The Chambers family were totemic figures in the social and industrial life of Llanelli during the Victorian era, with Charlie Chambers, the won of William (junior) also leaving an indelible mark on the sporting history of both the town and the region as a whole, as he played a key role in the creation of the St. Helen’s sporting complex at Swansea, besides serving as the founding President of the Welsh Football Union (which later became the Welsh Rugby Union).
Born at Llanelli House and educated at Cheltenham College, Charlie showed promise as a batter and appeared for the Glamorgan Colts in their trial match at The Gnoll in Neath during May 1869 as the county’s selectors ran their eye over some of the young talent. Charlie – or ‘Zulu’ as he was known by his closet friends – didn’t give them much to ponder on as he bagged a pair in the game.
Nevertheless, after some decent innings for Swansea CC, Charlie featured in the trial matches staged by the South Wales Cricket Club, staged at Swansea, in 1876 and 1878 before going on the Club’s tour to London, playing at The Oval, Prince’s, Hove and Lord’s where he made his highest score in a representative match with an unbeaten 48 against the MCC.
1878 also saw Charlie play in the South Wales team which played the Australians and scored 8 and 2, as the tourists won by an innings. As both captain and secretary of the Swansea club, Charlie had played a key role in the organization of the match as well as the contest in May 1876 between the town’s club and the United South of England as well as the following year, involving the All-England XI. Charlie also featured on the South Wales Club’s tour to the Home Counties in 1879, playing at Lord’s, The Oval and Hove, as well as the match at the Arms Park in 1880 against the MCC as well as the contest in 1881 between the Gentlemen and Players of South Wales at Swansea.
Charlie was delighted to take part in these major matches at St. Helen’s as he had played a key role in the development of the ground, as well as the evolution of rugby and the creation of both a club and venue for the oval-ball game. He had been amongst a group of young men in their twenties and thirties from Swansea who started playing football in 1872, with a match taking place that year under Association rules against Neath. Largely through his friendship with CP Lewis, Charlie persuaded the footballers to switch to the rugby code, with the first practice taking place in mid-October 1874 at Primrose Field, and followed on 14 November 1874 with a match against Llandovery College, with Charlie captaining the Swansea XV.
The following year he was instrumental in persuading JTD Llewelyn and James Livingstone that, what had been described as “The New Cricket Field at St. Helen’s”, should also have space devoted to rugby, besides advising JTD and others about the dimensions of the playing area for the oval-ball game. The name of the Swansea club had already been changed to Swansea Cricket and Football Club, but the winter game remained subservient to the summer one, with an agreement that no rugby would be played until November and that they would be off the field by March so that the grass could recover in time for the cricket season.
In March 1881, Charlie was also appointed as the President of the newly-founded Welsh Football Union and over the course of the next few years he helped oversee their early international games. However, his thriving business interests as an iron ore merchant saw him leave the area in 1885 and move to London. He duly spent the rest of his life living in the Ealing area, but keep a keen eye on the further development of the Welsh rugby team, as well as the metamorphosis of the South Wales Cricket Club into Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
CHAMBERS, Charles Campbell
Born – Llanelli House, 23 May 1850.
Died – Ealing, 4 November 1906.