Sport

Whitland beat Saints in derby

Published

9 years ago

September 12, 2017

Whitland 31

St Clears 10

League 2 West

By Jonathan Twigg

THE Bois Pwll Trap sponsored Whitland side gained the bragging rights in the first league encounter against St Clears on Saturday (Sept 9) when they gained a bonus point victory at Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn by running in four tries.

For the opening 20 minutes of the game the visiting ‘Boars’ found it difficult to establish a pattern which would give a platform from which scrum half Llyr Ebsworth and half back partner Shane Morgan could gain momentum.

Home skipper Marc Jones chose to keep the look for five points through dominant line outs play, turning down kickable penalty attempts. Second rows, veterans Dai Ebsworth and Raff Williams were the targets for hooker Jones in these early exchanges with the opening score arriving after six minutes when prop Aaron Mayne crashed over from close range following a pass by scrum half Adam Davies following second phase ball from the set piece.

This was a just reward for the opening period of pressure with outside half Nico Setaro pushing his conversion attempt across the goal and striking the left hand upright.

Centre Johnnie Thomas made space from the restart and with runners on his shoulder either side as he sped over the halfway line timed a pass to winger Sean Coles who was caught and bundled into touch 20m short of the whitewash by visiting skipper Matthew Lewis.

Whitland debutant Josh Thomas: Direct running at the St Clears defence

Geraint Jones did have an attempt at goal into a driving wind blowing towards the ‘Town’ end as number 8 Tomas Rees, Ebsworth and prop Alun Davies created the goal attempt when the home side were penalised by referee Jason Summers for offside.

Setaro scored to make it 8-0 after sixteen minutes when he struck a penalty from the 10m line which sailed through the posts as punishment for St Clears being offside at the ruck and both sets of forwards were happy to exchange pleasantries with each other as they wrestled for dominance.

After 25 minutes Morgan and Mike Georgiou were able to create an opening for outside centre Wayne Rice to break through into the Whitland 25, with the supporting Dafydd Waters pulled by home full back Scott Newton, resulting in another flurry of fists with Newton and second row Walters receiving yellow cards, but Jones couldn’t punish with three points.

Ebsworth, alongside flankers Dafydd Page and Courtney Bowman gained belief in their ability to keep the ball in hand and gaps emerged which allowed the visitors to create an attacking platform for the first time in the game, supported when skipper Lewis opted for Jones to kick for the corner as opposed to another difficult attempt at goal in the squally weather conditions.

Without influential veteran second row Carwyn Davies, being treated for an on field injury the ‘Boars’ won the ball through Rees and it was being recycled by his fellow forwards before they relinquished possession through stamping at the ruck, allowing Setaro to clear for Whitland from the danger area.

As half time approached Setaro stretched the lead with another penalty on 32 minutes after Jones, alongside the back row had moved the game into the St Clears 25 with some smooth handling, securing a penalty for offside.

From the restart, the ‘Engine Room’ of Williams and Ebsworth secured crucial yardage allowing Setaro space to run at the defence line, chip over, collect and from the ensuing ruck on 30m, slot over a penalty as St Clears were once again penalised for offside.

With both sides now back to full numbers and the scoreboard showing 17-3 in Whitland’s favour the next score was going to be decisive with five minutes of the half remaining, which came in a fortuitous way for Whitland when Ryan Michael gathered and ran in unopposed from 10m for Setaro to convert, making it 24-3 at half time.

That Michael was unopposed came about as Setaro set himself for a drop goal attempt, which was touched in flight by St Clears hands and it looped over the retreating Whitland forwards into his hands, with no St Clears cover around to prevent the score.

Credit to St Clears who emerged from the half time break with energy to use the elements in their favour, with heavy drizzle mixing with the wind allowing Davies and hooker Alan Proctor to make gains into home territory.

Walters, a sniping Ebsworth and Andrew Howells carried this momentum forward to pull Michael offside, from which Jones thumped the right hand upright from nearly 40m.

Further penalties followed for St Clears, with Morgan taking the initiative to keep the ball alive and play move back and forth across the pitch as St Clears drove forward but didn’t have the crucial points needed to influence the outcome of the game.

A line out on 20m was again secured by Davies, returning to the Club he served so well a decade ago and when the ball was released from the driving maul Morgan was held up two meters from the line.

A penalty for offside in front of the post was turned down by Lewis in favour of an attacking scrum, which wheeled around for number 8 Rees to pick up, put Ebsworth into a half gap and from the ensuing ruck Page was guided over the line by his fellow forwards, for Jones to add the extras.

With both sides making substitutions the game as a spectacle became disjointed and the weather didn’t help the tired minds as there were ball handling errors which prevented either side establishing any sustained impetus.

