Roy Gabe-Jones became the youngest county cricketer during the twentieth century when he made his County Championship debut for Glamorgan against Leicestershire at Cardiff Arms Park in 1922 aged just 15 years and 9 months.
Roy was the son of Rees Gabe-Jones, a prominent sportsman and doctor in the Rhondda Valley who played a handful of games for Glamorgan during the early 1890s. Like his father he was educated at Blundell`s School, joining Junior House in 1918 before moving to Old House where he was in residence from 1920 until 1925. Roy showed great promise as a young sportsman, playing rugby and cricket for the famous public school in Tiverton before returning each summer to play for Clydach Vale CC.
In 1922 Roy Gabe-Jones became the youngest county cricketer during the 20th century when he made his County Championship debut against Leicestershire at Cardiff Arms Park aged just 15 years and 9 months. Remarkably, it proved also to be his one and only appearance in first-class cricket.
This was the case in 1922 with the teenager having largely played for the Blundell’s 2nd XI and having few thoughts, if any, that he might ever play county cricket, never mind during that summer. But after a string of good scores in club cricket, Roy was chosen to play initially for The Pterodactyls alongside other youngsters with South Walian links who were being privately educated as well as appearing in a Glamorgan Colts game during early August at the Arms Park as the county’s selectors, after a run of dreadful results by the 1st XI, desperately sought fresh, young talent.
Cricket Archives.
When a number of amateurs withdrew for the closing match of the season against Leicestershire, Roy was drafted into the side. He soon showed his credentials as Leicestershire labouriously made 281-5 on the first day, with the correspondent of ‘The South Wales Echo’ being in no doubt that “the prettiest feature of play was the splendid fielding of the newcomer Roy Gabe-Jones, who delighted the crowd with his smart returns.”
Heavy rain interrupted the second day’s play and on the final morning, the inexperienced Glamorgan side were in danger of following-on when the schoolboy came in at number eight. Yet again, he rose to the occasion and helped his team avoid the follow-on as well as enjoying what was that season the rare luxury of a draw.
The correspondent of ‘The Western Mail’ was very impressed with his efforts and wrote “the outstanding feature of the Glamorgan innings was the patient and plucky display by Gabe-Jones, a youth not yet sixteen years of age, who kept his end up wonderfully for an hour and a half for his six runs and carried his bat of his first appearance.” It proved though to be his one and only innings as he was never called up again to play in the 1st XI.
Roy was captain of rugby and cricket at Blundell’s in both 1924 and 1925, with the youngster winning rave reviews for his play at outside-half, with the correspondent of ‘The Times’ writing in 1925 how, against Cranleigh, “Gabe-Jones stood out head and shoulders above the rest – he has all the makings of a great player.”
After a brief spell at Cambridge University, he returned to South Wales where he played rugby as a fly-half initially for Brecon RFC and the Cambrian Welfare side in Clydach Vale, before playing in a higher grade for Penygraig RFC. Some decent performances for the well-known valley club also led to Roy being selected to appear in Final Welsh trials during 1926/27, playing at scrum-half for an Anglo-Welsh XV against Bridgend before switching to his regular position at outside-half for the match at Gowerton for the Welsh Probables against a West Wales XV.
In 1927 Roy moved to live, work and play in Cardiff. He combined work in a laundry business by playing for the town’s rugby club, besides mixing with some of the leading amateur sportsmen in the Welsh capital. He made the first of what proved to be 96 appearances for Cardiff’s 1st XV in 1927/28 and was largely their reserve stand-off behind Harry Bowcott, the Welsh international. Roy also captained the Cardiff 2nd XV in 1931/32 before, in 1932/33, having greater opportunities in the 1st XV following Harry’s move to join London Welsh RFC.
Opposite – A cartoon showing Roy scoring a try against the New South Wales Warratahs in 1929. Photo Credit – Glamorgan Cricket Archives.
Roy duly formed a fine partnership with his good friend Maurice Turnbull, who was the 1st XV scrum-half. With Maurice`s quick and steady passing, Roy became an astute and clever fly-half, who also proved to be an excellent foil for the strong running centres. By common consent, the Cardiff team possessed the best set of backs that season in Welsh rugby, and were even described by one writer as “the wonder team.”
Their success led to Maurice’s call-up in February for the Wales team to play England at Twickenham. Harry was the nominated fly-half and a few weeks after the Wales victory – their first-ever at Twickenham – Roy finally got the nod from the selectors as he was chosen to travel as one of the reserves for the international against Ireland at Belfast.
The day before the match it was confirmed that Claud Davey, the talented centre with Sale RFC, had been unable to travel across the Irish Sea and there was much speculation on the newspapers as to how the vacancy would be filled.
The correspondent of ‘The Belfast Telegraph’ summed up the views of many by writing that “it is not beyond the range of possibility that Gabe-Jones may be asked to partner his club-mate Maurice Turnbull and that Bowcott will be moved to the centre.” However, the selectors opted instead for the experience of Frank Williams, the school-master from Yorkshire, and Roy was never called up again by the selectors.
It was with great irony that Frank was Roy’s brother-in-law. Born in Cardiff in January 1910 and educated at Cardiff High School, Christ College, Brecon and Trinity College, Carmarthen, Frank was the son of Dr WG Williams, the Medical Officer to Cardiff RFC. Shortly before the Christmas festivities in December 1933 Frank and Roy announced their engagements on the same day, with Erith Nicholls, the only daughter of Cardiff rugby legend Gwyn Nicholls, becoming Frank’s fiancée, whilst his sister Eileen became Roy’s fiancée.
Roy and Eileen got married at Eglwys Dewi Sant in Cardiff on 22 February 1937, but by this time he had retired from rugby. He had been appointed the Club’s captain for the 1933/34 season but, after returning to the ranks the following year and no prospect of an international call-up, he hung up his rugby boots at the age of 28. He had played for cricket for Cardiff for several seasons and was also chosen in the Welsh Cygnets team on several occasions, alongside several of his rugby-playing friends, as well as appearing between 1933 and 1935 for the Glamorgan Club and Ground side. Through his matches for the Welsh Cygnets, Roy had become close to playing for the Wales team, but their folding in the early 1930s meant that – like his rugby-playing career – he was unable to join the elite band of sportsmen who had represented Wales in first-class cricket as well as international rugby.
During the 1930s Roy worked in the laundry business of former Welsh rugby star Gwyn Nicholls (whose daughter Erith had married Frank Williams) before securing a senior clerical post with the Welsh Board of Health. Roy and Eileen had four children – Anthony Rees, Susan Gwenllian, Peter George Rhys and Derek Royston.
During the Second World War, Roy served with the Eighth Army in North Africa and during the Battle of El Alamein, he was the sole survivor of a pair of attacks on the tank he was occupying. Ironically, on each occasion it was the result of friendly fire involving American troops.
Having lived initially off Newport Road in the Roath district of Cardiff, Roy and Eillen moved to live in Newfoundland Road in Gablafa before heading to the northern outskirts at 226A Cyncoed Road. It was here in 1965 that Roy had a heart attack and died aged 58.
GABE-JONES, Arthur Royston
Born – Clydach Vale, 25 November, 1906.
Died – Cardiff, 26 February, 1965.
Best performance for Glamorgan:
In first-class cricket – 6* v Leicestershire at Cardiff Arms Park, 1922.
| M | I | NO | RUNS | AV | 100 | 50 | CT | ST | |
| First-class | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | – | – | – | – | – |