Abertillery keep hope alive

Abertillery RFC are confident of being able to field a team this weekend, raising hope that the cash-strapped club can carry on.

The Gwent club, one of the elite merit-table sides from the great amateur days of Welsh rugby, are in danger of going to the wall and have been unable to fulfill any of their fixtures so far this season.

The Division Two East side have already postponed matches with Fleur de Lys and Dinas Powys, saying they cannot afford to pay to keep players.

But after an emergency meeting on Thursday night, Abertillery's general committee emerged confident of being able to fulfill Saturday's home fixture against Llantwit Fardre.

"Everyone is positive at the club - we're not dead yet despite the speculation," committee member David Llewellyn said.

The club has been in contact with the Welsh Rugby Union over the issue, but they faced the prospect of being forced to withdraw from the league if many more match dates were missed.

Everything was in place pre-season, but we received repeated transfer requests in the summer Abertillery secretary David Mason

That fate still hangs over Abertillery, and if that should happen the club could find itself demoted to the lowest level of the league pyramid.

"Everything was in place pre-season, but we received repeated transfer requests in the summer," Abertillery secretary David Mason had said previously.

"Last week we thought we had 15 players, but only three turned up for training.

"We were a not very good Division Two side last season, but we still lost seven players to the Welsh Premiership this year.

"We're in the same position as a lot of clubs at this level with limited funding.

"I hope the WRU is patient - we can't contemplate the thought of rugby not being played at a high level in Abertillery."

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