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Pembroke and District Amateur Swimming club is forty!

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The current Pembroke and District swimmers winners: County Championships at Haverfordwest

FORTY years ago saw the opening of the new Pembroke Sports centre on the site of the former grammar school at Bush in Pembroke. Alongside a sports hall, tennis and squash courts, for the first time the community of Pembroke and Pembroke Dock had its very own 25-metre four-lane swimming pool and learner pool. It wasn’t long before the newly appointed swimming teacher, Trina Bowen (Pearson) started a collaboration with the Sports centre manager Larry Jones and his late wife June to form a swimming club.

Larry (an ex Welsh record butterfly swimmer) became the first chief coach. With Trina and Janet Green, the founding members’ aims were simple; to get children of the local community swimming! Prior to this, if you wanted to teach your children to swim it involved a trip to Haverfordwest, which at that time meant crossing the Cleddau River by boat! Through those early days, support for the club grew as Trina with in her role as the swimming teacher. Seeing children swimming during their school sessions meant she was ideally placed to then try and entice them to come to improve their swimming at the swimming club sessions. The club continued strongly through the decades that followed with hundreds of local children getting the opportunity to learn to swim. At times, the membership of the club approached 300!

The early days of the swimming club saw mostly a family based system with many swimmers’ siblings inevitably getting involved and progressing through the ranks. Since the club’s inception, there have been many opportunities to compete for the swimmers to develop and improve their swimming. Many ex-members will recall a number of overseas trips to the Pembroke’s twin town Bergen in Germany.

Notably though, in addition to the swimming and competing, many friendships were formed and in many cases, still flourish today! Past members will recall happy memories of trips to the pantomime in Swansea, numerous discos and the annual BBQs at Freshwater East (instigated by the late Joan Chilton). Two stalwarts of the club, Dorothy Morgan and Keith Thompson, have both injected unbelievable amounts of time and effort over many years enabling the club’s continued success.

The structure of the club continues today as it did in the early days with a committee team of hard working parents and volunteers who carry out the day to day functioning of the club. Nowadays, the new aquatic structure, run in conjunction with Pembrokeshire County Council, allows swimmers with identified potential being filtered from the club into a more formal swimming pathway based in Haverfordwest. Indeed a number of Pembroke and District’s elite swimmers now perform at a National level within this structure.

However, they and the all the club’s members have one thing in common; their roots in Pembroke and District Swimming Club’s 25-metre pool! Ex-members of the club will always recall the annual fixture in the clubs calendar, the Club Championships held in December. With this being its 40th year, the current committee members and President of the Club wish to invite any ex-committee members and coaches to a celebratory buffet, which will be held on the 13th December at 12 noon, prior to the 40th club Championships at Pembroke Pool.

All attendees would then be most welcome to stay on to watch some of the current swimmers, who range from 6 years and upwards, competing in a fun atmosphere! If you are able to come then please contact Trina Bowen on 01646 641033 and if you have any old photographs, please bring them along. The current committee would be pleased to see some of the club’s history!

 

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More than 160 runners take on inaugural Llys-y-Frân 10km

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MORE than 160 runners crossed the finish line at Llys-y-Frân Country Park on Sunday as the inaugural Llys-y-Frân 10km brought together competitors of all abilities for a day of trail running and community fundraising.

Organised in partnership with AspireX Events and Run the Trails, the race followed a scenic route through the park’s woodland, trails and reservoir-side landscape.

Supporters gathered along sections of the course to cheer on the runners, creating an encouraging atmosphere throughout the event.

The race was held in support of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, which works to protect the county’s landscape and help more people experience the outdoors.

Katie Macro, Charity Director at the Trust, said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better first Llys-y-Frân 10km.

“Seeing more than 160 runners take part was incredible, and the atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic.

“Every runner, volunteer, supporter and sponsor played a part in making the event such a success, and we’re extremely grateful for the support we received.”

The Trust thanked AspireX Events and Run the Trails, particularly Jay Skipper and his team, for helping ensure the event ran smoothly from start to finish.

Sponsors Pure West Radio, Scott Williams Motorsports, Bridaltique and HealthAspire were also thanked for helping make the event possible.

Casey from All Things Fit led warm-up and cool-down sessions for participants, while visitors were able to browse coastal clothing from Sakura.

Podium winners also received goodie bags provided by Tamlyn from Hyla.

Photographers James from JWJT Media, Lilly-Louise Clynes and Dave Marriott captured images from throughout the day, documenting both the race and the community support surrounding it.

Katie added: “It has been wonderful to work alongside so many local businesses and individuals who gave their time, expertise and support.

“Partnerships like these create opportunities for people to get outdoors, experience Pembrokeshire’s incredible landscapes and bring our community together.

“We hope this is the first of many successful Llys-y-Frân 10km events.”

The Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust said it now hopes to build on the success of the inaugural race and continue working with AspireX Events and Run the Trails to encourage more people to explore Pembrokeshire through outdoor events.

