Mike made his name at Sospan but is an All Black through and through

 
Mike Griffiths is always a pleasure to bump into at The Athletic Ground, often watching sport there after cycling around our county as his means of keeping quite fit after first starting out in rugby at Neyland but enjoying a meteoric rise to success with Bridgend and then Llanelli (Scarlets) which saw him play for their team against the mighty New Zealanders.
 
His is something of a fairytale story because he was playing rugby for Neyland and decided at the start of a new season to contact  Bridgend, then one of the top clubs, to ask them for a trial and he was surprised to be invited up to the Brewery Field to take part – and after being called on late in the trial managed to score two tries from his scrum half berth, and was included in their squad.
 

Great time at Bridgend . . .

 
In his time at Bridgend he had an amazing following of supporters from Neyland, not least because mum and dad used to organise a bus load that always had a waiting list – and this writer was always making sure I booked early, being picked up at the Silcox Garage in Pembroke Dock; and who could blame me because there wasn’t only the chance to watch a talented former pupil play top rugby but the £2 charge for the bus included loads of pies, pasties, sausage rolls and cakes from Mr and Mrs Griffiths’ bakery in Neyland!
 
“I thought I played well,” Mike told us, “and afterwards I was offered a place in their squad, where I stayed for two seasons and scored my fair share of tries against some of the best clubs in the country, not least because I was playing behind a fantastic pack that was led by Welsh international Gareth Williams.



 

. . . And more terrific memories at The Scarlets!

 
“I really enjoyed it there but then Gareth Jenkins spoke to me and asked if I fancied joining Llanelli and I was called in late to play for them against Swansea.
 
“But I wasn’t picked the following week and so played for Neyland 2nds, where I had a bit of a ‘stinker’. So much so that skipper Rob Bellerby, jokingly told me that I was better off at Stradey Park, rather than the Athletic Ground!”
 
Luckily, Mike took his advice and his biggest moment came when he was chosen ahead of Welsh international Mark Douglas for the No 9 jersey to play New Zealand – a moment he will never forget, nor the weather, because it was played in abject conditions.
 
“There was an amazing atmosphere in front of a capacity crowd and I made a good early break to set up out first attack, which didn’t please their captain Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford, who literally marked me all afternoon and I finished black and blue as we lost 11-0 but pushed the Mighty All Blacks all the way!

 

Very proud to be a Milford Central School and Neyland player

 
 
Mike’s rise to such a high platform certainly seemed a long way from his days at Milford Haven Central School, where he was captain of the rugby team for all five years he was there – and he was also a regular in the County Schools’ teams through the age groups.
 
“The All-Blacks’ youth team had players of the calibre of James Payne, Julian Edwards; Andrew George, Phil Sutton and Jamie Hier – and we beat Whitland in the Youth Cup Final, a short while after they had won the Welsh Youth Cup.
 
“Then it was into their first team and when I stepped down from the top level I had five wonderful seasons with Tenby United, who gained promotion in the first two seasons of National League Rugby with talented players like Ben Childs, the Evans brothers, Colwyn Harts, Peter Kidney, Eddie Lewis and Neil Truman, to name a few.
 
“I ended up where I started, back playing for Neyland and there were some very good players there too, and my message is simple – if you have rugby ambitions give them a go – because you never know where they will lead you!”