THE giant-killing Welsh rugby club, adopted by Prince Charles for 13 years, has finally revealed where its money is coming from to attract high calibre players.

At last, the secret is revealed of how such a tiny town, with just 2,000 residents, is topping the Indigo Welsh Premier League.

Week after week, Landovery Drovers is nonchalantly slaying formidable opponents.

Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Neath, and Pontypridd have all been swept aside by the incredible defending champions in the past two seasons.

Latest losers, Newport, were hammered 29- 7 at Church Bank, 35 miles north of Swansea.

It’s a riveting story steeped in fascinating folklore about a market town that once squeezed in 70 pubs, and played host to Billy the goat, owned by vicar Rhys Pritchard, who thrilled the locals with his taste for ale.

Folklore has no limit here, where gifted raconteurs love to talk about Twm Sion (Tom John) Cati, the infamous Robin Hood of Wales, who came down from his cave to rob the rich and forget to pay the poor.

This welcoming town has thrived on such mystical tales, but there’s nothing fictional or fanciful about its booming rugby club.

Nine wins from ten matches have already yielded 354 points against 159 this season. They are currently five points clear of Ebbw Vale at the top.

So what really IS the secret behind this phenomenal success?

Indeed, could a Welsh wizard be casting spells on dangerous rivals from a cabin in bluebell woods?

Not a bit of it.

Club president, Handel Davies, a retired county council building boss, agreed to scrum down and finally open up on what he describes as ‘the incredible journey’.

Now a life member, Handel joined the club 52 years ago, and wore the Drovers jersey for ten years, from youth squads to first team, as a reputed ‘tough’ scrum-half.

Retirement for Handel was spending the next 40 years  as a director, chairman, secretary, and now relishing his seventh year as president. 

Behind a justified smile Handel, 66 this month, recalled how a forward-looking committee paid a farmer £18,000 for an 18-acre field close to the town.

All of a sudden, their vision and ambition were excitedly ignited, and an incredible journey was about to begin.

 Four pitches were quickly marked out, and a stunning clubhouse appeared virtually overnight, erected by local builders who didn’t charge a penny.

A group of young players took breaks from training to tile the roof, and a spanking 500-seat grandstand went up in a flash, while ground capacity was fixed at 3,000.

Players had always believed they deserved better than changing in a pub and competing in a park.

Even then, the best was yet to come, as a ‘cash cow’ was about to be born that would produce enough money to attract high-quality players from way outside the area.

A luxury caravan/camping site was unveiled as the master-stroke of 91 pitches that has brought in loads of money for more than 30 years.    

Britain’s only Roman gold mine has flourished just five miles away until 1938, and the club can now boast that it had its own!  

Players are today directly linked to the caravan park income, and even registered as a company at Companies House.

Handel adds: “We’ve grown steadily through vision, ambition, energy, and having lots of people who work hard so that we can become bigger and better

“A significant sum is required to compete at this level.

“We search for high quality players to join our brilliant backroom staff, led by Euros Evans, an award-winning head coach.

“To buy the land, and move our headquarters was a momentous decision, and a watershed for the club.

“Our caravan park investment has provided a sustainable business model, which allows the club to compete at the highest level in the semi-pro Welsh premiership.”

Prop Wyn Jones, 31, played 94 times for Llandovery before graduating to the Scarlets, Wales, and the British Lions.

International stars Barry Williams, George North, and Andy Powell all honed their skills with the Drovers, though Powell’s drunken celebration went too far when he took a 20mph golf buggy on a three-mile spin along the M4 that ended in a court fine, driving ban, and being dropped by his country.

Speedy winger, Aaron Warren, holds a Drovers record of more than 100 tries, and says, “Hopefully, there are a lot more to come. We’re a great club with great supporters.”   

A royal charter was granted to Llandovery town in1485, and Prince Charles agreed to be the club’s royal patron from 2009 to 2022, when he succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to the throne.

During Charles’ time in the role, the club won the Welsh Cup, National Sevens four times, and last season were crowned Welsh champions.

All supreme performances to surpass all what the club had achieved in its 145 years.

Handel concludes: “The Welsh language and culture are  embedded in our club.

“Most of our players speak Welsh, which certainly helps to bamboozle the opposition.

“On and off the field we’ve been blessed with wonderful people, and together we are now moving on to the next stage of our incredible journey...”