Jarrett became scourge of English
MONMOUTH’S list of star players is probably topped by Keith Jarrett, the ‘schoolboy prodigy’ who took England to the cleaners on his Wales debut in 1967.
The son of former Glamorgan cricketer Hal Jarrett, he was a standout cricketer and rugby player at the school, captaining both teams. In one season for Glamorgan Second XI he topped the batting and bowling averages with his fast medium pace claiming 39 wickets at 12.
For the First XV he starred mainly as a strong, long-striding centre although he did play at 15 in his final season. Up in north Gwent, Abertillery had already clocked his talent and Jarrett guested for them in midweek club games as Keith Jones before he migrated down to Newport, where he morphed back into Keith Jarrett.
Officially he left school at the end of the Christmas term in 1966 when the First XV season was over, but while playing for Newport he still represented Monmouth on the Sevens circuit in the Lent term including at Rosslyn Park a month before the game that forged his legend.
Wales – despite the emergence of Gareth Edwards, Barry John and Gerald Davies that season – were staring at a Championship whitewash and looking for a new full-back to replace the out of sorts Terry Price. Chairman of selectors Cliff Jones had recalled watching Jarret play full-back for Monmouth and asked Newport to trial Jarrett at 15 in a club game. It didn’t go well and Newport skipper David Watkins switched him back to centre at half-time. Jones couldn’t be swayed though and in one of the most successful selectorial hunches in history, Jarrett, below, made his sensational match-winning debut against England scoring 19 points in their 34-21 win.
Later that year he played for Glamorgan against the touring West Indies and Pakistan sides.
He toured South Africa with the 1968 Lions and was one of Wales’ more accomplished players on their difficult tour of New Zealand in 1969, but then turned professional with Barrow. Four years later he was forced to retire at the age of 25 having suffered a stroke.