Sport
Mardle magic entertains the crowd
DARTS superstar Wayne ‘Hawaii 501’ Mardle rocked into Haverfordwest on Friday (Feb 9), accompanied by Darts lead referee Richard ‘Little’ Ashdown for a Charity extravaganza at Haverfordwest Cricket Club which attracted over a hundred spectators to the benefit of two local charities, The Catrin Vaughan Foundation & Belles Story.
Raised in Romford, the die-hard Tottenham Hotspur supporter Mardle is also a keen ‘recreational’ golfer who also enjoys most sports. He plays poker on the Grovesnor Poker Tour, reaching the final table recently in finishing seventh whilst in his younger days he was a BMX stunt rider before darts became his life.
A well rounded, witty and respectful ‘mine host’ Mardle’s family plays a key role in his life and he has taken the opportunity to co-author a book with Ian Spragg, about the ups and downs in his life, entitled ‘Hawaii 501 – Life as a Darts Pro’. Wayne brought to the stage his charismatic performance and was loved by those fans present at the evening, co-ordinated by Lee Chenery and Craig Jones.
Lee exclaimed: “Just listening to Wayne on stage, you had to chuckle about his inquisitive and engaging mantra and why he remains so popular across the world, as he is one of the faces of darts, the second most viewed sport after Premier league football”
Mardle, known worldwide by his ‘Hawaii 501’ nickname, was joined as master of ceremonies by ‘Little’ Richard Ashdown, the Head British Darts Organisation Referee. His entrance to the Oche saw him draped in a floral Hawaiian shirt, shaking his hips to his catchy theme tune from the 1980s US TV show Hawaii 5.0, which sparked a response with the crowd jumping from their seats.
In ‘calling the board’ Ashdown engaged the audience to take on Mardle in 1:1 games on stage.
Fundraising for the two nominated charities was fundamental to the evening and leading the way was DJ Wayne Lewis, who rumbled the tunes and stage managed the ‘walk ons’ for those lucky enough to tackle Mardle in the head to head games.
Lewis, alongside local arrow enthusiasts, Shaun ‘Devsy’ Devonald, Gareth Jones, Tom Wray, Gareth Starling, Anthony John, Richard Prout, Marcus James and Chris Harris were unable to lower the flag the man who first played the game at eleven, won his first tournament at thirteen and reach number 5 in the world before suffering ill health.
Winners are grinners: Local player Jack Bevan with Wayne Mardle
The honour of victory fell to Stephen Jones, Anthony John and Jack Bevan, where Mark Morgan, Paul Hughes, Scott Nash and Michael Osborne were also called to the oche by Ashdown after winning the raffle draw to play Mardle who made his debut on the BDO circuit in 1993.
From this debut his nickname ‘Hawaii 501’ was established after he wore a Hawaiian shirt on the oche, for a bet.
Mardle made his first appearance at the BDO World Championships in 2000, joining the PDC in 2003 and reached four semi-finals, before illness forced him to retire.
Craig Jones sparkled in his thanks to those who supported the spectacular night, the Wolfscastle Country Hotel, Pembs Paints, Heatherton, Folly Farm. Gareth Bicknell, Drew Whelton, Cher Excell, Lost Coins, Jamie ‘Fireball’ Lewis and Haverfordwest Cricket Club.
He added: “The show was brilliant, with everyone enjoying the wisecracks from Wayne and Little Richard, joining in the spirit of the evening. It was the little things which made it happen, like Hayley Francis-Owens for scoring the games on the screen; Pembrokeshire certainly benefitted from the night, with the Belles Story and the Catrin Vaughan Foundation the real winners.”
WALES’ search for a first win in this year’s Women’s Six Nations continues after a tough afternoon at Rodney Parade saw them fall 40-14 to a dominant Ireland side.
Despite a strong start and an early try from Carys Cox, the home team quickly lost control of the match as Ireland ran in six tries – two apiece from Linda Djougang, Aoife Wafer, and Dorothy Wall.
A second-half score from late squad addition Hannah Bluck gave Wales a glimmer of hope, but it was little more than consolation in front of a record crowd of 3,568 at the Newport venue.
Ireland’s forwards proved too powerful throughout, and Wales’ defensive frailties were exposed time and again. The defeat marks Wales’ fourth consecutive loss of the tournament, and they now face a must-win match against Italy to avoid finishing bottom of the table for a second straight year.
Wales began with purpose, with stand-in fullback Lleucu George causing problems early. Her clever kick down the flank forced an error from Ireland’s Amee-Leigh Costigan, allowing Cox to dive on the loose ball for the opening try.
But Ireland soon found their rhythm, capitalising on soft tackling and set-piece pressure. Djougang muscled over after a burst from Wafer, who soon added one of her own as the visitors took control.
Even a yellow card for Ireland fly-half Dannah O’Brien – shown a card for dangerous contact – did little to help Wales. The Irish maintained their dominance with Wall crossing just before half-time to put them 21-7 ahead.
