Sport

Otters topple the leaders

Published

8 years ago

October 29, 2018

NARBERTH superbly toppled Championship leaders Cardiff Met on Saturday (Oct 27) as they came away with a 16-13 victory.

The game started with Cardiff Met kicking off with the advantage of a strong, cold wind behind them playing towards the clubhouse end. Initially they pinned the Otters in their own half but were slowly being driven back with the Otters forwards in groups of three forcing their way forward and successfully retaining possession.

Jonathan Rogers playing his first game after a foot injury produced one of his cannonball kicks well into the Met half near their 22. The ball was fielded but the Otters were able to force the Met defender into touch. From the lineout, the Otters moved the ball through the threes, from the stand side into midfield before the referee awarded them a penalty. Nick Gale came forward and struck the ball perfectly to send the ball soaring between the posts giving the Otters an early lead.

The Met kicked off, which was fielded via Dan Smith, he passed to Jonathan Rogers, the fly half produced one of his long passes out to centre Jack Price who was able to take the ball forward into Met’s 22 in inimitable forceful way before being brought to ground. From the breakdown the Otters pack drove forward before the ball landed in touch on the Redstone side of the ground on the 5 metre line.

The referee awarded a scrum from the lineout but the Otters were penalised for supposedly pushing before the ball was put in. This enabled the Met to kick the ball just into the Otters half with the oters being penalised. Their fly half kicked the ball into the Otters 22. The fast backs followed up but the Otters forced the ball into touch.

From the lineout, the Met set up a rolling maul which the Otters pack expertly managed to halt with the referee awarding the Otters a scrum enabling scrum half Lewys Gibby to kick over the Met players heads.

Forced to retreat, the Met then regained the ball and scored a good try near the clubhouse corner having moved the ball quickly from the far side and managing to create a gap in the Otters sturdy defence, for their inside centre Jack Wright to break clear via a sudden gap appearing and touch down. Fly half Henry Johnson converted to take Cardiff Met into the lead, 3-7 on twenty minutes.

The Otters kicked off and in the ensuing play were awarded a scrum. The pack showed their control pushing the Met backwards forcing the Met to concede a penalty. Jonathon Rogers then kicked and gained the lineout.

From the lineout the Otters threes took the ball into the Met 22 and from the moved the ball from left to right, then switching back towards the far side. The referee awarded the Otters pack a scrum and who again showed their superiority in the tight causing the Met to concede another penalty.

Again Nick Gale came forward and with much concentration struck the ball between the posts bringing the score to 6-7 on 27 minutes.

From the restart Richard Rees fielded and drove forward followed by a series of drives, by the Otters pack with Cardiff Met defending strongly. However, the series of ruck and drive forced the Met back to the halfway line before offending, the referee awarding the Met a scrum. This had to be reset with the Otters forcing the Met eight back as the eight Otters scrummed strongly. The sloppy heel by the Met resulted in outside centre Jack Price putting in a grubber kick along the ground.

The continued pressure forced the Met player into touch. At the lineout, Met managed to spoil the throw in, gained possession 10 metres inside the Otters half before a series of quick passing movements.

They moved the ball back and fore across the pitch before a gap appeared and the burly centre Oliver Morris showed surprising speed as he raced towards the line before Andrew Cook made a try saving tackle just one metre from the try line. The referee awarded the Otters a penalty at the breakdown which Jonathan Rogers safely found touch to relieve the pressure.

Play continued with both teams attempting to break through. The Met were awarded a scrum, heeling they kicked the ball into touch with the referee whistling half time with the score at 6-7.

In the second half the Otters were given a penalty after the Met were penalised for illegal crossing and they kicked to touch. At the lineout a Cardiff Met misdemeanour gave the Otters a scrum, then heeling the ball, it was moved swiftly only for the left wing to fail to take the pass with a strong possibility of a try being possible.

Play continued back and fore with both teams attempting to advance but being thwarted by both defences. Cardiff Met were penalised on 53 minutes just inside the Otters half. Jonathan Rogers kicked towards the clubhouse corner finding touch some fifteen metres from the line.

The Otters safely caught the throw in and set up a rolling maul moving to within five metres of the line number 8 Richard Rees broke clear and crossed over for a try towards the clubhouse corner. Nick Gale converted from a difficult position putting the Otters ahead 13-7.

Play continued and on 60 minutes Cardiff Met were awarded a penalty some 40 metres from the posts towards the far touchline. Using a torpedo style placement of the ball Henry Johnson added 3 points for the Met. The score was now 13-10.

Young Lewys Gibby who had performed well at scrum half was replaced by the experienced Rhys Lane and Bradley Davies replaced Dan Jacobs in the front row. Play continued with both teams attempting to make progress but both defences remained firm.

