Idwal Robling

Male, Deceased Person

1927 – 2011

69

Who was Idwal Robling?

James Idwal Robling was a Welsh sports commentator, who worked for the BBC in Wales for almost 40 years.

Robling was born in Ynyshir in the Rhondda Valley, where he attended the local grammar school. His education was interrupted by the Second World War, and upon being called up was accepted for service in the Royal Navy. However, he was selected by ballot to become a Bevin Boy so instead of going to the Navy he was conscripted to work in the coal mines. After the war, he resumed his education and qualified as a teacher after attending Caerleon College and Loughborough University, although instead of teaching he decided on a different career and became a manager at the Lovell's sweet factory in Newport, Monmouthshire.

Robling was an outstanding amateur footballer, and was part of the Great Britain squad for the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki. He won 13 caps as an amateur international for Wales, and captained the team on one occasion. He also played for Lovell's Athletic, his company's works team which played at a high level in the amateur Southern League. As his playing career wound down he became involved in sports reporting, and in the 1960s he worked part-time for both BBC Wales Radio as a sports commentator as well as writing reports for The Times, but he was still working as a sales manager in 1969, when he won the BBC competition to find an extra person for the BBC's 1970 World Cup commentary team. Ten thousand people entered, and Robling's rivals in the final six included Ed Stewart, Ian St John and Gerry Harrison. In the final round of judging Robling was tied with Ian St John, and the casting vote went to the then England football manager Sir Alf Ramsey. It was sometimes mischievously said that the reason Robling won was because Ramsey would never consider voting for a Scotsman.

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Born
1927
Ynyshir
Died
2011

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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