William Griffiths (field hockey player)

William Salterlee Griffiths (born June 26, 1922) was a British field hockey player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the British field hockey team, which won the silver medal. He played all five matches as forward.

Dr W.S. Griffiths was President of Abergavenny Hockey Club from 1967 – 2007, for 40 of the club’s 110 years existence.

Bill was about 14 years of age when he started to play hockey. He was to represent Great Britain on 8 occasions and is the proud holder of an Olympic Silver Medal which he won at the 1948 London Olympic Games when Great Britain came second to gold medallists India in the final. He played in all the matches of that Olympic campaign. His GB caps were awarded against Switzerland, USA, Pakistan, India, Holland (twice), France and Afghanistan.

Whilst a student at Cambridge University Bill was awarded a hockey blue. When World War II came he joined the RAF and was posted to South Africa where he continued to play hockey and became a PT instructor.

On returning to Wales and to Cardiff University to complete his medical studies Bill played hockey for Newport Athletic and joined Abergavenny in 1950.

By then Bill had already accumulated 10 Welsh international caps, the first of which was in 1947 against Ireland. In total Bill played 32 times for Wales and ended his international career in 1956 when he travelled to Amsterdam to play Holland. Two of those 32 international games were played at Abergavenny Cricket Club – against England in 1949 and Ireland in 1954.

Bill was a forward thinking player in his heyday. At the 1948 Olympic Games all teams except India played with broad English head sticks. India used short rounded head sticks similar to those that we use today. Bill tried to convince players that the Indian head was the only way forward but to no avail. The English head was still being used in the 1952 Olympics.

Bill’s speciality was the reverse stick cross from the left wing – reasonably easy to achieve with an Indian head stick but nigh on impossible with the cumbersome English head.

The club celebrated Bill’s 40 years of Presidency on the 21st November, 2007 and the incoming President, Trevor Scott thanked Bill for his unfailing interest and support during all of that time: “We have been very, very fortunate to have had such a distinguished sportsman and gentleman to be our President. It will be a hard act to follow.”

Paul Harrington, club Chairman, said “In sport as in life you have to earn respect and it is beyond any doubt that Bill accomplished this with ease, remaining a tough uncompromising player on the pitch while being generous and giving wise council off it”.

Former President of the Welsh Hockey Association, Alan Carter, recounted his first experience of playing Abergavenny while still a student in 1951, when Abergavenny’s reputation made it one of the best clubs in Wales. He went on to explain how goalkeepers of the time stood in trepidation as Bill came up to strike a penalty corner. Alan says that in his opinion “Bill ranks as one of the top half dozen players ever to have graced Wales and Great Britain hockey”

Chairman Paul Harrington, President Trevor Scott and current player Michael Potts made the presentation of an engraved sundial to Bill. Michael is Bill’s Grandson, following the family tradition.

External links

* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=GRIFFWIL01 profile]