Caption: Community spirit was on show at Llys-y-Frân Country Park as more than 160 runners took part in the inaugural Llys-y-Frân 10km in support of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust.

 

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Bluebirds continue pre-season preparations with victory over Caerau Ely

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Second-half goals from Lewis Rees and Will Hughes earned Haverfordwest County a 2-1 win at the Bridge Meadow

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY continued their preparations for the new JD Cymru Premier campaign with a 2-1 victory over Caerau Ely at the Bridge Meadow Stadium on Tuesday evening.

After a goalless opening 45 minutes, the Bluebirds took control of the contest with two goals in the space of seven second-half minutes.

Lewis Rees made the breakthrough in the 55th minute, putting the home side ahead following a closely contested first half.

Will Hughes then doubled Haverfordwest’s advantage in the 62nd minute, giving the Bluebirds what appeared to be a comfortable lead as the game entered its final half-hour.

Caerau Ely responded almost immediately, reducing the deficit just three minutes later to ensure Haverfordwest were made to work for the victory.

The Bluebirds successfully protected their narrow advantage during the closing stages to record a useful 2-1 win in their penultimate pre-season outing.

The fixture provided another opportunity for the Haverfordwest coaching staff to assess the squad, build match fitness and continue preparations ahead of the beginning of the competitive campaign.

Haverfordwest will now turn their attention to their final friendly of the summer when they welcome Llanelli Town to the Bridge Meadow Stadium on Saturday, July 25.

Kick-off is at 2:30pm, with the match representing the Bluebirds’ final opportunity to fine-tune their preparations before the 2026-27 JD Cymru Premier season gets under way.

Haverfordwest County 2-1 Caerau Ely

Scorers: Lewis Rees 55’, Will Hughes 62’; Caerau Ely 65’.

 

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Saka hat-trick fires England to bronze in ten-goal World Cup thriller

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Three Lions survive remarkable French fightback to claim third place with a 6-4 victory in Miami

ENGLAND ended their World Cup campaign with a bronze medal after defeating France 6-4 in an extraordinary third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday night.

Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as Thomas Tuchel’s side raced into a stunning four-goal lead before surviving a fierce second-half comeback led by Kylian Mbappé.

Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham were also on target for England, who secured their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966 and claimed third place in the competition for the first time.

Any fears that the disappointment of Wednesday’s semi-final defeat by Argentina would produce a subdued performance disappeared within three minutes.

Rice, wearing the captain’s armband as one of seven changes to England’s starting line-up, intercepted a poor pass from Désiré Doué before driving an emphatic finish beyond France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Saka briefly thought he had doubled the advantage after being released by Morgan Rogers, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

England did not have to wait much longer.

Rice delivered a corner into the French penalty area in the 19th minute and Konsa climbed above Adrien Rabiot to power a header past Maignan.

France struggled to cope with England’s pace on the break, although Dean Henderson was called upon to deny Mbappé after the forward cut inside from the left.

That save helped launch the move which produced England’s third goal in the 37th minute. Marcus Rashford and Saka both had efforts blocked before the Arsenal winger eventually forced the ball home.

Saka struck again in first-half stoppage time, collecting a pass from Eberechi Eze and finishing clinically to send England into the break with a remarkable 4-0 lead.

France manager Didier Deschamps responded with four substitutions at half-time and the changes immediately transformed the contest.

Mbappé pulled one back in the 48th minute after Michael Olise’s pass opened the England defence, before substitute Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further six minutes later.

England, so composed during the opening period, suddenly looked vulnerable.

Mbappé exchanged passes with Olise before scoring his second in the 67th minute, making it 4-3 and leaving Tuchel’s side facing the possibility of surrendering a four-goal advantage.

France pressed for an equaliser, with Olise passing up a major opportunity as England desperately attempted to regain control.

The decisive moment arrived four minutes from time when England were awarded a penalty. Saka took responsibility and converted to complete his hat-trick, restoring a two-goal cushion.

Even then, the drama was not finished.

Ousmane Dembélé scored France’s fourth goal in the sixth minute of added time, but Bellingham responded almost immediately, surging through the French defence and finishing past Maignan to seal an unforgettable 6-4 victory.

The result brought an emotional conclusion to England’s campaign following their painful 2-1 semi-final defeat against Argentina.

Although the Three Lions again fell short of reaching a World Cup final, their bronze medal represents the country’s strongest showing in the competition for 60 years.

For Saka, who had remained on the bench throughout the semi-final, it was a particularly memorable response. His treble placed him alongside an elite group of England players to have scored a hat-trick at a World Cup.

France’s defeat marked the end of Deschamps’ 14-year reign as national team manager, while England will return home knowing that a chaotic and thrilling final performance at least provided a positive ending to their tournament.

France: Mbappé 48, 67; Barcola 54; Dembélé 90+6
England: Rice 3; Konsa 19; Saka 37, 45+1, 86 pen; Bellingham 90+8
Half-time: France 0-4 England
Venue: Miami Stadium
Attendance: To be confirmed

 

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