The scrummaging became a contest with the referee having to reset the scrum on occasions. The Otters were penalised and Henry Johnson kicked to half way, Jonathan Rogers gathered and this time the ball was carried by the wind over the dead ball line, a scrum was called near halfway with a Met put in, they heeled but at a subsequent ruck they were penalised.

At 71 minutes Nick Gale added three further points bring the Otters to a 16-10 lead. From the kick off the Met responded strongly managing to get to within 30 metres of the Otters try line via penalty kick. At the lineout they attempted to move towards the line but again the Otters defended strongly before managing to clear however, following a knock on, they were penalised.

Cardiff Met decided to run and force their way forward but at the breakdown the Otters gained the ball, Rhys Lane passed to Johnathan Rogers kicked long to the Cardiff Met 5 metre line. The Otters gained the ball at the lineout and forced their way forward for Rhys Lane to break out but was pulled down 2 metres from the line. Jack Price receiving the ball from the ruck attempted to force his way over but there was an infringement at the breakdown.

Then the pack were required to scrummage, the referee needed to reset the scrum. Cardiff Met had the put in heeled and forced their back down field to the halfway line. Further play took them to with 40 metres. The Otters were penalised and the last score of the game came when Johnson using his torpedo kick placed the ball between the posts on 79 minutes and right on 80 minutes the referee blew full time with the score 16-13.

Attack coach Deiniol Evans commented: “It was a very tight game against a very tough unbeaten Cardiff side, so it was nice for us to win. It was a tough game which could have gone either way. Our performance was excellent, I thought we played really well with some very good performances, the front five of the pack were superb again, the set piece was excellent.

“The boys carried hard Andrew Cooke played well, Richard Rees was excellent and Jack Price in the centre was very good. I think it was a really good result because they were unbeaten. We played well to our game plan. We should have scored a couple of tries, we could not do it first half and defended really well and fully deserved the win.”

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National champions set for Lloyds Road Championships in Wales

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2026

Herald Sport

Strong Welsh contingent among elite field heading to Lampeter and Aberystwyth

SOME of Britain’s leading cyclists will head to Wales next week as the 2026 Lloyds National Road Championships get under way.

Sixteen former elite national road champions are among the riders named for the event, which begins in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25, before moving to Aberystwyth for the circuit race and road race.

Welsh rider Zoe Backstedt, of Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto, is expected to be one of the headline names after winning the elite women’s time-trial title at last year’s championships.

Backstedt said: “I’m super excited to come back to Wales to race national champs this year. I don’t get to race in the UK a lot, let alone in Wales, so that makes it even more exciting to be there.

“We’ve got such a strong roster of riders in the UK, so it’s never going to be easy, but I hope I’ll come into this in good shape and fighting for the win.”

Millie Couzens, of Fenix-Premier Tech, returns to defend her women’s road race title. She faces a strong field including three-time road national champion Pfeiffer Georgi, Morven Yeoman, Imogen Wolff, Cat Ferguson, Anna Henderson and Flora Perkins.

In the men’s road race, Sam Watson, of NetCompany Ineos, will look to retain his crown against a field including former national champion Ben Swift, reigning under-23 champion Matthew Brennan, Adam Howell and Ethan Hayter.

Hayter said: “Nationals always seem to bring out the best in me. I’ve managed to win a jersey in 2024 and 2025, so it would be nice to try to add another in the TT or RR.

“Each year the level gets higher, but it makes for aggressive, exciting racing.”

Cameron Mason will return to Aberystwyth to defend his open circuit race title, with Thomas Armstrong, Matt Bostock and Oliver Wood among those expected to challenge.

Kate Richardson also returns as defending women’s circuit race champion. She will be joined by a strong field including Isabel Sharp, Carys Lloyd, Xan Crees, Jenny Holl and Josie Knight.

A number of Welsh riders will also compete across the championships, including Finlay Tarling, Elynor Backstedt, Anna Morris, Owain Doull MBE and Megan Barker.

Erin Boothman, following a successful track season, will make her Lloyds National Road Championships debut in the women’s road race and under-23 women’s time-trial. Ben Wiggins will also return to Ceredigion as he looks to improve on last year’s silver medal in the under-23 men’s time-trial.

Ten national champions’ jerseys will be contested over three days of racing.

The time-trial takes place in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25. The elite women, under-23 women and under-23 men will race over 25.6km, while the elite men will cover 38.4km.

Aberystwyth will host the circuit race on Friday, June 26, and the road race on Sunday, June 28, giving spectators the chance to watch some of Britain’s best riders on Welsh roads.