Ireland continued their charge in the second half, with Wall securing the bonus point shortly after the restart. While Cox and Jasmine Joyce-Butchers tried to spark a response, handling errors and turnovers repeatedly derailed Welsh attacks.
Bluck’s try, created by strong carries from Carys Phillips and a sharp offload from Keira Bevan, gave fans something to cheer. But Wafer had the last word, bulldozing her way over from the base of the scrum to seal the win.
Ireland now look to cement third place when they face Scotland, while Wales have one last chance to salvage their campaign when they travel to face Italy.
After the match, head coach Sean Lynn admitted the performance was painful: “It hurts. We all feel it. We had moments where we were right in it – we could have gone 14-0 up – but didn’t take our chances. That’s the difference at this level.”
Ireland’s Aoife Wafer reflected on the team’s spirit: “We talk about being the most connected team in the world. That shows in how we play – not just the 23 here, but the girls back home too. Winning away is never easy, so we’re proud of this.”
Wales team: Joyce-Butchers; Neumann, Jones (capt), Keight, Cox; George, Bevan; G. Pyrs, K. Jones, Scoble, Fleming, Evans, K. Williams, Lewis, Callender.
Replacements: C. Phillips, Davies, Rose, John, A. Pyrs, S. Jones, Bluck, Richards.
Ireland team: Flood; McGann, Dalton, Breen, Amee-Leigh; O’Brien, Scuffil-McCabe; McCarthy, N. Jones, Djougang, Campbell, Wall, Hogan, McMahon (capt), Wafer.
Replacements: Moloney, McGrath, Haney, Tuite, Boles, Lane, Higgins, Elmes Kinlan.
Yellow card: O’Brien (36 mins)
Tries – Wales: Cox, Bluck | Conversions: Bevan 2
Tries – Ireland: Djougang 2, Wafer 2, Wall 2 | Conversions: O’Brien 3, Breen 2
FISHGUARD will once again play host to the Wales Triathlon this summer, with hundreds of competitors set to descend on the town for the popular sporting event on Sunday, June 15.
Organised by Activity Wales Events, the triathlon includes a two-lap sea swim in Fishguard Bay, followed by a two-lap cycle from Fishguard to St Davids and a four-lap run along the Marine Walk and out onto the breakwater.
In order to facilitate the bike leg on closed roads, several road closures will be in place throughout the day.
Major road closures
The A487 between Goodwick and Mathry will be closed between 9:45am and 3:00pm.
Between Mathry and Croesgoch, the A487 will be closed from 10:00am to 3:00pm, and from Croesgoch to St Davids the closure will run from 10:00am until 2:45pm.
Crossing points will be in operation at Mathry crossroads, Croesgoch crossroads, and the Llangoffan to Granston junction. Diversions will be signposted, with local traffic routed via minor B roads and through Haverfordwest for longer journeys.
Town centre impact
In Fishguard, West Street will be closed between 12:00pm and 6:00pm for the running stage. Residents will still be able to exit side roads, with diversions clearly marked.
Goodwick residents will be able to exit the town via the Tesco roundabout, which will remain open all day.
Care access and course passes
Care workers will be allowed access to visit clients within the closed sections, but must obtain a course pass via their organisation in advance.
On the day, carers using the route must:
- Follow the direction of the race
- Display their pass clearly
- Keep hazard lights on at all times
- Exit the route as soon as safely possible
Further information
The event attracted over 1,000 athletes last year, and organisers anticipate another strong turnout.
More information can be found at: www.walestriathlon.com/athletes/event-info
Road closure details are available at: community.walestriathlon.com
For course pass enquiries, contact: info@activitywalesevents.com
All matches complete as season concludes
THE 2024/25 season of the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – known as The Friendly League – has now officially concluded, with all clubs completing their outstanding fixtures.
The past few weeks saw the following catch-up matches played:
- Carew 8–2 Llanteg
- St Johns 8–2 Cosheston
- Hundleton 8–2 Reynalton
- Reynalton 9–1 Lamphey
- Cosheston 10–0 Kilgetty
- East Williamston 9–1 Kilgetty
Final League Table (2024/25 Season)
| Position | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | S/D | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Williamston | 20 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 313 | 158 |
| 2 | St Johns | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 111 | 122 |
| =3 | Carew | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 105 | 111 |
| =3 | Cosheston | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 77 | 111 |
| 5 | Reynalton | 20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 28 | 104 |
| 6 | Hundleton | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 74 | 97 |
| 7 | Llanteg | 20 | 7 | 1 | 12 | -71 | 92 |
| 8 | St Twynnells | 20 | 8 | 1 | 11 | -97 | 89 |
| 9 | Badgers | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | -22 | 82 |
| =10 | Lamphey | 20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | -179 | 67 |
| =10 | Kilgetty | 20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | -262 | 67 |
Congratulations to East Williamston, who finish the season as clear champions with an impressive 158 points and a shot difference of +313.
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