Sport

Harriers selected for Mini Marathon

Published

6 years ago

March 21, 2019

WELSH Athletics have named their team of thirty-six who will head to the Virgin Money Giving London Mini Marathon races in 2019.

The Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon takes place on Sunday, April 28, 2019 and is the official British Athletic three-mile road championships for young athletes aged between 11 and 17.

The race is open to entrants from the nine regions of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and teams from all 33 London Boroughs.

It kicks off the day’s action in the English Capital as early as 8.40am before the main 26.2 mile London Marathon starts half an hour later.

A new selection was in place this year as each of the four regions in Wales held time trial events in January over 3000m. The winners from the South, East, West and North were guaranteed a selection spot whilst the final two spots were decided on the fastest times across the under 13, under 15 and under 17 age groups.

A total of five club athletes in the Dyfed district received the news recently that they’ve been selected to compete in the upcoming event, along with three reserves. For two, they will look forward to picking up their first Welsh vest and making their debuts in the English Capital.

The Under 15 boys has plenty of experience in the team which will include Carmarthen Harriers duo Liam Edwards and Dafydd Jones along with 2019 Welsh Cross Country Champion and Llanelli AAC’s Adam Beer.

Iori Humphreys (Pembrokeshire Harriers) has been named as one of the reserves should a space arise. All four have been in fantastic form over the country this winter and will aim to use the event experience to their advantage.

It has been a great cross-country season for the Carmarthen Harriers’ under 13s in the Gwent League and two of the group will join their Welsh teammates for the road trip to London. Zach Elvy and Jack Thomas both ran quick enough times in the time trials earlier this year to be selected.

Ffion Ouseley (Pembrokeshire Harriers) and Frances Mackie (Carmarthen Harriers) are the first two reserves in the under 13 girls’ category and will be ready should they be called up to the team.

For the majority of the squad, it will be an opportunity for them to test themselves against the best in Great Britain & Northern Ireland, competing against the other Celtic nations, the powerful English regions and athletes representing each of the London boroughs.

The London Mini Marathon is over the last 3 miles of the main 26.2 mile course. Hundreds of the next generation will take centre stage, following in the footsteps of their heroes including the likes of Mo Farah, Shelly Woods and David Weir.

This Weekend (Saturday, March 23), Welsh Schools will head to the annual SIAB Schools Athletic Board Cross Country International which in 2019 is hosted by Irish Schools in Dublin.

The Welsh schools squad expects to be highly placed in several of the age groups against athletes from their Celtic neighbours, with a number of experienced athletes looking to impress alongside debutants making their first appearance on the international stage.

Athletes heading to the International to wear the red vest of Wales were selected following the Welsh Schools National Cross-Country Championships, in Brecon on 13th February where the leading finishers that day were automatically chosen to be involved in this end-of-season International event.

There will be individual Junior and Intermediate races between English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Schools as well as a new 4 x 1500m relay in the upper age group where an additional 2 boys and 2 girls will be invited to participate in this additional element.

Wales’ team includes Beer, who finished as the second Welsh athlete in 7th at the 2018 edition in Nottingham and Humphreys who was 15th at the same fixture. They will both contest the Inter Boys’ 6,000m distance.

Jones will also make the journey and start in the 4 x 1500m lap relay alongside his country teammates.

Bro Myrddin’s Frank Morgan eased to victory at the selection race in Brecon in February and after competing in the East Midlands 12 months ago, will fancy his chances in the upper year of the age group.

Rhys Llewellyn (Haverfordwest High) will join Morgan in the junior boys’ race following his seventh-place finish in Mid Wales. Ioan Cressey-Rodgers is a reserve in this category.

Harriers coaches Delyth Brown and Carol Jones are among the Welsh team managers for the trip to Northern Ireland later this week.

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Manderwood Pembrokeshire Football League – Division 1: Match reports

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Goodwick United 3–0 Merlins Bridge
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Carew 16–0 Herbrandston
Carew delivered a record-breaking performance, thrashing Herbrandston 16–0 at the Gerald Hicks Memorial Ground. James Hinchliffe led the charge with six goals, supported by Shaun Whitfield’s rapid hat-trick. George Waters contributed four goals, Gareth Lewis added two, and Leon Davies completed the rout. The emphatic win lifted Carew out of the relegation zone, while Herbrandston remains firmly at the bottom of the table.

Clarbeston Road 5–2 St Ishmaels
Clarbeston Road cruised to a 5–2 victory over St Ishmaels at Knock Field. Ben John missed an early penalty for Clarbeston but redeemed himself by assisting Jake Wesley’s equaliser. Laurie Haworth and Dan Rees found the net, with Wesley adding a second to complete the scoring for Clarbeston. St Ishmaels’ captain Brennan Devonald netted twice, but his side dropped into the relegation zone.

Monkton Swifts 1–4 Hakin United
Hakin United strengthened their title challenge with a 4–1 win over Monkton Swifts. Dylan Davies put Monkton ahead early, but Hakin responded through Ryan Wilson and Mark Jones to take a 2–1 lead into halftime. Jay Kilby scored twice in the second half, sealing a vital away win for the Vikings.

Milford United 2–2 Pennar Robins
Milford United and Pennar Robins played out an entertaining 2–2 draw at Marble Hall. Liam Davies gave Milford the lead, but Jamie Wilkes equalised for Pennar. Dan James then put Pennar ahead, only for Leon Davies to bring Milford level again. Milford’s Sam Davies was sent off late, but neither side could find a winner in the closing stages.

