PHOTOS:
Chris Macdonald in action for Narberth in his hey day.
**Pictures and statistics kindly supplied by Narberth RFC historian Ken Mathias.

Rugby lovers in Pembrokeshire will remember Chris Macdonald as a gritty scrum half with Narberth RFC who never took a backward step in a record-breaking 252 league appearances with the Otters.

Chris also played and coached Corus in the National League set-up at the end of his distinguished career and rugby supporters will be delighted to hear that Chris is still doing very well, thank you very much. At 42 years of age he works as a police detective in Llanelli and still plays in a couple of sevens’ tournaments a year in boring old places like Dubai and Hong Kong!
 

Wonderful sevens memories

 
Chris accepted an invitation to play in the Dubai Sevens Tournament as a member of the White Hart Marauders Squad from Reading, who play in most of the main sevens’ tournaments throughout the world. They were competing in the social event section of the tournament but gave a good account of themselves before being eliminated in the quarter finals having played and won three games the previous day in temperatures reaching 35 degrees.
 
Also in attendance on one occasion, when he was playing for the ‘Bali Legends’, was a team of former rugby league stars from Wigan who were raising funds to help a youngster with an incurable disease, and when one of their players was injured they invited Chris to play alongside the likes of Gary Connolly, Martin Offiah, Jason Robinson, Sean Long, Dennis Betts and Adrian Morley, with Sir Bradley Wiggins, a self-confessed rugby ‘nut’ as their water boy!

“I had to borrow kit off Jason Robinson,” said Chris, “and I was allowed to keep it as a memento, signed by all of the players, who were a brilliant bunch!

“We eventually lost in the semi-finals but it certainly stands as a real privilege to have taken part.”
 

More travel – and junior stuff much closer to home

 
Not content with that little lot, Chris also represented a combined Welsh Police and Fire Brigade team in the World Championships for both services, held in New York.

“It was another wonderful trip,” Chris told us, “and we were delighted to come away as winners. I also played for Narberth Golden Oldies against Tenby in the summer – and it was nice to renew old acquaintances in both teams.”
 
Exotic trips abroad seem a long way from his other current rugby involvement where he coaches Llanelli Wanderers junior team in which is son George (10) plays.

“George also represents Llanelli Schoolboys as a gritty little scrum half, but he’s got far more skill than his dad,” admits Chris with a chuckle!
 

Keeps aches and pains away!

 
Chris still trains as often as he can.

“It stops me from seizing up after all the bumps and bruises I had playing against some big opposing packs, the worst being when I had snapped ligaments playing against Rumney in Cardiff.”

It was the last game of the season and Chris scored a fine individual try in the 11 - 8 victory that kept Narberth from relegation but foul play, a nasty stamp on his knee in the second half, forced him from the field and also prevented him touring with the British Police to South Africa in the summer.

 
First honour and first-team debut

 
Chris’s first honour in the local game came when the Otters won the Pembrokeshire Youth Cup by beating Cardigan 19-13, playing in those days as a centre. Then they beat Cardigan again the next year in the final and he was voted as the player of the match.

Then he moved into first-team contention the first season Narberth played in the newly-formed Heineken League.
 
He played his first league game for Narberth as he came on as a sub away to Dunvant, which the Otters won 22-27, partnering Gerwyn Reynolds in the centre. Chris kept his place for the rest of season but always at centre since Adrian Young was at scrum half.

“It was a great side of local players led by Geraint Bowen and including Emyr and Rhodri Jones, Dai and Glyn Jones, Simon and Dai Perkins, Nigel Bevan, Rhys and John ‘Hogg’ Davies, Steve Gerrard, Andrew Young, Clive James, Rob Nicholas and a few others. We stuck together and did really well.”
 

Welsh honours and memorable moments

 

Chris played for Wales at under 21 level and played well for Swansea before coming back to Narberth and being honoured with the captaincy in 1998/99. He played in both winning and losing teams in the Knock Out Final.
He always scored his share of tries because he was so strong breaking from the base of the scrum in September 2002 he played his 200^th match for Narberth, but they lost 39-19 to Whitland!

“It wasn’t the best way to mark my double century,” laughed Chris!
 

One of Chris’s most memorable moments was still to come in May 2005 as he played for Llanelli and when they took on Pontypridd in the Welsh Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium he scored the winning try with two minutes to go, the Scarlets beating Ponty 25-24.

“It was a good day,” said Chris, with typical understatement!
 

Finishing off – and new horizons

 
He rejoined Narberth for the 2006-07 season and played his 250^th game at Bonymaen and was man of the match in his last match against Builth Wells.

Even then he wasn’t finished because he agreed to help a work colleague by playing a game for Corus, stayed three years and did really well, including two wins over the Otters!
 
More recently, his keep-fit regime has included taking an interest in triathlon with his old team-mate Dai Jones. They were part of an intrepid group which cycled from Dai’s Princess Gate water bottling company to London to raise funds for the ‘Helping Heroes’ charity, stopping over night at Celtic Manor and the Welsh Guards Barracks in Hounslow.
 
“I’ve been very lucky to have had such a long sporting career,” said Chris, “and I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it. The supporters and committee at Narberth were superb and I have made so many friends there and at other clubs.

“I will never forget my time in Pembrokeshire and this is a nice chance to say hello to the county’s sporting fraternity, which is second to none.”

We could respond by saying to Chris Macdonald that it is our pleasure to place on record the long career of a local scrum half whose rugby career with the Otters was second to none!