Neyland seal Village Cup progress after winning Dyfed area final

Published

4 years ago

June 6, 2021

NEYLAND’s Village Cup journey will continue after they beat Cresselly in the Dyfea area final on Sunday (Jun 6).

Having already beaten Lawrenny in the previous round, Neyland faced a Cresselly side who came into the game off the back of a big league win over St Ishmaels on Saturday.

Neyland won the toss and elected to bat on home soil but they lost Patrick Bellerby early on when he was caught by Alex Bayley off the bowling of Ryan Lewis.

Nick Koomen and Ashley Sutton then shared 70 runs for the second wicket to put the home side in a good position.

Cresselly hit back though as Simon Cole bowled Sutton on a score of 24 and soon after, he also had Ross Hardy stumped by Jamie Goldsworthy.

That left Neyland on 96-3 but Koomen and Nathan Banner shared another 70 runs for the fourth wicket as they kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Koomen hit eight fours in his score of 81 but he was then caught by Matthew Morgan off the bowling of Tom Murphy.

Tom Arthur the bowled Brad McDermott-Jenkins for a duck but Nathan Banner began to take over as he reached his half century to push Neyland towards 200 runs.

Banner then reached his 50 and he had good support from Sean Hannon who scored 16 from 15 balls.

Hannon was caught by Morgan off the bowling of Murphy and soon after his brother Patrick was caught by Goldsworthy off Murphy.

Nathan Banner on his way to a half century

Banner made his way to a score of 75 from 55 balls after hitting seven fours and a six but he was caught by Izzard off the bowling of Arthur with the last ball of the innings.

It meant that Cresselly would need 228 to win the game but they lost both openers early in their reply.

Phil Williams was the first man out as he was caught by Lewis Page off the bowling of Patrick Hannon.

Morgan made a score of 21 but Hannon trapped him leg before wicket to leave the visitors on 36-2.

Simon Cole and Iwan Izzard then shared 54 runs for the third wicket as they looked to keep their side in the game and up with the required run rate.

Cole reached 22 before he hit the ball to Jack John to give McDermott-Jenkins his first wicket of the game.

Izzard then reached his half century as hopes of a Cresselly victory began to depend on whether or not he could stay in the middle.

Iwan Izzard hit three fours and a six in his half century

However, having reached a score of 51 he then hit the ball to George Evans on the boundary who took the catch to give Koomen his first wicket.

It was a big blow to Cresselly who soon found themselves five down when Alex Bayley was bowled by McDermott-Jenkins on a score of 21.

Ryan Lewis was doing his best to keep his team in the game but he saw Dan James suffer the same fate as Bayley.

Lewis hit three sixes in a score of 29 from 17 balls but he was caught by Bellerby off the bowling of Koomen.

Bellerby also ran out Tom Murphy late on as Cresselly’s chance of victory slipped away.

They finished on 189-8 to give Neyland victory by 38 runs. Neyland now go on in the competition with the draw for the next round yet to be made.

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World Cup qualifiers 2026: How are Wales doing?

Published

17 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Staff Writer

THE 2026 World Cup is going to be bigger and better than ever before, with the tournament expanding to accommodate an additional 16 teams this time around, for a total of 48.

This makes qualifying a little more interesting as many more teams have the opportunity to perform on the highest stage. Teams like England were able to secure their place in the competition fairly early, while other groups have been under more pressure to secure top spots – Wales included.

So whether you’re a casual viewer here for the drama, or a dedicated fan watching both on TV and across online betting apps for the best odds, here’s a rundown of how Wales are doing in the World Cup qualifiers.

How are Wales performing?

Wales have been in qualifying Group J, alongside Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. Despite tough competition, Wales, led by head coach Craig Bellamy, have produced some great performances and have given themselves a reasonable chance of making the finals. This would be their third qualification ever, following on from 2022’s success.

They had a strong start against Kazakhstan, in which they claimed a solid 3-1 victory at home. They then drew 1-1 against North Macedonia thanks to a 96th minute equaliser, and thrashed Liechtenstein 3-0 back in June. The undefeated streak ended with a 4-3 loss to group favourites Belgium in Brussels (and again a loss to Rudi Garcia’s team in Cardiff last month).

With another victory over both Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein under their belts, these results have put Wales in a good position within the group, but they nonetheless face a fight to qualify, being two points behind Belgium, and behind North Macedonia on goal difference.

If Wales win and Belgium lose (as unlikely as that seems), they would qualify for the World Cup automatically as group winners.

Lose or draw and it’s the play-offs for Craig Bellamy’s men. In some senses, there’s less pressure on tonight’s match as Wales have already at least qualified for the play-offs as one of the Uefa Nations League group winners. However, finishing second in the group would give them an easier path to qualification.

Looking ahead to the 2026 play-offs

If Wales miss out on topping the group (which is likely), they will have to settle for a play-off spot, which is a much more challenging route to qualification.

Should they lose or draw tonight, they will have to face a top-seeded team away from home to have a chance at reaching the play-off final. However, should they beat North Macedonia, they will play weaker opposition at home.

Today’s crucial game for Wales

The 2026 qualifiers have and continue to be highly competitive in Europe. Wales are in the mix, having proven that they can challenge, but are sitting very much in between favourites and underdogs.

Tonight’s match is looming, the stakes are high, and anything could happen. A win could put them on the path to automatic qualification if Liechtenstein can overcome the odds, while a draw or loss will force them to rely on the hardest play-off route. Welsh fans will be hoping for a strong performance, as well as a bit of luck.

Sport

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls: Week eight results and league table

Published

1 day ago

November 17, 2025

Herald Sport

THE SOUTH Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – known as the Friendly League – has released the latest results following week eight of the competition.

Last week’s matches saw:

East Williamston 8–2 Cosheston
Kilgetty 7–3 St Twynnells
Reynalton 5–5 St Johns
Llanteg 8–2 Lamphey

The fixture between Hundleton and Carew was postponed, while Badgers had a bye.

Updated league table – Week eight

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Shot Diff	Points
East Williamston	7	7	0	0	160	62
Reynalton	7	4	1	2	34	40
St Johns	7	3	1	3	-2	35
Cosheston	7	3	0	4	33	33
Badgers	7	3	0	4	-10	33
Llanteg	7	3	0	4	-39	33
Carew	6	3	0	3	-20	30
St Twynnells	7	3	0	4	-45	30
Hundleton	6	3	0	3	-8	29
Lamphey	8	3	0	5	-19	29
Kilgetty	7	3	0	4	-54	26

More fixtures are set to follow as the Friendly League moves into the second half of the season.

Sport

Haverfordwest County Women make it two wins from two in Phase 2

Published

1 day ago

November 17, 2025

Herald Sport

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women continued their strong start to Phase 2 with an impressive 4–2 victory over a determined Morriston Town side on Sunday.

It was a superb all-round performance from the Bluebirds, combining sharp team play with some outstanding individual finishes. Striker Kayla Jones led the way with a well-taken brace, while Ella May Mumford and Tayla Gibbs also got on the scoresheet to secure all three points.

The win makes it back-to-back victories in Division A, further strengthening the squad’s momentum going into the next fixture.

Haverfordwest County now turn their attention to their next home match on Sunday 23rd, when they host Bonymaen Colts Ladies.

Squad: Rhian Jones, Freya Watkins Williams, Erin Frost, Katie Gibbins, Mollie Flanagan, Bethan Chapman, Tayla Gibbs, Ella May Mumford, Emma Smith, Ffion Kirk, Kayla Jones.