Sport

Scarlets off to a flier in title defence

Published

10 years ago

November 4, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Scarlets Girls U18’s 33
Ospreys Girls U18s 5

Try Time: The Scarlets dive over the line (Pic. Riley Sports)

A RAFT of talented girls from across Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire helped the Scarlets Under 18’s get the defence of their regional championship title off to an excellent start on Sunday in Nantgaredig RFC by running in 5 tries and recording a bonus point win over a much improved Ospreys outfit 33 points to 5.

The girls in red opened their account after 3 minutes when, after excellent interplay between forwards and backs, centre Carly Jones broke through the opposition defence to score near the posts. Back rower Lleucu George duly converted the try.

Any thought that this game might be a one sided affair ended when from the kick off Ospreys burst into action and after an intense period of pressure the visiting supporters were duly rewarded when influential captain, Kelsey Jones, powered through the Scarlets defence to score a well-deserved try.

The Ospreys girls were ferocious in the contact area, turning the Scarlets ball over and putting the visitors once again on the front foot. Only resolute defence on the part of the home team held the visitors at bay. Indeed the next score registered was totally against the run of play, when Scarlets captain Bethan Lewis, managed to force an interception and show a good turn of speed and race away to score from 60m out. Scrum Half Lucy Packer adding the extras.

This score seemed to settle the home team and they finally started putting some phases together forcing the Ospreys to concede a penalty at the ruck. The Scarlets opted to kick it into the corner, and from the resulting lineout the home team set up an excellent driving maul. As the Ospreys committed more and more players to try and stem the diving maul, the ball was spun along the reds back line for Full back Delun Allcock to score an excellent try, George converting the try to give the Scarlets a half time lead of 21 points to 5.

The Ospreys started the second half with renewed vigour and once again put the home team under extreme pressure, but to their credit the Scarlets girls held firm and started to counter the threat that the visitors posed. Once again the Reds reverted to the phase play that had proved so successful at the end of the first half and were duly rewarded when Whitland speedster, Megan Davies was put clear. With the line seemingly at her mercy an excellent last-ditch tackle hauled her down. However, from the resulting ruck, the Ospreys were once again caught off side and some quick thinking by No 9 Lucy Packer saw her evade several tackles to score a great individual try and secure the bonus point for her team.

The Scarlets were now dominating the set piece and playing all their rugby on the front foot. Four minutes later, Allcock was fed the ball midway inside the Ospreys half and she duly raced away from the cover defence to record her second and the Scarlet’s 5th try of the day. At this point the Scarlets bench was emptied in order to give all the players some valuable game time.

With eight minutes left on the clock, Ospreys prop, Georgia Rossi, suffered an injury and the game was brought to a premature end.

The Scarlets will be extremely pleased with their days work. Pembrokeshire duo, Katie Thicker and Carys Lloyd were outstanding throughout as was Loosehead prop Gwenllian Prys. But credit must be given to the whole Ospreys outfit and to the significant progress and improvement they have made since last season.

Speaking after the game, Scarlets head coach Daryl Morgan said:

“The Ospreys have really grown and developed as a squad. They have some very talented players and they’re going to be a real handful to the other regions as the season goes on.

“It’s almost a relief to get the first game out of the way, today has given us a great foundation to build on for the rest of the season. I’m really pleased with the way the girls settled into the game after a bit of a rocky start. There was a lot of nerves before kick-off and there’s no doubt they impacted on the way we started the game, if anything, in the early stages we were trying too hard. But the players got back to what we’ve been working on in training and I’m really happy to come away with the win”

Next Weekend sees the Senior Women’s Regional Championship begin with The Scarlets taking on The Dragons in Whitland RFC, kick-off 2.30pm

TEAM:

Delun Allcock (Ammanford) 14. Katie Thicker (Haverfordwest) 13. Carly Jones (Ammanford) 12. Libby Jones (Welshpool) 11. Megan Davies (Whitland) 10. Megan Beech (Carmarthen Quins) 9. Lucy Packer (Ammanford) 8. Nia Walters (Whitland) 7. Bethan Lewis (captain) (Carmarthen Quins) 6. Lleucu George (Whitland) 5. Carys Lloyd (Pembroke Dock) 4. Catrin Rees (Ammanford) 3. Ruby Roberts (Nant Conwy) 2. Lauren Morgan (Whitland) 1. Gwenllian Pry (Nant Conwy)

Replacements:

Aeysha Fairclough (Ammanford) 17. Billy Joe Alexander (Ammanford) 18. Nicole Davies (Whitland) 19. Teresa Evans (Carmarthen Quins) 20. Megan Williams (Ammanford) 21. Sioned Phillips (Caernarfon) 22. Ffion Howells (Pembroke Dock) 23. Maisie Mackenzie (Ammanford)

Sport

Haverfordwest County Under-13 girls shine at final FAW festival

Published

2 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Herald Sport

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women and Girls have praised their under-13s after another strong showing at the third and final FAW Festival of the season.

