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Cresselly beat Town to open up title race

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THE Division 1 title race was blown wide open on Saturday (Jun 30) as Cresselly beat leaders Haverfordwest while Whitland and Neyland both won again to close the gap on the top two.

Haverfordwest were asked to bat first against Cresselly and had it not been for a score of 91 not out from Simon Holliday, taking his tally of runs for the season to 876, their score could have been a lot less.

Opener Dai Davies was the only other batsman to make it into double figures as they slipped to scores of 78-6 and 114-8.

Cresselly’s Ryan Lewis was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with figures of 5-25.

In reply, Dan Sutton and Iwan Izzard both made scores of 24 before 83 not out from Dan Cherry guided Cresselly to their target.

The win means Cresselly move level on points with leaders Haverfordwest while Whitland’s win over Lawrenny means they are now just 16 points behind.

Whitland batted first and made an excellent total of 257-4 in their innings with Steffan James playing a starring role as he finished not out on 128.

He was supported well by Dylan Blain who added 68 runs as Lawrenny’s bowlers toiled.

Lawrenny were unable to match Whitland’s score however, as Iestyn Scourfield was in superb form with the ball as he took nine wickets for the loss of 39 runs to help bowl their opponents out for 106.

Neyland returned to winning ways on Saturday with victory over Llangwm at Pill Parks and they now sit 18 points behind the top two.

Neyland had lost three of their previous four matches, drawing the other, but they were eager to get themselves back in the title picture and they scored 253-6 in their innings.

They had played on the same pitch a few days earlier in the semi-final of the Duggie Morris tournament so they already had a good feel of how the pitch would play.

Nick Koomen top scored for his side with 78 runs while Ashley Smith added 47 and Henry Durrant added 40.

Llangwm had Noah Davies their top scorer on 52 while Joseph Kiff added 49 and Richard Brock scored 38 but it wasn’t quite enough to take them to victory.

Andrew Miller took three wickets for Neyland while Gary Lloyd and Durrant both struck twice to bowl them out for 181.

At the other end of the table, Kilgetty earned a crucial win against Burton to further boost their hopes of survival.

Kilgetty batted first but were all out for 163 with Burton’s Morgan Scale taking four wickets and Luke Hayman also taking three wickets.

Kurtis Marsh top scored for the visitors with 53 runs while Tom Lewis scored 36 and Jack Parkinson added 23.

Burton then had Matthew Davies score 41 in reply and Morgan Scale added 38 but it wasn’t quite enough to earn them victory as they were bowled out for 158, just five runs short.

Marsh took three wickets while Ross Hardy and Liam Cullen both struck twice for Kilgetty.

Finally, Tish eased to victory over Johnston by nine wickets on Saturday.

Johnston batted first and had opener Steve James score 22 and Gary James added 21 before some late hitting from Keegan Codd saw him score 43 as they were all out for 124.

Tish’s Andrew Pawlett took six wickets for the home side who then had Peter Bradshaw finish not out on 47 and Phil Cockburn unbeaten on 56 as they reached their target with plenty of time to spare.

On Saturday (Jul 7), the top four sides all face sides below them in the table with Cresselly travelling to bottom side Johnston.

Haverfordwest travel to a Lawrenny side who have already beaten Neyland and Cresselly so far this season.

Whitland are at home to Llangwm while Neyland are at home as they take on Burton.

Two sides towards the bottom end of the table could give themselves a real boost as third from bottom Kilgetty host fourth from bottom St Ishmaels with both locked on 128 points.

Sport

Rugby Previews 9/12/23

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Last weekend the county’s rugby was victim to the cold weather, with frozen pitches the issue. This weekend we hope waterlogged pitches don’t prevent too many games from going ahead.

We start our preview in the championship where unbeaten Narberth travel to mid table Trebanos. The Otters are In outstanding form and are only a single point behind leaders Brecon who have also won all 9 of their league games so far. A bonus point win will be the Otters focus on Saturday in the Swansea Valley.

A mouthwatering affair in the second division as unbeaten Tenby travel to top of the table St Clears. Tenby have impressed this season so far and are six wins from six. St Clears despite being top have lost two games this season, they’ve played ten games to Tenbys six: the table maybe slightly misleading. Tenby will be under no illusion however that this’ll be an easy game, it’s going to be a tough game between two of the best teams in this division. This is our one to watch this weekend.

Division three west has a few mouthwatering derbies itself. Llangwm travel to St Davids who will be full of confidence following recent results. For that reason Saints go into this one as slight favourites however Llangwm will be confident of brining the points home to the village. Elsewhere Neyland host Pembroke Dock Quins in what’s set to be a passionate and fairly evenly matched affair. It’ll be a day for the forwards Saturday and the battle between these two packs will be key.

Haverfordwest travel to struggling Llanybydder and perhaps an opportunity to rotate a few players. The Blues are strong favourites for this and anything other than a bonus point win would be a shock. Pembroke host high flying Laugharne another very tough game for the Scarlets as they struggle to make their mark on this season so far.

