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Broad Haven seal Third Division Cup hat trick

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BROAD Haven’s love affair with the Third Division Cup continued on Thursday (May 3), as they beat Milford Athletic 3-0 to win the Cup for the third successive year.

It was an even first half but Julian Wood put them ahead after half an hour and he then scored again just a minute after the restart before Johnny White’s stunning effort five minutes later all but sealed victory.

It was Milford who had the brighter start as Jack Daines saw a shot saved while Liam Clark also shot over.

Broad Haven came close when a ball was played in to Johnny White but he dragged his shot wide.

Julian Wood sees a chance go wide for Broad Haven

Clark and Daines then combined well but the latter saw his shot blocked wide for a corner.

Ian Harvey’s cross was then knocked on by Sam Barton and it fell kindly for Wood but he couldn’t make any contact with the ball and Milford cleared the danger.

With just under half an hour gone, Alan Llewellyn found space down the left to cross into the box for Barton who knocked the ball back across goal for Wood to tap into the net and give Broad Haven the lead.

It could have been two moments later as Josh Beer’s cross found Barton but his first time shot went wide.

Clark then came close for Milford as he turned well in the box but his volleyed effort was blocked on the line by Peter Thomas.

With half time approaching a ball was played through which was missed by the Milford defenders and Wood latched on to it but his lobbed effort went wide.

It remained 1-0 when the half time whistle went but any hopes Milford had of getting back into the match were dealt a blow just a minute into the second half.

The ball was played into the box and when it wasn’t cleared properly it fell to Wood who fired the ball into the top right corner to make it 2-0.

Five minutes later Broad Haven had their third goal as Llewellyn played the ball down the left for White who cut inside before firing an unstoppable shot past Milford keeper Jamie Bird.

Johnny White scores Broad Haven’s third goal

Josh Beer was then sent through on goal but he poked his shot wide of the goal and moments later he had another chance but this time his effort was saved by the legs of Milford keeper.

Jamie Davies saw a late free kick go through everyone and just wide of the posts for Milford as they continued to look for a way back into the game.

Beer and White both had chances late on to add to the scoring but Bird was equal to them and the score stayed the same.

Broad Haven then saw the game out as they celebrated their third straight success in the competition.

Sport

Local Angharad James-Turner leads Cymru in historic Euro ’25 play-off final

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TONIGHT (Nov 29), Pembrokeshire’s own Angharad James-Turner will captain the Cymru Women’s national football team in the first leg of their crucial Euro 2025 play-off final against the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff. As the youngest player ever to accumulate 100 caps for Cymru, Angharad’s leadership and experience will be invaluable as Cymru battles for a spot in next summer’s European Championship.

A star in the making

Angharad James’ footballing career began in the heart of Pembrokeshire, where she first showcased her talent with local club Manorbier Ladies, not far from her hometown of Haverfordwest. Her ability on the pitch quickly caught the attention of larger clubs, and at 16, she joined the Arsenal Academy. By 2011, she had made her debut for Arsenal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, marking the start of an illustrious career.

From there, James has played for an impressive array of clubs across the globe, including Notts County, Yeovil Town, Everton, Reading, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, and Tottenham Hotspur. Her versatility as a midfielder, as well as her time playing as a fullback at Spurs, has earned her a reputation as an exceptional player who can control the game and set up her teammates with key assists​

Now 30, James has become the heartbeat of the Welsh national team. She was named Cymru captain in October 2024, taking over the leadership role from Sophie Ingle. Despite the big shoes to fill, Angharad has proven herself to be more than capable, leading her team through tough qualifiers, including the pivotal play-offs for Euro 2025​

A champion on and off the pitch

Angharad’s international career is nothing short of remarkable. She made her senior debut for Wales at just 17 and reached 100 caps in 2022, the same day Wales qualified for the World Cup play-offs for the first time. Her contribution to Welsh football has been pivotal, and she was named to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics​