The young Bluebirds travelled to Colliers Park in Wrexham on Saturday (Apr 4), where they once again impressed with their performances.

Club officials said the girls had performed fantastically well throughout the season, adding that everyone at Haverfordwest County was incredibly proud of their efforts.

The squad for the day was Libby O, Ela I, Ines M, Mila E, Scarlett C, Rachel B, Lydia H, Lilly M, Zara E, Leila P and Lillie EJ.

Well done girls.

Sport

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls: Friendly League week 22 results

Published

3 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Herald Sport

RESULTS from week 22 of the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association Friendly League have been confirmed, with Badgers recording a comprehensive 10-0 win over Lamphey and St Twynnells edging past Cosheston 6-4.

An earlier fixture also saw Cosheston claim a 10-0 victory over Reynalton.

Several matches were postponed during the week, including Kilgetty v Carew, Llanteg v St Twynnells and Hundleton v East Williamston.

St Johns had the bye.

Latest results:
Cosheston 4 St Twynnells 6
Badgers 10 Lamphey 0
Cosheston 10 Reynalton 0

League table after week 22:
East Williamston — Played 19, Won 13, Drawn 0, Lost 6, Shot difference 169, Points 126
St Johns — Played 20, Won 12, Drawn 1, Lost 7, Shot difference 132, Points 118
Reynalton — Played 20, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 10, Shot difference 24, Points 99
St Twynnells — Played 19, Won 10, Drawn 2, Lost 7, Shot difference 9, Points 99
Carew — Played 19, Won 10, Drawn 0, Lost 9, Shot difference -12, Points 98
Hundleton — Played 19, Won 10, Drawn 1, Lost 8, Shot difference -7, Points 97
Llanteg — Played 18, Won 10, Drawn 0, Lost 8, Shot difference -16, Points 95
Badgers — Played 20, Won 7, Drawn 1, Lost 12, Shot difference -104, Points 89
Cosheston — Played 19, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 10, Shot difference -39, Points 88
Lamphey — Played 20, Won 9, Drawn 0, Lost 11, Shot difference -71, Points 80
Kilgetty — Played 19, Won 6, Drawn 1, Lost 12, Shot difference -85, Points 73

League officials have reminded clubs that all outstanding matches must be completed by midnight on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Sport

Amman United Youth suffer agonising semi-final defeat

Published

3 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Herald Sport

Cup final dream slips away as Newcastle Emlyn battle back to seal 20-19 win in windy Carmarthenshire Cup clash

AMMAN UNITED YOUTH saw their Carmarthenshire Cup final hopes ended in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday (Apr 4) as Newcastle Emlyn snatched a 20-19 victory in a dramatic semi-final.

Played in difficult, windy conditions, the contest was fiercely competitive throughout, with Amman left to rue a series of handling errors that allowed the visitors back into the game.

Newcastle Emlyn made the stronger start, taking an early 3-0 lead through a penalty and then missing a chance to add to their tally.

Amman responded well and took control of the first half. Captain Ceian Lewis crossed following a well-worked catch-and-drive to put his side 5-3 in front. Toby Slater then produced an excellent touchline conversion in tough conditions to extend the lead to 7-3.

Amman continued to build momentum when Harvey Duncan made a sharp break down the wing to score their second try. Slater was again on target with an impressive conversion in the wind, giving his side a 14-3 lead at the break.

But the game turned soon after the restart. A costly Amman mistake allowed Newcastle Emlyn back into the contest, with the visitors scoring in the corner before adding the conversion to close the gap to 14-10.

Amman appeared to have steadied themselves when Kelston Fairhurst powered over from another catch-and-drive, stretching the lead to 19-10.

However, Newcastle Emlyn refused to give in. Strong forward play brought them another try, and the conversion cut the deficit to just two points at 19-17 as the pressure mounted in the closing stages.

The decisive moment came in the final five minutes when another Amman handling error handed Emlyn a crucial opportunity. The visitors worked their way into range and slotted a late penalty to edge ahead 20-19.

Amman had one final chance to rescue the game and opted for a catch-and-drive from a late penalty, having already found success with that tactic earlier in the match. This time, though, Newcastle Emlyn held firm to deny them and secure their place in the final.

It was a bitter end for Amman United Youth, who had looked in control at half-time, but Newcastle Emlyn showed resilience and composure when it mattered most.