2002 in Wales

* 2001
* 2000
* 1999
* 1998
* 1997

|  | 2002

Wales |

* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007

|
|
|

Centuries:|

* 19th
* 20th
* 21st
*   *

Decades:|

* 1980s
* 1990s
* 2000s
* 2010s
* 2020s

See also:| List of years in Wales
Timeline of Welsh history

2002 in
The United Kingdom

England
Scotland
Elsewhere
Welsh football: • 2002–03

This article is about the particular significance of the year 2002 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

[edit]

For United Kingdom incumbents, see 2022 in the United Kingdom § Incumbents.

* First Minister – Rhodri Morgan[1]
* Secretary of State for Wales
* Paul Murphy (until 24 October)[2]
* Peter Hain
* Archbishop of Wales – Rowan Williams, Bishop of Monmouth (translated)
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
* Meirion Evans (outgoing)[3]
* Robyn Llŷn (incoming)

## Events

[edit]

* In the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons poll,[4] those with a Welsh connection who finished in the top 100 were:
* Diana, Princess of Wales – 3
* Elizabeth I of England – 7
* Owain Glyndŵr – 23
* Henry VIII of England – 40
* Aneurin Bevan – 45
* Henry V of England – 72
* Richard Burton – 96
* 14 February – at the Ogmore by-election, the Labour Party candidate Huw Irranca-Davies holds the seat held by Sir Ray Powell until his death[5]
* 13 March – The ferry MS Stena Europe is introduced on the Fishguard-Rosslare route.[6]
* April – Welsh Assembly Government concessionary travel scheme (‘Cerdyn Cymru’) entitles over-60s and registered disabled people to uniform free off-peak travel on all stage carriage bus services.
* May – H & Claire release their debut single.
* May 25 – Jessica Garlick represents the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Estonia.[7]
* June
* Archaeologists discover the Newport ship.
* DNA from the exhumed body of Joe Kappen proves beyond reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the murders of three teenage girls in 1973.
* June 18 – Cowbridge businessman Peter Shaw is kidnapped while working in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is held in brutal conditions until he escapes in November.[8]
* June 28 – David Morris receives four life sentences for the Clydach murders of June 1999. Despite his having been a suspect days after the murder was committed, it had taken police 21 months to arrest and charge him.
* July
* Research reveals that Wales has the highest figures for company failures of any region of the UK.
* Ebbw Vale Steelworks shut down.
* August – "Barney" saves his owners' lives by warning them of a fire at their home in Wrexham.
* August 5 – Rowan Williams is admitted to the Gorsedd of bards.
* October – Archaeological excavations on a Bronze Age site recover the Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc, one of the earliest gold objects found in Wales.
* October 24 – Paul Murphy is appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

## Arts and literature

[edit]

* Connie Fisher wins the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship in the National Eisteddfod "Songs from the Shows" competition.
* Menna Elfyn is named Poet Laureate for the Children of Wales.

### Awards

[edit]

* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Myrddin ap Dafydd
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Aled Jones Lewis
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – O! Tyn y Gorchudd – Hunangofiant Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price
* Wales Book of the Year:
* English language: Stevie Davies, The Element of Water[9]
* Welsh language:
* Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Eirug Wyn[10]
* John Tripp Prize for Spoken Poetry – Cliff Forshaw

### New books

[edit]

#### English language

[edit]

* Richard J. Evans – Telling Lies About Hitler
* Ken Follett – Hornet Flight[11]
* Steve Jones – Y: The Descent of Men[12]
* Jo Mazelis – Diving Girls
* Jan Morris – A Writer's House in Wales[13]
* Steve Strange – Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
* Rachel Trezise – In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl
* Rowan Williams – Arius – Heresy and Tradition

#### Welsh language

[edit]

* Grahame Davies – Cadwyni Rhyddid
* Angharad Price – O! Tyn y Gorchudd
* Eirug Wyn – Bitsh[10]

### Drama

[edit]

* Dic Edwards – Franco's Bastard[14]

## Film

[edit]

* Christian Bale stars in Laurel Canyon.
* Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter for the third time, in Red Dragon.[15]

### Welsh-language films

[edit]

* Gwyfyn.[16]
* Oedd yr Addewid

## Music

[edit]

* 3SL – "Take it Easy" (single)
* Carreg Lafar – Profiad (album)[17]
* Feeder – Comfort In Sound (album)
* Mclusky – Mclusky Do Dallas[18]
* Bonnie Tyler – Heart & Soul/Heart Strings (album)

## Broadcasting

[edit]

### English-language television

[edit]

* Cable TV (chat show with Stuart Cable)[19]

### Welsh-language television

[edit]

* Gwyfyn[20]

## Sport

[edit]

### BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year

[edit]

* Mark Hughes[21]

### 2002 Commonwealth Games

[edit]

* 25 July to 4 August – At the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the Wales team wins a total of 33 medals: 6 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.[22]

### Cycling

[edit]

* Andrew Windsor wins the Welsh National Road Race Championships.

### Football

[edit]

* John Fashanu becomes Chairman of Barry Town.
* Barry Town are Welsh Cup winners after beating Bangor City 4–1, and win a sixth League of Wales title.
* Winners of the three divisions in the Welsh Football League are: Ton Pentre (Division 1), Garden Village (Division 2) & Newport YMCA (Division 3).
* Welshpool Town are champions of the Cymru Alliance.

