Sport
Whitland one win away from title
WHITLAND moved to within one win of the League 2 West title after they beat Fishguard 46-26 at The Moors on Saturday (May 5).
The Borderers were beaten by Hendy in their previous game but bounced back and now just need to win their final game at home to Mumbles on Saturday (May 12) to seal the title.
Fishguard sit seven points above second from bottom Amman United and the two teams meet next Saturday.
Whitland began Saturday’s game well but after a pass was knocked forward, Fishguard had a scrum. However, a Seagulls infringement gave the ball back to the visitors and from the resulting scrum Adam Davies picked the ball out before passing to Liam Price who went over in the corner.
Nico Setaro’s conversion went wide and the Borderers held a 5-0 lead with ten minutes gone.
Just a minute later Setaro burst through a couple of tackles and offloaded to Jonny Thomas who touched down under the posts giving Setaro an easy conversion.
Fishguard looked to respond and came close on a number of occasions. On one occasion, they were held up illegally and Mike Jenkins sent a penalty through the posts to put the Seagulls on the board.
Whitland then went up the other end but after another foul, Setaro had a chance to extend their lead but his penalty went wide.
Setaro then made amends a minute later as he sent a penalty through the posts for a 15-3 lead.
From the kick off Whitland knocked the ball on giving Fishguard possession and after kicking to touch, Mike Jenkins offloaded for Jamie Lewis who scored in the corner. Jenkins then added the extras to bring the Seagulls to within five points of their opponents.
Fishguard came forward again with Chris Shousha making a darting run and after losing one of his boots he was brought down. Another Whitland foul saw Jenkins send a penalty through the posts to make the score 13-15 to the visitors.
Whitland again responded but Fishguard’s Luke Freebury intercepted the ball illegally, according to the referee and Whitland had another penalty which Setaro scored.
On the stroke of half time, Whitland kicked the ball forward and Seagulls’ Robbie Jones struggled to take the ball cleanly in the bright sun. That put Fishguard back and Whitland were able to win the ball back. Setaro again broke the tackles and passed to David Ebsworth who was brought down before the line but was still able to reach over for the try.
The conversion caused a moment of controversy as it was given by the Whitland touch judge and not given by the Fishguard touch judge. After the confusion was cleared up the conversion was not given and Whitland held a 23-13 lead at the break.
In the second half, Mike Jenkins went on a mazy run but he was penalised for holding onto the ball. Whitland chose to kick to touch but the kick didn’t go out and Fishguard attacked again.
They were then given a penalty and Jenkins again sent the penalty through the posts to bring them to within seven points of their opponents.
Whitland responded in kind and a penalty from Setaro restored his side’s ten point lead.
A knock on from Whitland saw Fishguard pick the ball up and play the advantage but they were unable to break through.
Whitland had a scrum five metres out but Setaro’s clearance kick barely cleared the 22 and Fishguard attacked again. They came close but a knock on ended their attack.
Moments later Setaro broke out and a series of passes found Jonny Thomas who touched down in the right corner. Setaro added the extras for a 33-16 lead.
Another penalty from Jenkins closed the gap once more and with ten minutes to go, Fishguard attacked and the ball was played to Osian Lewis who went over in the corner for a try. Jenkins added the extras to bring the Seagulls back to within ten points of Whitland.
Five minutes from time Setaro added another penalty and with the clock ticking over the 80-minute mark Sean Coles intercepted the ball in his own half and ran on to score the try. Setaro added the extras giving Whitland a 46-26 victory.
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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