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Bryncoch Bowls Club was started from an idea by Ron Michael and John Thomas in
1988. (Sadly John Thomas Died in 1997 aged 60). Len Amphlett was also one of the
first to become involved with the club and it was his enthusiasm to start the bowls club
along with Ron and John that it finally got off the ground. They placed posters around the
village to see what kind of interest there was for the start up of such a club. The first
meeting held was at the Lamb & Flag 12 people turned up so it was an encouraging turn
out. It was decided to go ahead with the idea. The question was where to play. Neath
Council offered greens at Dyfed Road Pontyrhdfen or Pontadawe. It was suggested by
Ron Haley that we contact B.P to see if we could share the Green at Llandarcy, B.P
Llandarcy Bowls club asked us to a meeting where they said they were willing to share
the green with Bryncoch. As this was a private green we applied to join the West Wales
Private Greens League. And was accepted in 1989.In the summer of 1989, now with a
membership of around 24 we played friendlies. In 1990 we played in the league for the
first time. Now we had to decide what badge would best represent the club. The first idea
put forward by Walter Mayers, the Red Admiral butterfly. He knew that Alfred Russell
Wallace lodged at Bryncoch Farm for two years to do a paper on the flora and fauna in
the Neath Valley and he studied the native Red Admiral at Bryncoch. That was our tie
badge for ten years until we changed this year For the blazer badge, that incorporates the
Red Admiral the parish church of St Matthew's and bowls.