'this rugby spellbound people'

A native of Cardiff who captained the Welsh Secondary Schools XV in 1965 and played for Cambridge University's 1st XV, Gwyn Prescott was awarded an MPhil in 2006 on the history of rugby and is author of numerous rugby histories including, Call Them to Remembrance - The Welsh Rugby Internationals Who Died in the Great War (St. David's Press, 2014 & 2021) and Arthur Gould - Rugby's First Superstar (St. David's Press, 2023).

• Foreword by Prof. Gareth WilliamsAcknowledgementsPrefaceAbbreviations1. Introduction: 'The contagion will spread'2. From Football to Rugby:'Neither dribbling fish nor handling foul'3. The Game is Established:'The running business'4. The Clubs:'In Cardiff and district surely their name is legion'5. Organisation and Participation:'Administered by the few, played by the many'6. Rugby's Wider Impact:'Football, or, Life in Cardiff'7. Conclusions:'The noble game is not totally unknown here'Appendices 1. Welsh Rugby Teams 1880-12. Cardiff and District Rugby Teams 1895-63. Club Competitions - Cardiff Area(i) Cardiff District Football UnionChallenge Cup 1886-1890 Junior Cup 1890(ii) Cardiff and District Football Union /Cardiff and District Rugby UnionMallett Cup 1893-2024Union Shield 1895-1910Ninian Stuart Cup 1911-2024Senior League 1895-1900Junior League to 1895-1900Second Junior League to 1900(iii) Cardiff Rugby Football ClubJunior Cup 1896-19004. Club Competitions - Wales(i) South Wales Football Union / Welsh Football UnionSouth Wales Challenge Cup 1878-19145. Cardiff Area Club Secretaries 1889-1891BibliographyIndex

"...scrupulously researched ... well written" Huw Richards, scrum.com; "Prescott paints a meticulous picture of Welsh rugby's growth in Victorian Britain" Rugby World; "...a fascinating piece of research and a major contribution to the history of rugby" Tony Collins; "excellent" Prof Martin Johnes