Sport

Neyland claim tenth Harrison Allen win after stunning victory against Carew

Published

4 years ago

August 28, 2021

NEYLAND won the Harrison Allen Bowl trophy for the tenth time in their history on Saturday (Aug 28) as they beat Carew by nine wickets at Cresselly.

Neyland won the toss and chose to bowl with sunshine beaming down on the Cresselly pitch.

Carew though struggled to put runs on the board as they were bowled out for 109 in their first innings.

Neyland then took control of the game as they replied with the highest score in a Harrison Allen final of 241-2.

That was largely thanks to Patrick Bellerby who finished unbeaten on 134 while Ross Hardy was not out on 49.

It gave Neyland a massive first innings lead of 132 and gave Carew a mountain to climb.

They did reach 154-8 in their second innings but it meant Neyland would only need 23 to win the game.

Neyland lost Scott Jones in their second innings but Ashley Sutton and Ross Hardy got the runs required to seal the bowl.

Carew made a tentative start to the game as Nick Davies hit a four off the last ball of the first over and only two singles were taken in the second for an opening score of 6-0.

Nick and Lewis Hicks continued to build as they reached 31-0 in the sixth over.

Neyland then made the breakthrough as Nick Davies went for a six but saw his shot caught on the boundary by Patrick Bellerby.

Brian Hall joined Lewis in the middle but after being dropped by Nathan Banner, he was caught behind by Sean Hannon in the tenth over.

Looking to add more runs to the total, Lewis went for a run in the eleventh but it left Rhys Davies with too much to do and he was run out by Hannon.

That reduced Carew to 54-3 and it saw Lewis joined by brother Luke Hicks in the middle.

They could only add another ten runs to the score as Luke was caught superbly on the boundary by Nathan Banner off the bowling of Nick Koomen.

With the score on 64-4 captain Shaun Whitfield joined Lewis Hicks in the middle who had made his way to a score of 29.

At the start of the fifteenth Whitfield was caught by Patrick Bellerby off the bowling of Koomen as Carew’s score read 77-5.

James Hinchcliffe and Lewis Hicks took the score on to 90-5 after 17 overs but with just five to go they knew they would need to add to their score.

Hicks had made his way to a score of 48 but in the 19^th over, Ross Hardy took an excellent low catch to deny him his half century.

Carew reached 103-6 after twenty over but were looking for late runs to boost their total.

Nathan Banner was brought back to bowl the penultimate over but a four off his first ball gave Carew an early boost.

However, with the next ball Iori Hicks was stumped by Hannon and after the next ball, Hannon got two more stumpings in two balls to give Banner his third and fourth wickets.

Carew were bowled out for 109 after a good display from the Neyland bowlers.

Neyland started well with four fours in the first three overs as they reached 29-0 off the first four overs.

Nick Koomen hit the first six of the innings and they brought up the fifty partnership in the eighth over.

The ninth over though changed the complexion of the game as Bellerby hit three fours and two sixes as they scored 25 runs.

Nick Koomen was not to be outdone as he hit a six at the start of the tenth but he was then caught on the boundary by Lewis Hicks off the bowling of Sam Harts.

Ashley Sutton hit a couple of boundaries but he also fell to the bowling of Harts as Neyland slipped to 97-2 in the twelfth over.

That brought Ross Hardy to the crease and what happened next was something quite special.

Bellerby hit a six to reach his half century and Ross Hardy also hit a six to get himself going.

The fours and sixes continued to come as Neyland smashed themselves into a lead.

Bellerby reached his century in the eighteenth over with another four as Neyland reached 170-2, and a lead of 61.

Not to be outdone, Ross Hardy then hit two sixes and a four at the start of the nineteenth. Bellerbuy hit another six as Neyland’s lead neared 100 runs.

Bellerby hit a six at the end of that over and hit the four in the next as Neyland reached 200-2.

Hardy also hit a six as Carew’s bowlers continued to be punished.

Bellerby hit a six off the penultimate ball of the innings as he reached a score of 134 not out, leaving Hardy not out on 49 at the other end.

It had seen Neyland to a total of 241-2, the highest ever score in an innings in the final. Bellerby’s ton was also the highest individual score in a final. Bellerby and Hardy had also shared a third wicket partnership worth 144 runs.

