Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sport

Swans keep boyhood dreams alive

Published

on

By Jonathan Twigg

“Premier League games against the big teams are always very special, and tonight’s game will have added spice with the result being vitally important to both teams” said under fire Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins OBE on Monday (Jan 22).

The game started in a stonewall tribute to local St Joseph’s player Mitchell Joseph who tragically died whilst playing from a cardiac arrest, along with footballing greats Cyril Regis and Jimmy Armfield, a World Cup winner in 1966.

The result, a 1-0 win for Swansea over Liverpool, achieved with 28 percent possession, a fifth of their opponent’s shots at goals and a third of the corners won. The only statistic that mattered was the score line. A story born from any boyhood comic, where the evil character could have been Captain Can, a German wearing the oppositions armband of leadership. ‘Sleepy G’ this game wasn’t as bottom of the table Swansea, six points from safety started with three central defender to defeat the ‘Reds’ for the first time since Spurs rumbled them at Wembley in September.

The start was cagey, Swansea lacking belief to be direct, compensating by fronting up in challenges but having no outlet amidst the footballing ‘capital of Wales, way down by the sea’.

Chances were created by both sides but restricted in their tenacity through technical discipline, Manager Carvalhal stated post match ‘when you come up against a F1 car you may struggle in a race. If you put that F1 car amongst some London traffic it is no longer a F1 car as it has to respond to the traffic around it’.

An analogy worthy of any comic book hero; maybe a new Tinkerman has risen from the Phoenix and all boys know what happened to the last Tinkerman to grace the Premier League.

Liverpool sloppiness four minutes before half time gave away a corner which they didn’t deal with and pin ball around the penalty spot saw the ball fall to centre back Alfie Mawson. He swung a right foot to bury the opening goal, his third of the season but at a cost with his central defensive partner Fernandez taking a bloody nose from his own players celebrations.

Liverpool’s indiscipline saw a yellow card for a clinical challenge by Robertson on Ayew and another for Matip, when he poleaxed Clucas as the red engine oil stuttered to disable the turbo boosters. Referee Neil Swarbrick signalled the half time interval which brought a crescendo of voices, the volume not heard at that level all season.

Liverpool’s tempo after the break was more warming as Swansea midfielder Fer was guilty of picking up the man in blacks cards, albeit as confetti after Swarbrick dropped them to the amusement of the ‘Jack army’.

The atmosphere was reminiscent of 1980s and you ‘could not help but fall back in love’ with the beautiful game; McNaughton made a last ditch tackle on Robertson recalling memories of February 1981, when 22,604 at the Vetch Field cheered the Mersey beat when current Club legends Leighton James and Alan Curtis netted in a 2-0 victory. The Liberty faithful, 20,886 were treated to the same intense feeling as the halcyon days, with the big Pole in the goal tipping a driven free kick from Salah over the bar on the hour mark.

It would be incorrect to state ‘only one set of fans were singing’ at this juncture but the powerful Fabianski was commanding in goal even at times heading his side in the right direction and reducing the Champions League last sixteen entrants to speculative long range shots.

Swansea put Carroll on for Dyer, as did Klopp, Lalanna for Chamberlin and Ings thrown on for Wijnaldum but the white wall ensured any cracks were quickly cemented over, with Van der Hoorn a beacon shining before Fabianski before Ayew, unbounded and uncompromised was broken, to be replaced by Bony.

To Max Boyce singing Hymns and Arias the enormity of Swansea lifting themselves to 20 points against a team who defeated the previously unbeaten league leaders Manchester City just a week ago glistened through. ‘Comon City’ was an eruption of volcanic proportions and certainly for those ‘Swansea till they die’ proponents seeing four minutes of added time read like a comic book finale.

Salah blasted over and Firmino, clear in front of goal felt the reverberations of the choir as his header rebounded off the upright. “We are in hospital” said Carvalhal, “in a serious condition, but no longer in Intensive Care.” One in the onion bag for my Harry and all Jacks, for when the chips are down it becomes ‘together stronger’. Alive and kicking, still bottom of the Premier League but just six points off a place in the top half.

A storyline only for the comic book? Maybe not as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp acknowledged, ‘the stadium was theirs tonight and the confidence grew from it’, which abodes well for the next four months on the rollercoaster.

Charity

Wales Air Ambulance patient raises £6,000 by organising a charity rugby match

Published

on

A CHARITY RUGBY MATCH that was organised by a Wales Air Ambulance past patient has raised £6,000.

Richard Jones, of Tenby, organised the event to raise funds for Wales Air Ambulance and the Friends of Morriston Hospital, both of whom provided him and his family support after he survived a road traffic accident on the A40 in Carmarthenshire, which led to the partial amputation of his right leg.

