✔905 Memorial Playing Fields

Ruthin Town 2-3 Airbus UK BroughtonCymru North Saturday 3rd February 2024

Ruthin/Rhuthun is a market town and the county town of Denbighshire, south of the Vale of Clwyd. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, surrounded by villages. (population:over 5,000)

There is evidence of Celtic and later Roman settlements in the area, but, little is known of the town’s history before Ruthin Castle, which was constructed from 1277 by Dafydd, the brother of prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.The name comes from the Welsh  - rhudd (red) and din (fort), after the color of sandstone bedrock, from which the castle was built between 1277 and 1284.

Ruthin football dates back to 1878 when a new club was formed, who reached the Welsh Cup final in 1880, only to lose 2-1 to Druids. The current club formed in 1951 when they joined the newly re-organised Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) as Ruthin British Legion. 

The club finished Division 2 runners up in their debut season winning promotion to Division 1, then followed up with a second place finish in the top division. The British Legion element of the name was dropped in 1953, becoming Ruthin Town F.C.

The team won the North Wales Amateur Cup in 1967 and 1973, then finally gained promotion to the Cymru Alliance in 1991-92, after finishing league runners up and winning the Premier Division Cup in the same year. Town briefly dropped back into the Welsh National League in 2013, but won promotion again in 2015-16, before becoming founder members of the Cymru North in 2019. 

Memorial Playing Fields

Park Road

Ruthin

Denbighshire

LL15 1PH

All the ground amenities are on one side of the ground at the car park entrance. There are two matching covered stands with blue seats and the team dugouts in between. The clubhouse, changing rooms and refreshment bar are all within one block in the corner of the ground. The rest of the ground is open with a cricket pitch behind the goal and another football pitch at the far side. 

In August 2021 Ruthin played Guilsfield for their first game under newly installed floodlights and refurbished player facilities. 

Ruthin Town 2(Dyer 55pen Owen 76)

Airbus UK Broughton 3(Davies 64 Lanceley 71 Lindfield 82)

JD Cymru North matchday 20/22

9th v 1st

2.30pm ko

Att. TBC 

Spondoolicks:

Admission £6

Pin badge £3

Tea £1.50, choccy bar £1

After a goalless first half all the action came after the interval. Tom Dyer fired in a penalty to give the hosts the lead, but the visitors soon replied when James Davies cut inside and produced a great finish into the top corner of the net. 

Broughton took the lead when a corner kick was headed into the path of Ollie Lanceley who poked the ball in from close range, but Ruthin fought back when 

Gwion Owen rode a couple of challenges, before an excellent finish into the ‘keeper’s left hand post. 

The winner came in the 82nd minute when a cross field pass was flicked on by Collins and met with a diving header from Craig Lindfield, to round off an entertaining second half and strengthen the Wingmakers position at the top of the division. 

#Heedhopper

199 miles door-to-door

I caught the 8.15 X1 bus to Houghton-le-Spring to meet Katie and Lee for the scheduled 9 o’ clock departure. On route we picked up Hull Hopper Dave from Micklefield Station, before arriving in Ruthen just before 1pm. Today was a double celebration, not only was it Lee’s birthday but also Dave’s 1,700th ground visit. We had lunch and a few drinks in the impressive JDW Castle Hotel, where we met up with Ian Beadle, who had also traveled across from Hull. 

Katie & Lee headed off to the ground, while me Dave and Ian nipped in for a bevvy in the Wine Vaults, before the short walk down to the ground from the town square. 

Another enjoyable day out, plus it was nice to tick off a ground in Cymru, and hopefully the opportunity arises to return to North Wales sometime soon.