Sport
Athletes book their places for Oakwood
IT’s been a busy few days for school children across the Dyfed & Afan Nedd Tawe Districts last week.
Places at the Dyfed Championships were up for grabs in midweek whilst pupils in Afan Nedd Tawe headed to Margam Park for the Apollo Teaching Services cross country trial.
A few hundred School pupils from the four areas in Dyfed went head to head as runners looked to book their spots at this week’s Dyfed Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships at Oakwood Theme Park.
Pembrokeshire, Brianne, Ceredigion and Llanelli hosted area events on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday featuring nearly 30 schools. There were races for almost all year groups at secondary school level with all pupils invited to represent their school.
Fixtures began with the Year 7 athletes taking part in this competition for the very first time following their step up from primary over the summer. They were followed by the combined Year 8 and 9 race and Year 10 and 11. Distances varied by race with all competitors running around the perimeter of the fields.
Pembrokeshire Secondary Schools including Haverfordwest High School, Ysgol Harri Tudur, Ysgol Y Preseli, Ysgol Greenhill, Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Milford Haven School were the first to set off at Haverfordwest Racecourse.
Just a few hours later some 50 miles away at Ammanford Recreation Ground, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth, Ysgol Bro Myrddin, Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, QE High School, and Llandovery College gathered outside the Rugby Club field for the Brianne Secondary Schools races.
This follows two league matches that have already been held in Brianne back in September and October. Other fixtures are scheduled for February and March 2019.
The Ceredigion Secondary Schools Championships certainly had the better of the conditions at the Urdd Campus in Llangrannog as the sun made an appearance despite the cold elements. Ysgol Aberaeron, Ysgol Bro Pedr, Ysgol Penweddig, Ysgol Penglais, Ysgol Emlyn, Ysgol Aberteifi, Ysgol Henry Richard and Ysgol Bro Teifi were all in attendance.
The fourth and final event of an action-packed week went to the 2019 Welsh Athletics Cross Country Championships hosts, Pembrey Country Park for the Llanelli Secondary Schools.
Runners from six schools had to contend with strong winds and driving rain, but luckily for pupils from Ysgol Y Strade, Ysgol Bryngwyn, Ysgol Coedcae, Ysgol Glan-Y-Mor, St Michaels School and St John Lloyd School, the underfoot conditions were ideal as is always the case at Pembrey.
Medals were awarded to the first three in each race and the event again incorporated an inter schools shield.
Sport
Swifts eyes on double.
Monkton Swifts reserves have blown away the second division this season and now have the double in their sights. They face Merlins Bridge reserves in the semi final of the second division cup and lived up to their favourites tag.
Swifts won comfortably with key player Butland getting three assists and Josh Sture grabbing a brace. Waterman and Rhys Sture added the other goals as outstanding Monkton won 4-0.
Herbrandston and Johnston played in the other semi final and this was a much harder fixture to call. The promoted Herbie a younger and perhaps less physical outfit in comparison to the Tigers. Johnston quickly took control of the game when they found themselves two up after just 29 minutes.
However when Scott Murray was shown a red card just eight minutes later, Herbie would have been confident of staging a comeback. Despite being a man light, Johnston held Herbie until the final minute of the 90, when Alex Ouzman gave Herbie late hope. The Tigers held firm however and progress to the final where they will be underdogs. A tag that I’m sure the players and manager Steven Allen won’t mind too much.
Sport
Tenby hit five against downbeat Bridge
On a beautiful day in Tenby, the hosts welcomed Merlins Bridge to The Clicketts, fresh from their West Wales semi final defeat midweek.
The Bridge squad was missing some influential players after picking up some injuries and the visiting team asked questions over the fitness of the pitch, which, according to the Bridge management, was too hard.
The referee waved these away and the game was on, with the Tenby squad clearly thinking they were already in the heads of the Bridge team.
Almost straight from Kick off Tenby set their stall out with some great attacking play, which Jerome Mansbridge benefitted from in just the second minute putting the home team ahead.