Despite challenging weather, Pembroke RFC hosted the charity match organised by ex-player Richard, in front of bumper crowds.

Prior to the main match between Pembroke RFC and Richard’s guest squad, the ‘Misfits’, the Pembroke Panthers gave an exhibition of their skills in a non-contact session. The day also included a tombola, raffles and an auction, which included an aeroplane ride with ex-Wales international, Ian Gough.
The event, which took place on 5 August, was a success with Richard’s friends and family as well as the local community showing their support, including ex-army medic Ian Thompson, the man who was first at the scene of Richard’s accident, back in February 2022. 

Richard, 33, said he had always planned to hold his own event since his accident to say thank you to his chosen charities.

He said: “It took over four months of planning and organising the event and I was amazed with how it went in the end. It was my first time doing anything like that and in the run up to the event it felt that everything was against me. People were dropping out; we had a storm and the bouncy castle and family activities had to be cancelled due to the weather.

“However, thankfully the day went amazingly well. A personal highlight had to be when the Misfits team were winning at half time. I have had so much positive feedback with people asking for the match to become an annual event, and I feel I have no choice to do something like this in the future.”
The funds from the match will be split between the Wales Air Ambulance and the Friends of Morriston Hospital.

Richard said: “Without the Wales Air Ambulance, I simply would not be here today. The Charity was not only there for me at my accident but was there for me and my family afterwards also. While I have done some fundraising campaigns for the Charity, I wanted to raise funds by holding my own event, to say thank you for all the help and support they have shown us since my accident.

“I never expected to raise so much money from one event and I am very grateful for all the support and kind donations from everyone who helped make the day a success.”  
The Wales Air Ambulance relies entirely on public donations to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its four helicopters in the air and fleet of rapid response vehicles on the road.

Richard said he wanted to thank everybody who donated raffle prizes, the match sponsors and Daps Baps

Burger Van and Pembroke Rugby Club for their hospitality.

He added: “I want to thank all the players who took part, they all put in so much effort. But most of all, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and who helped make the day possible.”

Continue Reading

Sport

Sport Pembrokeshire’s “Fit and Fed” project celebrates success 

Published

on

SPORTS Pembrokeshire’s “Fit and Fed” initiative, aimed at helping children in disadvantaged areas to access nourishment and take part in a variety of sports, is hoping it can be expanded to more school holidays and even 52 weeks a year. 

The project, which has support from the Bluestone Foundation, the community support arm of Bluestone National Park Resort near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, has been operating each summer for the past two years. 

Over the course of this time, the project has supported children in Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, and Fishguard. 

Spearheaded by Matthew Freeman, Sport Pembrokeshire Manager, the initiative has not only provided essential sustenance to children but also enabled them to participate in sports activities through local clubs and groups. 

Matthew said: “The success of the ‘Fit and Fed’ project has been truly amazing. We’ve witnessed children benefiting not just from nutritious meals but also from the chance to engage in physical activities. Our aim is to expand this initiative to all school holidays, including Christmas, ensuring year-round support for these deserving children.” 

Matthew said he envisions the project evolving into a year-round project, making a positive impact every single week. He said the current project has focused exclusively on areas identified as deprived within Pembrokeshire, with hopes to broaden its scope to cover other communities in the county.  

Marten Lewis, Director of Sustainability at Bluestone, said the project had proved to be much needed, playing a vital role in providing nourishment and exercise to children.  

Marten said: “The Bluestone Foundation has been pleased to play a small part in contributing to such a crucial project. It serves as a catalyst for the creation of more initiatives that support our community’s young members.” 

The Bluestone Foundation was launched in 2010 and has distributed over £250,000 in grants across Pembrokeshire. The Foundation strives to help people help themselves and to principally assist projects falling into economic, social, and environmental categories. 

The initial success of “Fit and Fed” stemmed from its roots in assisting children to engage in sports via local clubs and organisations.  

It was launched in response to the fact that many children in disadvantaged areas were missing out on both meals and opportunities for physical activity. 

Matthew added: “It became evident that children were arriving at school and sports events without having had a proper meal. The ‘Fit and Fed’ project addresses this critical issue by ensuring access to food, leading to healthier and more active lives.”  

The collaboration between Sport Pembrokeshire, community sports clubs, and third sector organisations such as Milford Youth Matters, Tanyard, Pembrokeshire Youth Service Haverfordwest Youth Club, and Sport Pembrokeshire, has been important to the initiative’s success. 

Sue Lines of the Tanyard Youth Project, said: “I would like to thank Sport Pembrokeshire and the Bluestone Foundation on behalf of the trustees, staff, volunteers and young people of the Tanyard Youth Project. 