Whitland do possess a back division which has thoughtful and skilful three quarters, who play off each other to create chances for their outside runners; typified when Newton entered the line from a slick pass from Setaro on 70 minutes, popping the ball to Josh Thomas who crashed through the defence line.

The ball was recycled quickly allowing Setaro and Newton to create space for Johnnie Thomas to glide through and from 35m out once again time a pass to the Coles who raced clear, avoiding the despairing effort of last man Lewis to touchdown under the posts for the bonus point try. Setaro ended the games scoring on 31-10.

Whitland coaches Gareth Bennet and Dan Mason were happy to secure a bonus point victory when they spoke after the match. “It was a niggly game which we expected” said Mason “but credit to our lads for holding their composure and backing their own ability when the game demanded.” Bennett was also praise worthy of his sides “efforts to keep the ball in hand, which produced four tries and a maximum point haul from the game. The fourth try built around our midfield ball handlers resulted in seven points and was just reward for the boy’s efforts.”

Visiting coach Mike Jones acknowledged his side found it difficult to get into the game in the first quarter as the step up in standard meant they “took time to adjust to their new surroundings.” He went further to “praise all my players for their efforts as we did get opportunities in difficult positions and on another day the three missed penalties pop over and the game is different at 17-12. We made too many errors and Whitland have an experienced side which disrupted our ability to use front foot ball.”

When the game was completed both teams received resounding applause from a large and appreciative crowd of more than 800, buoyed from the half time singing of match sponsor Cor Meibion Hendy-Gwyn.

Whitland travel to Trinity Fields tomorrow to take on Carmarthen Athletic, the only other unbeaten side in the division alongside themselves, after they beat Fishguard 28-21 at the Moor last Saturday. Experienced level three official Andrew Miles from Hook, will oversee this top of the table fixture.

Related Topics:Carmarthenshire pembrokeshire Rugby St Clears Whitland

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National champions set for Lloyds Road Championships in Wales

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2026

Herald Sport

Strong Welsh contingent among elite field heading to Lampeter and Aberystwyth

SOME of Britain’s leading cyclists will head to Wales next week as the 2026 Lloyds National Road Championships get under way.

Sixteen former elite national road champions are among the riders named for the event, which begins in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25, before moving to Aberystwyth for the circuit race and road race.

Welsh rider Zoe Backstedt, of Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto, is expected to be one of the headline names after winning the elite women’s time-trial title at last year’s championships.

Backstedt said: “I’m super excited to come back to Wales to race national champs this year. I don’t get to race in the UK a lot, let alone in Wales, so that makes it even more exciting to be there.

“We’ve got such a strong roster of riders in the UK, so it’s never going to be easy, but I hope I’ll come into this in good shape and fighting for the win.”

Millie Couzens, of Fenix-Premier Tech, returns to defend her women’s road race title. She faces a strong field including three-time road national champion Pfeiffer Georgi, Morven Yeoman, Imogen Wolff, Cat Ferguson, Anna Henderson and Flora Perkins.

In the men’s road race, Sam Watson, of NetCompany Ineos, will look to retain his crown against a field including former national champion Ben Swift, reigning under-23 champion Matthew Brennan, Adam Howell and Ethan Hayter.

Hayter said: “Nationals always seem to bring out the best in me. I’ve managed to win a jersey in 2024 and 2025, so it would be nice to try to add another in the TT or RR.

“Each year the level gets higher, but it makes for aggressive, exciting racing.”

Cameron Mason will return to Aberystwyth to defend his open circuit race title, with Thomas Armstrong, Matt Bostock and Oliver Wood among those expected to challenge.

Kate Richardson also returns as defending women’s circuit race champion. She will be joined by a strong field including Isabel Sharp, Carys Lloyd, Xan Crees, Jenny Holl and Josie Knight.

A number of Welsh riders will also compete across the championships, including Finlay Tarling, Elynor Backstedt, Anna Morris, Owain Doull MBE and Megan Barker.

Erin Boothman, following a successful track season, will make her Lloyds National Road Championships debut in the women’s road race and under-23 women’s time-trial. Ben Wiggins will also return to Ceredigion as he looks to improve on last year’s silver medal in the under-23 men’s time-trial.

Ten national champions’ jerseys will be contested over three days of racing.

The time-trial takes place in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25. The elite women, under-23 women and under-23 men will race over 25.6km, while the elite men will cover 38.4km.

Aberystwyth will host the circuit race on Friday, June 26, and the road race on Sunday, June 28, giving spectators the chance to watch some of Britain’s best riders on Welsh roads.