Tenby 2–3 Kilgetty
Kilgetty staged a thrilling comeback to defeat derby rivals Tenby 3–2 at the Clicketts. Joe Leahy opened the scoring for Tenby, with Jordan Gorman quickly levelling for Kilgetty. Scott Ferney restored Tenby’s lead before halftime. However, Kilgetty turned the tide in the final ten minutes as Lloyd Hughes equalised, and captain Richard Cope struck the decisive winner to secure a dramatic victory.

Sport

Local rugby action: Thrills, wins, and tough battles across divisions

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November 19, 2024

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Crymych 19 – Llanelli Wanderers 33
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Crymych’s hooker Lee Griffiths scored two tries in the first half, and a late penalty try offered some consolation. The Wanderers, under Sean Gale’s guidance, proved dominant with tries from Rhydian Morgan, Lewis Jones, Rhodri Owens, and Sam Icke. Jones contributed two conversions and three penalties, keeping the Wanderers in contention at the top of the table. Crymych remain in a relegation battle.

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Pontarddulais 17 – Tenby United 26
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Lloyd Thomas played a pivotal role, kicking four penalties and converting tries by Gwion Jones and Rob Luly. Acting skipper Jones shone with an individual effort. Pontarddulais responded with tries from Ethan Miles, Lewis Edwards, and Iwan Evans. Tenby stay second in the league with a game in hand over leaders Aberystwyth.

Division Two (West)

Whitland 13 – Fishguard & Goodwick 10
A late Harry Fuller penalty sealed Whitland’s narrow victory in a fiercely contested clash with Fishguard and Goodwick. The Seagulls led 7-3 at halftime after Ben John’s converted try answered Johnny Thomas’s penalty.

Rhys Nicholas turned the game in Whitland’s favor with a crucial intercept try, converted by Thomas. Although Mark Jones briefly leveled the scores, Fuller’s decisive penalty secured Whitland’s fourth win of the season.

Carmarthen Athletic 23 – Milford Haven 10
Carmarthen Athletic overturned a halftime deficit to claim a solid home win over Milford Haven. The Mariners led 10-6 at the break, thanks to Robbie Jones’s converted try and a James Trueman penalty.

The Athletic surged back with 17 unanswered points, including tries from Gethin Phillips, Morgan Morse, and Deian Morgan. Zak Williams added the conversions and penalties to seal the victory. Milford missed out on a losing bonus point in their fourth defeat of the season.

Division Three (West)

Cefneithin 16 – Cardigan 29
Cardigan continued their strong form with a bonus-point win over Cefneithin. The Teifisiders led 15-6 at halftime, with Marcus Castle and Shaun Leonard crossing the try line. Leonard was instrumental, adding another try and three conversions.

John Lumb and Jack Taylor scored second-half tries as Cardigan capitalized on excellent possession. Cefneithin fought back with a try by Jonathan Morgan and three penalties from Carwyn Evans but fell short.

Division Four (West)

Llanybydder 17 – Neyland 43
Neyland dazzled with a six-try bonus-point victory over Llanybydder. Leading 24-5 at halftime, the All Blacks saw tries from Owain Evans, Matthew Coles, Owen Hamer, and skipper Georghe Williams.

Young winger Josh Watts added two second-half tries. Llanybydder responded with tries from Jake Evans, Dan Davies, and Dan Jones, converted by Ethan Sion Mathias, but Neyland’s dominance was unshaken as they returned to the top of the table.

Teirw Crymych 17 – St Davids 17
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St Davids stormed back with tries by Will James and Tom Clarke, before George Raymond’s late try leveled the scores. The conversion went wide, leaving both teams to share the points.

Dreigiau Emlyn 14 – Narberth Athletic 3
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Athletic struggled to convert pressure into points, their only score coming from a Shane Rossiter penalty. The Dragons celebrated their third victory of the season.

Llangwm 17 – Pembroke 22
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Llangwm opened strongly, with James Morgan and Dan Richards scoring tries, both converted by Harry Makepeace. Pembroke’s forwards turned the tide, with Jamie Brayford (2), Robin Badham, and Josh Greenwood crossing the line. Despite Llangwm’s late efforts, Pembroke extended their winning streak to three matches.

Sport

Pembrokeshire Vikings triumph over Port Talbot panthers

Published

2 days ago

November 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE VIKINGS faced a tough challenge against the formidable Port Talbot Panthers at Milford Haven RFC on Sunday afternoon. In a fiercely contested battle, the Vikings emerged as worthy winners with a final score of 33-17.

The Vikings’ try scorers included Dave Roberts, Karl Bate, Shaun Treadwell, Richard Williams, and Jack Elliott. Callum Power added to the scoreboard with four successful conversions. Karl Bate’s standout performance earned him the Man of the Match award.

A special mention goes to Sean Phillips, who made a welcome return to the team. Phillips delivered a brilliant 30-metre line break, unselfishly passing the ball to Dave Roberts, who crossed under the posts. His contribution exemplified the team spirit that defines the Vikings.

Matches between the Vikings and the Panthers are always marked by fierce rivalry, but also by strong friendships forged on and off the field. The team eagerly anticipates the return fixture in 2025.

The Vikings also extended their gratitude to Barry from Pembrokeshire College, a loyal supporter of the team. Additionally, thanks were given to sponsors Austwel LTD, Hedley Asset Management, and The Pembrokeshire Herald for their ongoing support.

Next match: A historic showdown

This Saturday, the Pembrokeshire Vikings will travel to Llandaff RFC to make history in a match against Rygbi Senedd Cymru. The team looks forward to another thrilling encounter as they continue their successful season.