Sport

Sports awards winners revealed

Published

7 years ago

November 29, 2017

THE achievements and hard work of sportspeople, coaches and volunteers in the county were celebrated at the prestigious Sport Pembrokeshire awards ceremony on Friday (Nov 24) – one of the highlights of the local sporting calendar.

Now in its 11th year, the gala ceremony at Folly Farm was attended by more than 600 guests, and hosted by Bill Carne and Cllr Huw George.

Fourteen award-winners were announced in a variety of categories, together with the winners of two special awards – the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Special Achievement Award.

The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Paralympian and former international Boccia champion, Jacob Thomas (main picture) of Bethesda near Narberth.

Jacob, aged 23, claimed several international titles and achieved a place in the final sixteen in the London 2012 Summer Paralympics prior to his retirement last year.

Among his successes were the coveted gold medal at the World Student Games in Brazil, the pairs’ bronze at the European Championships, and bronze and silver in the World Championships in Beijing.

Jacob was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Geoff Williams, Head of Sport at BBC Wales.

He praised Jacob’s exceptional achievements and said that he was a ‘true champion in every sense of the word’.

“With his extraordinary degree of skill, determination and perseverance, Jacob is quite simply one of the most inspirational figures ever to come before us in the Sport Pembrokeshire Awards,” said Geoff.

The Special Achievement Award, presented by the Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Paul Harries, was won by Marie Tilley of Narberth.

Pictured is Marie Tilley, the winner of the Chairman’s Special Achievement Award, with the Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Paul Harries.

After her sister and son were diagnosed with diabetes, Marie set up ‘Marie’s Mission’ in 2014, a quest to raise funds to help improve the treatment and diabetes and contribute towards finding a cure.

Since then, she has completed many endurance events, including cycling the punishing La Marmotte in France – 110 miles of mountainous terrain – and raised more than £15,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

She has also set up ‘Marie’s Marvels’ – a running and fitness group comprising more than 30 women – and is currently establishing two further fitness groups for youngsters.

“Her dedication to helping others, while managing her own son’s condition, is nothing short of inspirational,” said Cllr Harries.

The awards ceremony also featured a screening of a music video by Tom Fletcher, previously of McFly, featuring the amazing skills of Tenby WCMX champion Lily Rice, winner of the 2016 Junior (U16) Disability Sport Award.

Councillor Paul Miller, Cabinet Member for Economy, Tourism, Leisure and Culture, said: “The Sport Pembrokeshire awards are an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of sportspeople across the County and recognise the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. I’d like to extend my warmest congratulations to all nominees, finalists and winners.”

The Sport Pembrokeshire awards were organised by Sport Pembrokeshire, Pembrokeshire County Council’s sport development team, which also sponsored the awards together with the Western Telegraph, Valero, Radio Pembrokeshire and Folly Farm.

The winner of the award was Libi Phillips (Wheelchair rugby), whose sister Madi accepted it on her behalf from Tom Rogers of Arriva Trains Wales. The finalists were Leon Davies (Gymnastics) and Antony Triebel (Gymnastics).

Sponsors of individual categories included Strength Academy Wales, Arriva Trains Wales, Sport Wales and the Pembrokeshire Youth Service.

The winners of the 14 award categories were:

Sport Pembrokeshire Awards 2017 – Winners

Coach of the Year – Chris Barker (Squash)

Female Sporting Achievement – Abbie Williams (Triathlon)

Male Sporting Achievement – James Tomlinson (Athletics)

Boys (U16) Sporting Achievement – Iori Humphreys (Athletics)

Girls (U16) Sporting Achievement – Lowri Hart (Badminton)

Disability Sport Award – Jack Lloyd (Bowls)

Junior (U16) Disability Sport Award – Libi Phillips (Wheelchair Rugby)

Unsung Hero – Sam Rossiter (Cricket)

Club Organiser of the Year – Mel Marshalsey (Netball)

The award-winners Just Tri Junior Triathlon Club are pictured with David Walker from the Pembrokeshire Youth Service and Sion Jenkins from the Just Tri club.

Team Achievement of the Year – Sam and Daisy Coleman (Powerboating)

Junior (U16) Team Achievement of the Year – Ysgol Preseli under 16’s rugby team 2016/17

Contribution to School Sport award – Rick Walton

Student Contribution to School Sport award – Nina Garcia (Greenhill School)

Club of the Year – Just Tri Junior Triathlon Club

Related Topics:Achievement Awards Boys Club Coach Female Girls Lifetime Male Organiser pembrokeshire Sports Unsung Hero Winners

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Letterston marksman wins junior athlete award

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1 day ago

January 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A TALENTED young athlete from Letterston has been honoured at the British Shooting Awards 2024.

Seren Thorne was shortlisted for the prestigious awards and attended the gala event held at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. To the delight of her family and supporters, Seren was named the winner of the Rifle Pathway / Junior Athlete of the Year award.

This accolade highlights Seren’s exceptional skill and dedication to the sport, marking her as one of the rising stars in British shooting.

Her mother, Sian Thorne, expressed immense pride in Seren’s achievement, sharing photos of the memorable evening.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Champion marksman: Seren Thorne receiving the Rifle Pathway / Junior Athlete of the Year award (Pic: Supplied).

Sport

Previewing the 2025 Super Bowl

Published

2 days ago

January 20, 2025

Staff Writer

Each year millions of people across the world gather to watch one of the biggest sporting events of the year – the Super Bowl. Last year, 3.4 million people in the UK watched the Super Bowl, up 1.1 million from the previous year. Considering the growth in popularity of American football in the UK, we anticipate the viewership will be even higher for 2025.

The 2025 Super Bowl is scheduled to take place on 9 February 2025 at Caesars Superdrome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NFL teams

12 teams began competing for a spot in the 2025 Super Bowl when the playoffs began on January 11. At this point, four teams were eliminated. This now leaves eight teams to compete in the Divisional playoffs. Four of these will make it to the Conference Championships before contesting for a spot at this year’s Super Bowl.

The eight teams left with a shot at competing in the 2025 Super Bowl are:

Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
Washington Commanders

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs took the title for the second year in a row. However, the latest Super Bowl odds puts the Detroit Lions as the favourites to win this year’s Super Bowl, following a series of impressive performances in the regular season.

The national anthem and halftime show

Before the game commences, a special guest performs the national anthem. Last year, Reba McEntire offered a moving performance of The Star-Spangled Banner, and this year the task falls to jazz singer Jon Batiste.

It’s not just the football match that people look forward to. Super Bowl halftime shows are a spectacle in themselves and many look forward to the performance as much as the game itself. This year, 17-time grammy winner Kendrick Lamar is headlining the halftime show. Lamar previously headlined the Super Bowl in 2022.

How can I watch the Super Bowl in the UK?

The Super Bowl is being broadcast to fans free on ITV, including live online via ITVX on your laptop, mobile, or tablet.

Sky Sports is also broadcasting the event which you can watch online via Sky Go, NOW TV, or using the Sky Sports mobile app. You could also head to your local pub as plenty of pubs in Pembrokeshire will be showing the big game.

Will you be tuning in?

With a surge in popularity for American Football, it’s anticipated that more people from the UK than ever before will be turning their TVs on for the big event this year. Will you be watching this year’s Super Bowl?

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Division Four West rugby: Thrills and tight contests on a chilly Saturday

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