Perpetual Parker
On Saturday 21st December 2019 Pontypridd beat Llanelli 26-15 at Sardis Road and aside from the Valley Commandos earning a hard-fought win over their West-Walian counterparts, the date of that match holds significance for Ponty player/coach Kristian Parker. The significance will be revealed in due course, but rewind a few months prior to that…
At the end of the 2018/19 season, Friday 17th May 2019 to be exact, Pontypridd enjoyed a 47-19 Valleys Derby win over Merthyr at Sardis Road. Struggling with injuries and availability Ponty announced Ebbw Vale second row Kristian Parker starting at lock via a permit from the Steelmen. His debut performance was so impressive that Pontypridd made Parker a permanent acquisition in the months that followed in readiness for the 2019/20 campaign – and what a campaign it would prove to be for the future Pontypridd skipper!
The 2019/20 season was cut short and a line was drawn underneath it in March 2020 due to the Covid-pandemic, but that didn’t detract from the plaudits that would come Parker’s way following a superb personal campaign. Already becoming a talisman in a relatively short space of time, the abrasive second row went on to clear up in terms of the Club’s end of season awards completing a treble win of Forward of the Year, Players’ Player and Supporters’ Player of the Year in the various categories.
Kristian re-signed for the Club ahead of the return of the rugby when the global pandemic eased, and Justin Burnell said on Parker re-committing: “He’s very durable, a typical workhorse, rarely misses a training session and can cover the second row, blindside flanker or No8 positions all with equal ability. What you get with Kristian is what it says on the tin, a player who gives his all for the cause.” It’s fair to say that after less than one full season with Pontypridd RFC that quote from Justin was pretty much spot on.
Anyway, what is the relevance of Ponty’s match against Llanelli on Saturday 21st December 2019? Incredibly, that match is the only match that Kristian has not appeared in for Pontypridd since making his debut for the Club! Kris has played 90 out of a possible 91 matches for the Valley Commandos since making his bow against Merthyr in May 2019, and our former captain has played in every single match, three full seasons since the Covid-restart – one of the longest streaks in our modern-day history!
In fact, it’s currently 1,674 days since Kristian Parker last missed a match for Pontypridd Rugby Football Club – an amazing achievement in anyone’s book!
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