John Dimond has bid a final farewell to Barry RFC - and its plate-winning youth squad.
The head coach led his players to victory in the WRU Youth Plate in May - the club's first national title in its 137-year history.
Dimond, who played and coached at the Reservoir Field club for more than 20 years, saw his side clinch a 24-21 Plate victory over Gorseinon in the final at Rodney Parade, his final match with the club ending on a high.
Next season he will be going back to his roots as head coach of rugby at Sully Sports, the club – then known as Barry Plastics – where he first started playing at the age of 17.
Dimond (53) organised a get-together at Brynhill Golf Club where he paid personal tributes to all the players in the Youth squad, presenting individual trophies after saying a few words about each player.
The main awards for the season, previously announced at the club’s annual dinner in May, went to Tyler Reinholdt, player of the year; Morgan Prosser, coach’s player of the year; and Zac Edwards, players’ player of the year.
At Brynhill, Dimond also gave a special mention to several other players: Rauley Hunter, Ellis O’Grady, Caelan Hurley, Rhydian Jones, Joe Jenkins, Joey Morris, Jac Huggins, and Morgan Beasley.
And after paying tribute to the first-year players in the youth squad he wished them good luck in the 2025-26 season - their final year as youth players.
He also paid tribute to his coaching and behind the scenes team for all their efforts over the past few seasons, and thanked parents and supporters who had enthusiastically followed the team.
Dimond was also on the receiving end of tributes during the well-attended evening, which culminated in the presentation of a caricature by Jeff Giggs. Former Barry RFC chairman Jon Venners, along with former committee members, commissioned the artwork.
*Pre-season training at Sully Sports has started. “Anybody interested in turning up for training, wanting to be part of the club, on or off the field, or looking for a new challenge, can contact me on 07989 425885,” said Dimond.
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