Off the pitch, Angharad is equally impressive. She’s a proud Welsh speaker and regularly conducts interviews in Welsh, despite the challenges of living abroad for much of her career. In a recent social media post, she spoke about her ongoing commitment to the language, sharing her belief that it’s important to keep Welsh alive and accessible​

In addition to her football career, Angharad is also a proud co-owner of a coffee van, “Two Sides Grind,” which she runs with her partner Amy James-Turner and their dog, Betsy. The duo is working towards one day owning a coffee shop, demonstrating Angharad’s entrepreneurial spirit​

A historic moment for Pembrokeshire

For those in Pembrokeshire, Angharad’s journey is a point of immense pride. From her early days in Manorbier to becoming the captain of Wales, she is an inspiration to young athletes across the county. Her determination, humility, and skill make her a true role model, not only in Wales but around the world.

As Cymru takes on the Republic of Ireland in tonight’s crucial first leg, Angharad James-Turner’s leadership will be central to their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2025. Whatever the outcome, Pembrokeshire can be proud of one of their own leading the charge for Welsh football at the highest level.

Wales v Ireland – how to follow all the action

Wales v Republic of Ireland (first leg)

29th of November, Cardiff City Stadium. K.O. 19:15pm

Republic of Ireland v Wales (second leg)

3rd of December, Aviva Stadium. K.O. 19:30pm

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Sport

Pembrokeshire Knock-Out Cup quarter-final report

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HAVERFORDWEST edged out St Davids in a thrilling encounter under the new floodlights at St Davids, advancing to the semi-finals of the Pembrokeshire Knock-Out Cup. The decisive moment came in the second half, with Dylan Williamson crossing for a crucial try in a fiercely contested match that featured five tries, four yellow cards, and relentless effort from both sides.

Match Overview

First Half

Early Advantage for St Davids
St Davids struck early, igniting the scoreboard just three minutes in. Centre Morgan Griffiths broke the line before full-back Iwan Davies dived over in the corner. Bob Froy’s conversion gave the Saints a 7-0 lead, and a subsequent penalty from Froy extended the advantage to 10-0.

The Saints’ early dominance was underpinned by hooker Rhys Price’s control in the scrums and No.8 George Raymond’s powerful carries.

Haverfordwest Respond
Haverfordwest fought back as winger Scott Candler’s elusive run created an opportunity for full-back Matty Phillips to score from close range. Jack Codd added the conversion, cutting the deficit.

Although Codd missed a penalty shortly after, St Davids capitalized with another three points from Froy.

The momentum shifted again when Haverfordwest centre Iestyn Arnold charged down a kick, setting up Candler for his first try. Codd’s conversion handed the visitors a narrow lead at 14-13.

St Davids quickly retaliated. A dominant scrum near the try line allowed Iwan Davies to claim his second try, with Froy converting to restore a 20-14 lead.

As the half neared its conclusion, Haverfordwest’s Jamie Phillips was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements. Despite being a man down, Haverfordwest’s Ioan Hawkridge-Jones broke through to earn a penalty, which Codd converted from 35 metres, leaving St Davids ahead 20-17 at halftime.

Second Half

Physicality Takes Centre Stage
The second half saw a tighter contest, with tempers flaring and scoring opportunities scarce. Froy missed an early penalty for St Davids, and the game descended into a series of physical confrontations. Haverfordwest centre Gabe Thicker and St Davids replacement hooker Chris Cooper were both sin-binned after a heated exchange.

Williamson’s Match-Winning Try
The decisive moment arrived at the hour mark. Arnold broke through St Davids’ defensive line from 40 metres out and expertly offloaded to Dylan Williamson, who finished the move with a vital try. Codd’s conversion pushed Haverfordwest ahead 24-20.

Late Drama
Haverfordwest’s substitutes Terry Lovell and Dan Berry shored up the scrum, allowing the visitors to dominate possession and territory in the closing stages.

