page_title: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough
section_title: Sports and leisure
hierarchical_section_title: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough / Sports and leisure
caption_attribution_description: Sculpture of Eddie Thomas, Merthyr boxer, situated in Bethesda Gardens, Merthyr Tydfil
context_page_description: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough has been one of the 22 unitary authorities in Wales since 1 April 1996. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough today has a population of 60,183. It is located in the historic county of Glamorgan and takes its name from Merthyr Tydfil town. The County Borough consists of the northern part of the Taff Valley and the smaller neighbouring Taff Bargoed Valley. It borders the counties of Rhondda Cynon Taf and Caerphilly county borough.
context_section_description: Cricket
  Hills Plymouth Cricket Club is the oldest established Cricket club in the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, based in Pentrebach.
  Penydarren Country XI Cricket Club was founded in 1971 and currently play at the ICI Rifle Fields Ground. The club's most successful players being Paul Crump & Kerry Morgan.
  Boxing
  Merthyr is particularly known for its boxers, both amateur and professional. Some famous professional pugilists from the town include: Johnny Owen, Howard Winstone and Eddie Thomas.
  Football
  In sporting terms, Merthyr is widely recognised for the town's football team, Merthyr Town. 'The Martyrs' currently compete in the Evostick Southern Football League and play home games at Penydarren Park. The club had their proudest moment in 1987, when having won the Welsh Cup and qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup, they beat Italian football team Atalanta 2–1 at Penydarren Park.
  The town was once home to a fully professional Football League club, Merthyr Town F.C., which folded in the 1930s and Merthyr Tydfil AFC were founded in 1945. The year of 2008 marked the centenary of football having been played at Penydarren Park (1908 – 2008). After going into liquidation in 2010, the club switched grounds to.
  Treharris Athletic Western F.C. play at the Athletic Ground in Treharris. The club play in the Welsh Football League Division Two.
  Golf
  Merthyr Tydfil Golf Club is situated on the southeastern slopes of Cefn Cil Sanws, a rough gritstone and limestone hill in the north-west of the County Borough. It is one of the highest golf courses in Britain. Morlais Castle Golf Club is situated adjacent to the ruins of Morlais Castle on Morlais Hill, approximately 2 km to the east and at about the same altitude.
  Rugby union
  Merthyr RFC, is known as 'the Ironmen'. Merthyr RFC was one of the twelve founding clubs of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881.
  Bedlinog RFC, known as 'the Foxes' and Dowlais RFC were formed in the 1970s (though there were earlier versions of both).
  Rugby league
  Merthyr Tydfil is home to the Tydfil Wildcats Rugby League team who played at The Cage in Troedyrhiw until September 2010. For 2011 the club is hosted by Dowlais RFC. Merthyr Tydfil was one of the first rugby league sides formed in Wales in 1907 and notably beat the first touring Australian side in 1908.
caption: Sculpture of boxer Eddie Thomas in Bethesda Gardens
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