A YEAR punctuated by resignations - initially triggered by those of two life members - ended for Cardigan Rugby Football Club with the bombshell announcement that chairman and first team manager Jon Lewis (pictured right) has opted to stand down.

His decision to do so came at the club's well attended AGM on Friday evening.

And Mr Lewis pulled no punches in addressing the meeting.

While he was, on the one hand pleased to report that "solid progress" had been made with regard to the club's finances, he branded as "disgraceful" the behaviour of some of the club's players in switching to National League first divisioners Narberth for pre-season training.

"In shrugging their shoulders and saying they can't be bothered, they are letting down the club, the town and most of all themselves.

"Not one of them had the common decency to ring me up and tell me what they are doing," he said.

One of his main targets as chairman had been to try to bridge the yawning gap that is evident between the committee and players.

In declaring that he was not standing for re-election, he added that he will nevertheless continue to help the club in any way and thanked the club for asking him to do the job in the first place.

Concerning their slowly but surely turning things round on the financial side, Mr Lewis said that this had largely been achieved because terms had been re-negotiated with the brewery and because costs had generally been cut and sponsorship income increased.

Turning to the playing record of the past season, he said that it had to be seen as a failure. A number of players nevertheless deserved great credit for their efforts and the honest way they kept plugging away at it.

"This season, however, is a different kettle of fish. I agree with Derek Burton (the club's development officer who last week resigned his position as senior coach) that the players currently training with Narberth - apart from No 8 Chris Jones who told us up front that he was going to try his hand at playing at a higher level - are behaving disgracefully."

The AGM was chaired by life president Mr Ian Gollop.

The management committee was re-elected en bloc and the return to the fold of life members Steve Czech and Raymond Thomas was especially welcomed.

Officers re-elected for the ensuing year included the following: life president, Ian Gollop; treasurer, Bill Sutton; and secretary, Graham Rees.

Mr Gollop made a point of thanking Jon Lewis for all he had done for the good of the club and expressed appreciation as well to the management committee, ladies' committee and the major sponsors, including Robert Davies Motors Ltd, Llechryd; David Harries Motor Factors Ltd; Colin Rowland (Cowbridge); Nick Laing (Innkeeper Wales Ltd); and Robert Lloyd (Eatonfield Holdings Ltd).

Thanks were also accorded both Mr Gollop and Mr Jon Lewis for their generous sponsorship backing.

* At a 'private' meeting of the management committee afterwards, Mr Gollop agreed to take up the chairmanship for a year.

He did so on the basis that there will be two vice-chairman for this period and these duties will be taken up by Laurence Harris and Hefin Harries.