The bridge players weren’t at the races and Tenby capitalised scoring a further 4 first half goals, including a Mansbridge hat trick, leaving the away team bewildered and 5-0 down at half time.
What could have been a hugely embarrassing defeat for a team that harboured title hopes at the beginning of the season, turned around somewhat at half time, when Dai Davies, the club captain, almost singlehandedly dragged them to a much higher level in the second half, ensuring his players kept their discipline and worked hard against a very good Tenby team. Undoubtedly Merlin’s Bridge were the better team in the second period, but the damage had already been done in the first half, and despite Bridges best efforts, the score remained 5-0 to the home team.
In a game which saw Tenby jump to 4th in the league, they can be hugely proud of their season and will look to build on that for their next in Division one.
A fantastic game on a beautiful day with a good home crowd watching, the team from the Clicketts will be justifiably happy with their afternoons work.
Tenby 5-0 Merlins Bridge.
Sport
Preseli poses a challenge for novice crews
THE END of April will see the popular novice night rally organised by the Teifi Valley Motor Club being held in Pembrokeshire. On the weekend of 27th and 28th April, Rali Bro Preseli will see 75 novice crews tackling the winding and challenging roads that Pembrokeshire has to offer.
Clerks of the Course, father and son Richard and Jason Davies along with Aled Richards have a terrific route lined up for competitors. Starting as usual at the Crymych Mart, the route will appeal to all novice drivers and navigators.
“It will offer a bit of everything. It will be challenging but easy to follow with some whites thrown in the mix. Aled has designed the whole route and we’ve done the donkey work,” said Jason, now in his second year as Clerk of the Course.
As regular competitors, Jason and Richard wanted to give something back to the sport and they enjoy being on the organising side of the things.
Jason, who won the Bro Preseli with his father in 2013, explained: “We’ve competed in the Preseli on several occasions, and we decided to give something back to the sport and that’s why dad and I thought it would be a good idea to help.
“It’s interesting to see how it all comes together and the work involved, and there’s a lot of that,”
He also won the event with Tim Hand in 2016 and was fourth overall in 2019.
Aled Richards, Joint Clerk of the Course, knows the routes of Rali Bro Preseli like the back of his hand having only ever missed it once since its formation in 2003. He’s driven on four of them in 2005 – 2008 with the best result of a 4th place with Arwel Jenkins in the navigator seat.
Aled has been Chief Marshal on Rali Bro Preseli since 2013 before moving on to being Clerk of the Course this year and competitors can look forward to a great event.
Aled told the Herald: “This is the first time I’ve been Clerk of the Course, but we have a good team with Dylan Davies as Chief Marshal and Olwen Davies as Secretary.
“I live some 30 miles away from the actual route, but we’ve been around it twice and I’m confident it will be a good yet challenging night. Some of the whites are currently waterlogged but the farmers have been brilliant and offered to help clear the tracks before the event and we are very grateful.”
The rally, kindly sponsored by Arjay Factors and Home James Taxis, will have four official Spectator Points on the night and the locations will be available at signing on.
The Clerks of the Course and the Teifi Valley Motor Club would like to thank all those who have helped to organise the event – landowners, homes en route, petrol at Brian Llewellyn a’i Ferched, and the start and finish venues – Crymych Mart and the Teifi Waterside Hotel.
-
News7 days ago
Search for missing teenager Luke continues at Pembroke Dock
-
News5 days ago
Police issue update on the search for Luke, missing from Pembroke Dock
-
News7 days ago
Man jailed after scarring police officer in Narberth altercation
-
News7 days ago
Pembrokeshire hostel manager narrowly avoids jail sentence
-
Sport5 days ago
Herbrandston Clinch Promotion to Division One
-
News4 days ago
20mph U-turn: Some roads will return to 30mph following public outcry
-
Community4 days ago
Miracle pup finds her forever home after heart-wrenching journey
-
Crime7 days ago
Pembrokeshire car salesman caught driving on cocaine