### Horse racing

[edit]

* 27 December – The Welsh National is won by Mini Sensation, ridden by Tony Dobbin.[23]

### Rugby union

[edit]

* December – Brynmawr RFC and Abertillery RFC withdraw from the Principality Cup, after the Welsh Rugby Union makes an error during the live radio draw for the fifth round.[24]

### Snooker

[edit]

* 27 January – Paul Hunter wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.[25]
* 3 March – Mark Williams wins the China Open tournament in Shanghai.[26]
* 15 December – Mark Williams wins his second UK Championship title.[27]

## Births

[edit]

* 23 February – Emilia Jones, actress, daughter of Aled Jones
* 15 September – Medi Harris, swimmer[28]
* 17 December – Matt Richards, Olympic swimmer (in Worcester)[29]
* 22 December – Emma Finucane, cyclist[30]

## Deaths

[edit]

* 2 January
* Ian Grist, politician, 63[31]
* Arthur Joseph, cricketer, 82
* 7 January – Jon Lee, rock musician, 33
* 12 January – Moss Evans, trade union leader, 76[32]
* 3 February – Edward Thomas Chapman, Victoria Cross recipient, 82
* 22 February – David James, cricketer, 80
* 7 March – Geoff Charles, photojournalist, 93[33]
* 2 March – Mary Grant Price, costume designer, 85[34]
* 3 March – Bill Hopkin, rugby player, 87
* 6 March – David Jenkins, Librarian of the National Library of Wales 1969–79, 89
* 7 May – Sir Ewart Jones, organic chemist and academic administrator, 91[35]
* 26 September – Willie Davies, Wales international rugby union and league player, 86[36]
* 6 October – Nick Whitehead, athlete, 69[37]
* November – Ernie Jones, footballer, 81/82
* 3 November – Sir John Habakkuk, economic historian, 87[38]
* 20 November – George Guest, organist and choirmaster of St John's College, Cambridge, 78[39]
* December – Brian Morgan Edwards, businessman, 68
* 10 December – Steve Llewellyn, rugby league player, 78
* 24 December – Jake Thackray, singer-songwriter, 64[40]
* 31 December – Billy Morris, footballer, 84

## See also

[edit]

* List of statutory instruments of the Welsh Assembly, 2002
* 2002 in Northern Ireland

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hannan, Patrick (18 May 2017). "Rhodri Morgan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
2. ^ "Murphy returns as Welsh secretary". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
3. ^ "An Archdruid's Experiences". People's Collection Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
4. ^ "100 great British heroes". BBC News. 21 August 2002. (contains the top 100, sorted alphabetically)
5. ^ "Labour holds Ogmore with cut majority". BBC News. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
6. ^ "Stena Europe – Stena Line". NIFerrySite. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
7. ^ "Final of Tallinn 2002". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
8. ^ Owen Bowcott (8 November 2002). "Free at last: Briton escapes after four months held in a hole in the ground". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
9. ^ "Best Books of 2002". The Observer. 1 December 2002. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
10. ^ a b D Ben Rees (11 June 2004). "Eirug Wyn". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
11. ^ Ken Follett (2002). Hornet Flight. Pan. ISBN 9780330490689.
12. ^ Jones, Steve (2003). Y: The Descent of Men. Flamingo. ISBN 0-618-13930-3.
13. ^ Lively, Penelope (23 February 2014). "A Writer's House in Wales". The Independent. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
14. ^ Rebecca Nesvet. "Franco's Bastard". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
15. ^ James Hendicott (10 January 2016). "Anthony Hopkins regrets 'Silence of the Lambs' sequels". NME. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
16. ^ "Mwynhad yn y tywyllwch" [Enjoyment in the dark] (in Welsh). BBC. 26 November 2002.
17. ^ The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. St. Martin's Press. 2003. p. XLIV.
18. ^ Reardon, Tom (25 August 2014). "10 Underrated Punk Albums That Should Be Considered Classics". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
19. ^ "Stereophonics sack drummer Cable". BBC Wales. 25 September 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
20. ^ Robyn Tomos (1 November 2003). "Ffilm hynod sy'n brawf bod y diwylliant teledu Cymraeg wedi aeddfedu" (in Welsh). Western Mail.
21. ^ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
22. ^ "Commonwealth Games Manchester 2002". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
23. ^ "2:50 Chepstow, Coral Welsh National Showcase Handicap (Chase) Class A Grade 3". Racing Post. 27 December 2002.
24. ^ "Abertillery withdraw from Cup". BBC Sport. 11 December 2002.
25. ^ "2002 Welsh Open Results". Snooker Database. 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
26. ^ "China Open 2002". snooker.org. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
27. ^ "UK Championship full results". BBC Sport. 11 December 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
28. ^ "Medi Harris profile". Eurosport. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
29. ^ "Richards Matthew". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
30. ^ "Profile". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
31. ^ Andrew Roth (22 January 2002). "Ian Grist". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
32. ^ Geoffrey Goodman (14 January 2002). "Moss Evans". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
33. ^ Troughton, William. "Charles, Geoffrey (1909-2002), photographer.". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
34. ^ Veronica Horwell (16 April 2002). "Mary Grant Price". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
35. ^ Pearce Wright (18 May 2002). "Sir Ewart Jones". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
36. ^ Frank Keating (8 October 2002). "Willie Davies". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
37. ^ "Nick Whitehead: Olympic sprinter and influential sports administrator". The Independent. 12 October 2002. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009.
38. ^ Negley Harte (14 November 2002). "Sir John Habakkuk". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
39. ^ John Gummer (4 December 2002). "George Guest". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
40. ^ Alan Clayson (28 December 2002). "Jake Thackray". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.