to produce the results on the field.”
Head Coach Stephen Barber also praised the efforts and camaraderie of his players following the Championship presentation.
He added: “I’ve been Head Coach at the club for 13 years and this has been one of the proudest moments of my coaching career. Every single player has trained hard and played hard. We’ve got a lot of local boys playing for us and the team spirit they show in training and on the field every Saturday is second to none – they have a desire to play for each other and to play for the pride of Bargoed.
“I’ve seen some of the players grow up with the club. Our centre Darren Humphries has now played over 250 games for Bargoed – I remember him coming along as a 16 year old to play for the youth. Now he’s lifted the Championship. We are a community club and it’s a great feeling to be able to give something back to the fans.”
WRU Board Member Humphrey Evans said: “Bargoed RFC has had a fantastic season and it is a tremendous achievement to go unbeaten until this stage in this competitive division. Despite the loss this weekend, the standard of rugby that Bargoed have played each week has been very high and everyone at the club should be proud of their achievements.”