The championships return to Wales with support from the Welsh Government.

Pic: Lloyds National Circuit Championship 2025 (Pic: SWPix.com)

Sport

Young rally driver makes impressive gravel debut

Published

4 days ago

June 16, 2026

Herald Sport

EIGHTEEN-year-old Henri Cynwyl, of Newcastle Emlyn, marked a memorable milestone at the Plains Rally, Bala, as he made his gravel debut in the highly competitive Mini Rally Challenge.

Henri was driving the ex-championship-winning car previously campaigned by Tom Hynd, giving the young driver a strong platform on which to demonstrate his ability.

Family team

Sitting alongside him was his father, Dilwyn John, whose extensive experience in the co-driver’s seat proved invaluable throughout the demanding event.

Despite mechanical issues on Stages 3 and 4, the father-and-son pairing showed determination and composure to overcome the setbacks and continue gaining valuable experience on the loose surface.

As the day progressed, Henri’s confidence grew with every stage. The crew’s times steadily improved throughout the rally, underlining his rapid adaptation to gravel and his ability to learn quickly in competitive conditions.

***Rally hopes: Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start (Pic: Aneurin James)***

Their efforts were rewarded with an impressive sixth-place finish, a highly respectable result on a first gravel outing against more experienced competitors.

Strong foundations

The performance was even more notable given Henri’s limited gravel experience.

Having developed his car control skills through Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests from the age of 14, he was able to transfer much of that experience to the challenging Welsh forest stages.

Additional tuition on gravel from James Williams, of W1 Motorsport Group, also helped prepare him for the step up into rally competition on loose surfaces.

Reflecting on his debut, Henri said: “It was great and I enjoyed every minute of it. Taking part in Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests most definitely helped, along with tuition on gravel stages in the company of James Williams from W1 Motorsport Group.

“I’d also like to thank Mark Williams, my team manager, for all of the support and encouragement.”

Promising start

The successful gravel debut provides another encouraging chapter in the young driver’s development, with the pace, consistency and maturity shown throughout the day suggesting plenty more potential to come.

Henri now switches back to tarmac this weekend as he continues his busy season at the Park Garage Rally in Anglesey, aiming to build on the confidence gained from an impressive first appearance on gravel.

Looking ahead, he is already eagerly anticipating the next round of the Mini Rally Challenge in Greystoke Forest, Cumbria.

With a strong first result under his belt, and plenty of lessons learned from the Plains Rally, Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start when the championship heads north.

Sport

Rowers conquer gruelling 22-mile Cleddau challenge

Published

5 days ago

June 15, 2026

Herald Sport

Crews from across the UK battle tides, headwinds and the Haven to finish marathon race at Haverfordwest River Festival

ROWERS from across the United Kingdom descended on Pembrokeshire at the weekend to take part in one of Wales’ toughest coastal rowing challenges — the 22-mile Cleddau River Marathon Row from Dale to Haverfordwest.

Held as part of the annual Haverfordwest River Festival on Saturday (Jun 13), the spectacular endurance race saw around 25 crews line up on the shoreline at Dale for a dramatic beach start before battling the tides, currents and changing weather conditions along the Milford Haven Waterway.

With calm waters and blue skies greeting competitors at the start, crews launched from Dale Bay at around 2:30pm and powered into the Haven, navigating a route that took them past Milford Haven, Neyland and Pembroke Dock before passing beneath the Cleddau Bridge and tackling the winding upper reaches of the river toward Haverfordwest.

However, conditions became more testing as the race progressed, with the tide turning against competitors and a headwind adding to the challenge during the final push upstream.

The marathon row was organised by Helen Heaton and Llangwm Rowing Club, with staggered starts helping ensure crews arrived in Haverfordwest in time for the celebrations at the River Festival.

At the finish line in Haverfordwest, exhausted rowers were greeted by cheering crowds, family members and councillors, who helped crews bring their boats ashore before an evening of celebrations and prize-giving at HaverHub.

The event drew teams from across Wales and further afield, highlighting Pembrokeshire’s growing reputation as a destination for competitive coastal rowing. The marathon route, stretching approximately 22 miles from Dale to the county town, is regarded as one of the more demanding fixtures in the Welsh sea rowing calendar.

Video crews and drone operators captured the action throughout the day, with local media teams filming both from shore and on the water.

The race was sponsored by Dale Sailing, with video sponsorship support from Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy.

The Herald understands the Wasps of Llangwm crew took top honours in the demanding race after a hard-fought contest on the water.

Photo caption:

Marathon effort: Crews from across the UK battled tides and headwinds during the 22-mile Cleddau River Marathon Row from Dale to Haverfordwest