Sport

Scarlets off to a flier in title defence

Published

9 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

Devonald’s hat-trick secures St Ishmaels’ dominant win over Herbrandston

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Herald Sport

Herbrandston 0 – St Ishmaels 6

BRENNAN DEVONALD delivered a masterclass as St Ishmaels thrashed Herbrandston 6-0, with the skipper leading from the front and scoring a stunning hat-trick. The comprehensive victory propels St Ishmaels to eighth in the league table, while Herbrandston remain rooted to the bottom without a single point.

The visitors asserted their dominance from the outset. Devonald opened the scoring in the 9th minute, latching onto a pinpoint assist from Owen Lawrence. He doubled their lead just before halftime in the 40th minute, again set up by Lawrence, giving St Ishmaels a comfortable cushion at the break.

St Ishmaels maintained their momentum in the second half, adding four more goals to cap off a stellar team performance. Adam Kingsbeer’s clever play set up Ieuan Hawkins for the third, before Tom Williams capitalised on another opportunity to make it 4-0. Devonald sealed his hat-trick in the 85th minute with an expertly taken goal, and Joel Mills added the finishing touch in the dying moments, courtesy of an assist from Sol Goodall.

Team line-ups

Herbrandston: Adrian Rees, Oliver Robinson, Ethan Chalker, Scott Findlay, Dean John (Captain), Harley Barrett, Gedion Hockin, Leon Whatling, Scott Gillespie, Cian Davenport. Subs: Leo Duncan, Jacob James, Nico Cockrell.

St Ishmaels: Owen Thomas, Sol Goodall, Owen Lawrence, Finley Armstrong, Brennan Devonald (Captain), Adam Kingsbeer, Ieuan Hawkins, Joel Mills, Tom Williams, Daniel Coe, Nathan Thomas. Subs: Max Howells, Tyler Sheil.

Sport

Dominant wins for Pembrokeshire sides in West Wales Intermediate Cup round 3

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Herald Sport

Goodwick United 7-0 Carew

Goodwick United put on a commanding performance with a 7-0 triumph over Carew. The home side proved too powerful for their opponents, with Rhys Dalling and Rhys Jones each bagging two goals. Matty Delaney, Will Haworth, and Daniel Bryce also got their names on the scoresheet. As one of Pembrokeshire’s top teams, Goodwick will aim to build on this dominant win as they progress to the next round.

Hakin United 13-0 Clydach Sports

Hakin United were in ruthless form as they dispatched Clydach Sports 13-0. Jack Britton led the charge with an impressive five-goal haul, while Liam Parks netted a hat-trick. Jack Griffiths, Jay Kilby, Kieran King, Justin Harding, and Mason Dolling all contributed to the comprehensive scoreline. Hakin, one of the premier teams in Pembrokeshire, will be keen to continue their pursuit of the cup after this emphatic victory.

Merlins Bridge 7-3 Treboeth United

Merlins Bridge secured a thrilling 7-3 victory over Treboeth United in an exciting encounter. Nathan Evans was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick, while Tom Jago, Jason Griffiths, Hayden Dimond, and Ashton Plunkett all found the back of the net. Treboeth’s Liam Manning, Cori Jones, and Matthew Colley fought valiantly but could not prevent the home side from taking the win. Merlins Bridge will be pleased with their attacking display and will look to build on this result.

Monkton Swifts 5-4 Clarbeston Road

In a dramatic local derby, Monkton Swifts edged out Clarbeston Road 5-4 in a high-scoring affair. Dylan Davies was the standout performer with four goals, and Liam Butland added another. Clarbeston Road fought hard with goals from Laurie Haworth, Matthew Davies, Greg Brown, and Ben John, but it was the Swifts who held on to secure the victory. Monkton will be happy to progress after such a closely contested match.

Neyland 1-2 Cwm Wanderers

Neyland were narrowly defeated 2-1 by Cwm Wanderers in a closely contested match. Ben Gale scored for Neyland, but goals from Joseff Shaw and Corey Raven-Sayce gave the visitors the edge. Despite a valiant effort from Neyland, Cwm Wanderers held firm to secure the win and advance to the next round.

Plough Colts 0-2 Pennar Robins

Pennar Robins comfortably saw off Plough Colts 2-0, with Kieran Smith and Jamie Wilkes scoring the goals. Pennar demonstrated their class and will look to carry this momentum forward into the next round.

Tenby 2-0 Blaen-y-Maes

Tenby continued their fine form with a 2-0 victory over Blaen-y-Maes. Sam Butler and Scott Ferney were on target for Tenby, who have been one of the most impressive sides this season. This win further cements Tenby’s status as one of the top contenders in the competition.

Analysis:

Pembrokeshire’s leading teams, Goodwick United and Hakin United, demonstrated their superiority with commanding wins, while Tenby showed their credentials with a solid 2-0 victory. With such dominant performances, Goodwick and Hakin are likely to be among the favourites to claim the title, with Tenby also emerging as a serious contender in this year’s West Wales Intermediate Cup.

Sport

Thrills and dominance: Narberth shine in 6-1 victory

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Herald Sport

Broad Haven 4-4 Solva

In an exhilarating, high-scoring encounter, Broad Haven played out a 4-4 draw with Solva. Marco Valentine netted twice for Broad Haven, with Owen Sheppard and Shane Howells also getting on the scoresheet. Solva responded through Josh Bland, who scored a hat-trick, and Lucas Price, ensuring the points were shared in this thrilling clash.

Camrose 1-3 Fishguard Sports

Fishguard Sports claimed a 3-1 victory over Camrose, with a clinical display of attacking play. Andrew John scored the only goal for Camrose, but Fishguard’s offensive strength proved overwhelming. Anthony Couzens, Luke Thomas, and Ieuan Llewellyn all found the net to guide their side to victory.

Carew II 0-2 Hakin United II

Hakin United II earned a solid 2-0 win over Carew II. Rowan Dixon and Tom Edmonds were the scorers for the visitors, with Carew struggling to break down Hakin’s defense. It was a well-executed performance that saw Hakin advance with all three points.

Johnston P-P Merlins Bridge II

The match between Johnston and Merlins Bridge II was postponed, with no further details available at the time of writing.

Lawrenny 1-6 Narberth

Narberth cruised to a commanding 6-1 victory over Lawrenny. Owen James scored the lone goal for Lawrenny, but Narberth’s attacking prowess was on full display as Steffan Williams scored twice, and Ashley Williams, Chris Brown, Conor Bowen, and Ryan Williams each found the back of the net in a comprehensive win.

Analysis:

The 14th December 2024 fixtures saw a blend of thrilling draws and dominant victories. Broad Haven and Solva shared the spoils in an action-packed 4-4 draw, while Fishguard Sports, Hakin United II, and Narberth all secured convincing wins. Narberth’s 6-1 triumph over Lawrenny was the standout result of the day, highlighting their attacking firepower.