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Spotlight: Herald Sport speaks with referee Marty Jones

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MARTY JONES swapped his boots for the whistle a couple of years ago now and has become a well known referee through the county. With fellow former players Mark Hicks and Mikey John also following in his footsteps this season, we sat down with Marty for an insight into the life of a Pembrokeshire Referee.

Herald – Marty, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. By now you’re a well renowned and respected ref in the county. What inspired you to take up reffing?

Marty – Renowned, maybe, respected ..by most. I love footy and after my playing days I wanted to keep doing something, and reffing seemed the logical step. I had reffed some junior games over the years as my lads played for Hakin youth, and quite enjoyed it, so figured why not? I qualified just before COVID and have done as many games as possible.

Herald – With former team mates Mikey John and Mark Hicks recently following in your footsteps, it’s a good sign for the game. What do you enjoy about being the man in the middle?

Marty – It’s great to see ex players take up the whistle, it’s vital for grassroots that we get new refs, and keep them! No ref, no game and all that. I hope that by seeing the likes of me, Hicksy & Mikey reffing, more players coming to the end of their playing career will think about it. For me I enjoy still being involved with footy on a Saturday (and whatever mid week games there are) and you are kept active and on your toes at all times. For me, it’s just about being involved with grassroots footy. If I could play still, I would, but I’ll ref until I either don’t enjoy it anymore or can’t physically do it.

Herald – Would you say the referees association in the county is in a good place? Attracting former local players is definitely a positive.

Marty – I can only speak as I have found, and the Pembs Refs association has been excellent for me. Loads of experienced heads to ask any questions, no judgements when you mention mistakes made (not that I have of course) and there’s always somebody there who will help. To a man, they are great people.

Herald – I’d like to think refs are given a warm welcome across the county. However are there any grounds in the county where you particularly look forward to visiting?

Marty – Again, only speaking in my experience, I’ve been welcomed at almost every ground. People know I’m not particularly shy, so if there’s a problem I’ll tell people. But, respect works both ways, so I’ve learnt to be more respectful too. For me (and the Hakin fans won’t like this much) Goodwick have always been great, fantastic facilities, always a good crowd and a brilliant pitch.
Fishguard as well, a great club where I get a cuppa at half time and full time so that’s always welcomed, Neyland always a great club as well. It’s unfair to name just a couple because in all my games I’ve only been made to feel unwelcome at one ground (which shall remain nameless at this stage). I don’t ref Hakin games, but obviously The Obs in pre season is my favourite (although maybe not so much when Milford beat them in the Joe Lennon this year).

Herald – Finally have you got any message for anyone considering doing the refs course?

Marty- Yes. If you love football, seriously consider reffing after you’ve played. Pembs League is always in need of more refs, and as players you know how the game works and will likely make a great ref. For younger people, it’s a gateway to a great pastime, something you can make a career out of. 99% of the time it’s brilliant, get yourself on the course and speak to anybody from the Pembs Refs Association and have a chat with them. You need to be a certain type of crazy, but you’ll love it!!

A great insight into local refereeing there from Marty, and if anyone is interested in becoming a referee simply contact Pembrokeshire Referee Association. You’ll be sure to see Marty on a pitch somewhere before Christmas, clubs who don’t supply a ‘cuppa’ at half time now know what’s required of them.

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Spotlight on Milford United Football Club

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WE RECENTLY sat down with Milford United manager Steve Parks, we timed it well on the back of an outstanding 7-1 win at Marble Hall. The season has started extremely well for Parks’ men, many may have predicted a relegation dog fight this season. However as the weeks and games tick by this seems to be very unlikely as the boys from Marble Hall prove they belong in the top division.

Herald Thanks for your time Steve, a fantastic win for you yesterday beating Tenby 7-1, how do you reflect on that?

Steve Yesterday was a great win against a good Tenby side who have been strong this season. To win this tie and score 7 was a true reflection of our ability as a team and our willingness to play the ball through the right channels.

Herald Assuming stabilising division one status is your priority this season? You seem to have had a very positive start, is that how you see it?

Steve To progress into the last 16 of the West Wales Cup is a true reflection of our cup performances this season beating three first division teams, one from Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire with 21 goals scored and only 2 conceded.
This seasons objective was to remain in the 1st Division and gain valuable experience along the way . We have a mixture of youth and experience in our squad and potential to improve as a team as the season progresses.

Herald Who have been your stand out players so far this season?

Steve As a Manager I am conscientious about
naming stand out players, all squad members have had a part to play this season. We have a young talented goalkeeper who is growing with confidence with every game he plays. We are very strong in defence and have creative midfield players that offer our forwards plenty of opportunities in front of goal.

Herald With the two cup competitions still alive for you and mid table in the league so far. What would be deemed a successful season for you this season?

Steve A successful season for Milford united would be to finish mid table in the League, have a good Senior Cup and West Wales Cup run. The season started well winning the Joe Lennon Cup which we haven’t won for a very long time. We as a club are looking forward to the challenges ahead of us for the rest of the 23/24 season and hope to be as competitive as we can.

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