The championships return to Wales with support from the Welsh Government.

Pic: Lloyds National Circuit Championship 2025 (Pic: SWPix.com)

Sport

Young rally driver makes impressive gravel debut

Published

4 days ago

June 16, 2026

Herald Sport

EIGHTEEN-year-old Henri Cynwyl, of Newcastle Emlyn, marked a memorable milestone at the Plains Rally, Bala, as he made his gravel debut in the highly competitive Mini Rally Challenge.

Henri was driving the ex-championship-winning car previously campaigned by Tom Hynd, giving the young driver a strong platform on which to demonstrate his ability.

Family team

Sitting alongside him was his father, Dilwyn John, whose extensive experience in the co-driver’s seat proved invaluable throughout the demanding event.

Despite mechanical issues on Stages 3 and 4, the father-and-son pairing showed determination and composure to overcome the setbacks and continue gaining valuable experience on the loose surface.

As the day progressed, Henri’s confidence grew with every stage. The crew’s times steadily improved throughout the rally, underlining his rapid adaptation to gravel and his ability to learn quickly in competitive conditions.

***Rally hopes: Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start (Pic: Aneurin James)***

Their efforts were rewarded with an impressive sixth-place finish, a highly respectable result on a first gravel outing against more experienced competitors.

Strong foundations

The performance was even more notable given Henri’s limited gravel experience.

Having developed his car control skills through Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests from the age of 14, he was able to transfer much of that experience to the challenging Welsh forest stages.

Additional tuition on gravel from James Williams, of W1 Motorsport Group, also helped prepare him for the step up into rally competition on loose surfaces.

Reflecting on his debut, Henri said: “It was great and I enjoyed every minute of it. Taking part in Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests most definitely helped, along with tuition on gravel stages in the company of James Williams from W1 Motorsport Group.

“I’d also like to thank Mark Williams, my team manager, for all of the support and encouragement.”

Promising start

The successful gravel debut provides another encouraging chapter in the young driver’s development, with the pace, consistency and maturity shown throughout the day suggesting plenty more potential to come.

Henri now switches back to tarmac this weekend as he continues his busy season at the Park Garage Rally in Anglesey, aiming to build on the confidence gained from an impressive first appearance on gravel.

Looking ahead, he is already eagerly anticipating the next round of the Mini Rally Challenge in Greystoke Forest, Cumbria.

With a strong first result under his belt, and plenty of lessons learned from the Plains Rally, Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start when the championship heads north.

Sport

Rowers conquer gruelling 22-mile Cleddau challenge

Published

5 days ago

June 15, 2026

Herald Sport

Crews from across the UK battle tides, headwinds and the Haven to finish marathon race at Haverfordwest River Festival

ROWERS from across the United Kingdom descended on Pembrokeshire at the weekend to take part in one of Wales’ toughest coastal rowing challenges — the 22-mile Cleddau River Marathon Row from Dale to Haverfordwest.

Held as part of the annual Haverfordwest River Festival on Saturday (Jun 13), the spectacular endurance race saw around 25 crews line up on the shoreline at Dale for a dramatic beach start before battling the tides, currents and changing weather conditions along the Milford Haven Waterway.

With calm waters and blue skies greeting competitors at the start, crews launched from Dale Bay at around 2:30pm and powered into the Haven, navigating a route that took them past Milford Haven, Neyland and Pembroke Dock before passing beneath the Cleddau Bridge and tackling the winding upper reaches of the river toward Haverfordwest.

However, conditions became more testing as the race progressed, with the tide turning against competitors and a headwind adding to the challenge during the final push upstream.

The marathon row was organised by Helen Heaton and Llangwm Rowing Club, with staggered starts helping ensure crews arrived in Haverfordwest in time for the celebrations at the River Festival.

At the finish line in Haverfordwest, exhausted rowers were greeted by cheering crowds, family members and councillors, who helped crews bring their boats ashore before an evening of celebrations and prize-giving at HaverHub.

The event drew teams from across Wales and further afield, highlighting Pembrokeshire’s growing reputation as a destination for competitive coastal rowing. The marathon route, stretching approximately 22 miles from Dale to the county town, is regarded as one of the more demanding fixtures in the Welsh sea rowing calendar.

Video crews and drone operators captured the action throughout the day, with local media teams filming both from shore and on the water.

The race was sponsored by Dale Sailing, with video sponsorship support from Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy.

The Herald understands the Wasps of Llangwm crew took top honours in the demanding race after a hard-fought contest on the water.

Photo caption:

Marathon effort: Crews from across the UK battled tides and headwinds during the 22-mile Cleddau River Marathon Row from Dale to Haverfordwest