Grand celebration of victory (From Barry And District News)

Grand celebration of victory

THE party was six weeks late, but Wales finally celebrated its historic Grand Slam victory in style.

Around 20,000 fans, many from Gwent, gathered at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the first official Grand Slam celebration in 27 years.

The jubilant crowd, who filled the top two tiers of one side of the stadium, cheered as they relived key moments from each of the team's glory games, and enjoyed music from some of the country's best-known talent.

The trophy itself made a dramatic entry into the stadium on a zip wire, ironically to the theme of Mission Impossible.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, on their first public appearance together in Wales, presented the team captains with the trophy to rapturous applause - much to the relief of organisers.

Earlier, the announcement of the newlyweds' presence was greeted with boos from some of the crowd.

But as the royal couple joined the players on the pitch, cheers and shouts of "Wales, Wales" filled the air.

Camilla, in a pink dress and jacket, seemed keen to avoid the embarrassing situation John Redwood once famously found himself in.

The Duchess was seen to read from notes as she and her new husband joined the team in singing the Welsh national anthem.

The Wales coach, Blaina's Mike Ruddock, told the Argus he had thoroughly enjoyed the day.

He said: "I thought it went very well. It's been great to reflect on our Six Nations success and share that great passion with the public who have supported us so well."

He defended the controversial decision to mark the occasion with the concert rather than an open-top bus tour, as many fans had hoped.

He said: "It would have been difficult to decide where to have held the tour. This way everyone has the chance to share in the success and we have raised a lot of money for a very good cause."