“This exciting new partnership has enabled us to provide sporting opportunities and healthy meals to dozens of children and young people in Pembroke, many of whom arrive at the centre hungry or emotionally fragile.  The benefits of physical exercise and healthy food bring immense improvements to their mental health and general well-being.” 

As the project looks to the future, Matthew said: “Our ultimate goal is to extend ‘Fit and Fed’ to a year-round initiative, providing children with consistent support, if we can secure the necessary funding.” 

Continue Reading

Advertorial

Get Jerky snacks fuel Jason to victory in Mid Wales rally

Published

on

AWARD-WINNING Get Jerky high protein snacks helped energise Mid Wales based driver Jason Pritchard to a fantastic Historic Category win at the hugely successful JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.

Builth Wells based Jason and his co-driver Phil Clarke were delighted to take first place in category and 14th place overall in their Ford Escort RS 1800 MKII, after two days of spectacular stages around Aberystwyth and across the Cambrian Mountains.

His sponsors include Get Jerky, a premium brand of Welsh Beef and venison jerky made by Trailhead Fine Food in Welshpool and Chartists 1770 at The Trewythen, a four star, 2 AA rosette restaurant with room in Llanidloes.

A big fan of Get Jerky, Jason said: “It’s the perfect snack for rally crews to have in our cars when we need an energy boost because it tastes good and is much healthier than eating chocolate.”

Gluten free and available in eight flavours – three of which are Great Taste award-winners – Get Jerky is a healthy, high protein snack for all ages, which provide an energy boost when you need it, especially when playing sports.

Success in the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion was the perfect build up to the RAC Rally from November 23-27, which will involve five full days of challenging forest rallying covering Wales, Scotland and England.

“We are entering only selective events this year as I want to put some mileage on our brand new car before the RAC Rally in November,” said Jason whose family owns the Toyota dealership, North Road Garage, Builth Wells, another key sponsor.

“We wouldn’t be able to enter these rallies without the support of our sponsors and it’s great to have the support of local businesses. Hopefully, our sponsors will have benefited from our success on the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.”

Get Jerky is available to buy online at www.getjerky.wales or in farm shops and other quality food retailers across the UK.

Trailhead Fine Foods is the headline sponsor of the Get Jerky Rally North Wales based in Welshpool and the Get Jerky Devil’s Staircase ultra trail race, which is being held next Saturday, September 16 and also sponsor junior playing strips for COBRA Rugby Club, based in Meifod.

The company supports sports and events for young people and adults that benefit the Mid Wales tourism economy and encourage a healthy lifestyle, teamwork, leadership, competition and discipline.

Pictured above: Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke on their way to victory in the Historic Category at JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.

Continue Reading

Charity17 hours ago

Wales Air Ambulance patient raises £6,000 by organising a charity rugby match

A CHARITY RUGBY MATCH that was organised by a Wales Air Ambulance past patient has raised £6,000. Richard Jones, of...

News1 day ago

West Wales teenager charged in connection with terrorism offences

A TEENAGER from west Wales has been charged in connection with right-wing terrorism offences, police have said. The boy, 17,...

News2 days ago

Third-time refusal call for £6m Stepaside holiday scheme

A PROPOSED £6m expansion of a south Pembrokeshire holiday park, previously given a ‘minded to’ backing by planners, has been...

News2 days ago

Pembrokeshire firm fined over £6,000 for environmental offences

GRIFFITHS WASTE SOLUTIONS, a waste management company located at Withybush Industrial Estate in Pembrokeshire, has been slapped with a £6,300...

Health2 days ago

Appointment of Hywel Dda University Health Board Chair

EARLIER this year, Miss Maria Battle, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board shared her intention to retire at the...

News3 days ago

Arts Council of Wales supports the Torch with funding for the future

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF WALES has today released the outcome of its Investment Review relating to revenue funding for arts...

News3 days ago

Count down is on for the opening of new venue HANGAR in Milford Haven

MILFORD HAVEN’S entertainment scene has been taken to new heights with the highly anticipated opening of HANGAR! This extraordinary venue...

News5 days ago

St Davids RNLI responds to kayaker in distress near Jack Sound

AT 3:30pm on Saturday, 23rd September, the St Davids RNLI lifeboat was dispatched in response to reports of a kayaker...

News1 week ago

Wales to the World: celebrating maps in a brand new exhibition

ON SATURDAY (Sept 23) an exciting new exhibition of maps from the National Library of Wales will open at the...

News1 week ago

fflecsi Bwcabus Service to cease as funding comes an end

THE FFLECSI Bwcabus service will end on 31st October 2023. The news comes after the Welsh Government confirmed that it...

Popular This Week