1959-60 under captain Brian Jones proved to be very successful. The team scored over 500pts and were runners-up in the Welsh Championship. Bryn Meredith beat 'Twyber' Travers' record as most capped Welsh hooker and during the season he was joined in the Welsh team by Brian Cresswell, Glyn Davidge and Geoff Whitson who formed an all Newport back row vs Scotland and Ireland in 1960 and also by Norman Morgan and Brian Jones.
Newport were one of the few teams to beat Welsh Champions Ebbw Vale and only lost their home record to the Barbarians in April 1960. Once again Norman Morgan was leading scorer (167pts.) and Clive Lewis scored 18tries. Ian Ford made 40 appearances to reach 295 in total.
One notable game at Rodney Parade this season was the Past v Present played on Wednesday, 9th September 1959. The game was set up to raise funds for the Newport Athletic Club Development Association, the Present scoring a narrow victory by 23pts to 21.
The match programme for the fund raising game set the scene:-
"NOTES"
"The "other side" tonight do not come under the category of visitors. They are proud ex 1st XV players, willingly taking the field to play their own particular brand of rugby football, and by their efforts hope to swell the kitty of the Newport Athletic Club Development Association. Their strenuous training sessions is a pointer to their keenness. Onllwyn Brace, who this season is skipper of Llanelly is the only one still in harness. Ken Sergeant (Crosskeys), Bobby Owen (N.H.S.O.B.), Roy Burnett, John Phillips, Ewart Pryor (Newport) and Doug Ackerman (Ebbw Vale) were in action last season. The "exhumed" players who really had to toughen up are Gerry "have a go" Gibbons, Bryn "Lefty" Williams, John "corner flag" Lane, Geotf "tank" Hirst, Let "dribble" Jones, Ben "kick" Edwards, Stewart "offside" Kimpton and Hcdley interception" Rowlands."
"When Roy Burnett followed the old Newport custom of throwing his boots over the bridge it was a sad day for all, and now we shall be privileged to see him yet once again leading his "Past" team tonight."
"It was rumoured that the "Past" lodged a complaint about the length Ben Edwards, who gets the maximum value for a penny from a weighing and width of the pitch, but the objection was not upheld, machine has been practicing goal kicking from all angles, and maybe now is an appropriate moment to have a moment’s silence for Fred Cox the head groundsman who has groaned everytime Ben has made his mark before kicking."
"Jack Wetter will kick-off."
"The Newport XV show one change from last Saturday, J. Bertie, who made a good impression in the trials and is an ex Youth player comes in for John Herrera who is injured. Gwyn Lewis who so frequently deputised for the second and back row of the scrum last season was injured at Llanharan playing for the United."
"There will be an old players re-union in the Bowls Pavilion after the game, and a pleasant get-together is forecast. This could be the inauguration of regular old players social gatherings."
"A dance will be held in the Gymnasium this evening and tickets will be on sale after the match."
"Selections will be played before the game by the Band of the 283rd Field Regiment R.A. (T.A.) by kind permission of ex Newport player Col. Ken Squire."
The Argus reported the game as follows:-
"Gay rugby"
"Present beat Past by 1g. 6t. 23pts. to 4g. (1p.g.) 1t. 21pts. in one of the gayest games ever played at Rodney Parade. And the old ones lasted right to the last minute, when a face-saving try came from the newest player of the Present, Jim Bertie, who thus celebrated his 21st birthday most appropriately."
"The big crowd loved every minute of a game that never flagged. How the old ones - “Let” Jones and Geoff Hirst had played their first game on the same pitch twenty years before - stuck the great pace was a mystery, but they did, and it really seemed late in the game that the Present team began to get a bit rattled."
"However, it was all good fun - even to the "bird" the crowd gave to referee Mr. Aneurin Williams when he awarded the Present their decisive try."
"Ben Edwards, still quite in a class of his own a marksman, converted three of the Past’s tries magnificently, and also kicked a penalty goal. Those tries were by Doug Ackerman, Bryn Williams, Ken Sargeant and Ewart Pryor."
"The Present’s tries, were scored by Gordon Britton (2), Clive Lewis (2), John Roblin, Geoff Whitson and Jim Bertie. Norman Morgan converted one."
"Past: G. Gibbon; Ken Sergeant, R. D. Owen, Brym Williams, John Lane; Roy Burnett (captain), D. O. Brace; G. Hirst, John Phillips, E. Pryor, L. E. T. Jones. Ben Edwards, S. Kimpton, D. A. G Ackerman, A. H. Rowland."
"Present: N. Morgan; C. Lewis, J. Roblin, B. J. Jones (captain), G. Britton; G. Evans, B. Scrivens; D. Greenslade, D. Williams, F. Williams, Ian Ford,, J. Bertie, B. Danaher, G.M Davidge, G. Whitson."
"Referee: Mr. A. Williams (Newport)."