In a final twist, St Davids captain Nathan Foster received a yellow card, leaving the Saints with 14 men for the final moments. Despite their spirited efforts to launch a late attack, St Davids couldn’t break through Haverfordwest’s resolute defense.

Haverfordwest now look ahead to the semi-finals, while St Davids exit the competition with their heads held high after pushing their higher-league opponents to the limit.

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Politics

‘Long way to go’, admit bosses of crisis-hit WRU

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WELSH Rugby Union chiefs admitted the governing body still has a long way to go after an independent review unveiled a “toxic” culture of bullying and misogyny.

The Senedd’s culture committee scrutinised representatives of the WRU, which has been rocked by allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia over the past year.

Labour’s Hannah Blythyn pressed the witnesses about the women’s team being given a three-hour ultimatum in contract talks, asking if this is how the WRU treats employees.

Richard Collier-Keywood, chair of the WRU since July 2023, told the committee he and Abi Tierney, the chief executive, have since apologised to the players for serious failings.

He said: “That was not something that should have happened … we absolutely should not have given the players a three-hour ultimatum to sign the contracts … it’s certainly not the practice which I want to see in the WRU.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “You’ve made it clear that you believe you have taken significant steps in terms of changing attitudes towards cultural issues.

“Given that everybody’s eyes were on you … and in particular your attitude towards women within the organisation, do you feel you need to reassess how far forward you believe you have come as a union in light of the failings?”

Mr Collier-Keywood replied: “Yeah, I think we’ve definitely reflected on that and I don’t think we were fooling ourselves up to that point either … we recognise we have a long way to go.”

He explained that two board members led an in-depth review of the contract negotiation process, with their report expected to be published in full in the coming weeks.

Criticising “misreporting” of the review’s conclusions by the Daily Telegraph, he said: “There were many failures … but they were not to do with sex discrimination.”

Ms Tierney told the committee: “Everybody went in with the best intentions but … tensions and frustrations arose during the process.”

Mr Collier-Keywood explained the findings emerging from the review: “I don’t think that we as the WRU set out a clear process such that everybody brought in ….

“We were not clear of the roles of individuals in that process, both from a WRU perspective nor, in particular, the people who the players thought would be representing them.”

He added: “We had not fully appreciated the fact that we were dealing with a situation where we had players who were in a high-performance environment but they were also contracted to the WRU as employees.”

Mr Collier-Keywood pointed out that men are contracted to the regions, saying: “We weren’t treating the women as employees to the full extent of that term. That was confusing and difficult and we were not fulfilling our obligations towards the women.”

Delyth Jewell, who chairs the Senedd’s culture committee, questioned progress against recommendations made by Anne Rafferty’s 2023 independent review.

Ms Tierney accepted the WRU had not lived up to the standards expected as she stressed: “Transformational change is hard. I would say colleagues are really feeling that at the moment and it will take time for things to feel better, I think.”

Mr Collier-Keywood added: “Years of previous culture does take time to change and yes we’re impatient to do that but we’re also realistic in terms of not claiming false dawns.”

Asked about a £7.5m loss in latest accounts, Mr Collier-Keywood told Senedd members the WRU is on track to take £5m out of its cost base in the current year.

“We both now believe our finances are more sustainable,” he said, explaining that the WRU made a £24m profit but drew on reserves to allocate £31m to rugby.

Pressed about the impact on participation, Ms Tierney told the committee meeting on November 27 she is saddened that concerns around culture may deter women and girls

But she stressed: “I think it would be unfair for me to sit here and say we won’t ever have any more headlines again because I think culture is a journey.

“It’s how we respond to those headlines that is so important.”

Ms Blythyn, a former minister who was previously responsible for fair work in Wales, did not envy the chief executive’s task of having to turn the WRU around.

She said: “We’ve heard of the glass ceiling but there’s a glass cliff – a tendency for women to come in at a point where an organisation or institution is at the precipice.”

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