It had also given Neyland a lead of 132 runs and it put Carew in an almost impossible position.

Carew made a steady start to their second innings, scoring just four runs off the first two overs.

Lewis Hicks continued where he had left off in the first innings though hitting two fours at the start of the third and a six off the last ball from Nick Davies pushed the score on to 19-0.

Ross Hardy bowled Nick Davies at the start of the fourth to make the score 20-1 with Carew still needing another 112 runs to make Neyland bat again.

Brian Hall and Lewis Hicks were doing their best to eradicate that lead as both men found the boundaries, taking the score to 40-1 after six overs.

They moved the score on to 68-1 off nine overs with Hall not out on 14 and Hicks unbeaten on 38.

However, with thirteen overs to go their deficit stood at 64 and they knew they needed to push on.

Having missed out on his half century Lewis would have been keen to reach that milestone in the second innings as he made his way to a score of 47.

He then saw Brian Hall depart on a score of 18 after being caught by Scott Jones off the bowling of Henry Durrant.

With the next ball Lewis Hicks was caught off the bowling of Durrant on a score of 47 as he again missed out on a 50.

There was no hat trick but Carew were now 81-3 after 13 overs.

That became 99-5 but a score of 33 from Rhys Davies pushed their score into three figures. When he was caught by Patrick Hannon off the bowling of Geraint Rees, Carew were 126-6, still needing another 6 runs to make Neyland bat again.

Iori Hicks hit a four and a six in his score of 15 before he was bowled by Rees while Sam Harts hit two late sixes to finish unbeaten on 13.

It saw Carew finish on 154-8 but it also meant Neyland would need only 23 runs to win the final.

Harts did trap Scott Jones leg before but Ashley Sutton and Ross Hardy got the winning runs to win the game for Neyland.

Sport

Bluebirds’ European Journey Continues in Season Four of You Can Have It All

Published

21 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Herald Sport

Club documentary series returns to document Haverfordwest County’s historic UEFA Conference League campaign

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY has confirmed the return of their club documentary series, You Can Have It All (YCHIA), later this month, showcasing the thrilling journey of last summer’s European adventure.

YCHIA first began filming in 2021, with Season One covering a rollercoaster 2021-22 campaign for the Bluebirds. The season ended with a dramatic top-flight survival, following a challenging period. Season Two shifted focus to the 2022-23 season, which saw the club qualify for Europe for the first time since 2004. The Bluebirds’ stunning play-off victory, which included back-to-back penalty shoot-out wins against Cardiff Met and Newtown, marked manager Tony Pennock’s first season in charge as a major success.

The excitement intensified as the series continued to cover their historic European campaign, which began with a trip to North Macedonia to face KF Shkëndija. Returning to Cardiff City Stadium for the second leg, the Bluebirds made club history by winning their first-ever European tie on penalties. The drama then took them to the Faroe Islands to face B36 Tórshavn, where they were controversially edged out by a single goal in the return leg.

Now, with further continental success under their belts, YCHIA returns for its fourth season, documenting last summer’s European adventure. This season follows Haverfordwest County’s journey through the qualifying rounds of the newly rebranded UEFA Conference League (UECL).

Providing exclusive behind-the-scenes access, the series tracks the Bluebirds’ travels to Malta for the first leg of their UECL first qualifying round tie against Floriana, and the return leg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli a week later. The season also covers the build-up to the competition, including a visit to Geneva for the UEFA draw and a match against reigning Northern Ireland champions Linfield at Windsor Park, the national stadium.

Season Four will be released in three episodes on December 18, December 23, and January 2. You can watch You Can Have It All on Haverfordwest County’s YouTube channel by following this link. The club will also share highlights and snippets of the documentary across their social media platforms, so be sure to follow them on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)!

News

Pembroke Dock coach helped steer Lando Norris to F1 world title

Published

3 days ago

December 11, 2025

Seren Baker

Local mentor recalls seven-year-old Norris as “one to watch from day one”

A FORMER Pembroke Dock man has been revealed as one of the earliest influences behind newly-crowned Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris – adding an unexpected Pembrokeshire chapter to one of the biggest sporting stories of the year.

Robert Dodds, who grew up in Pembroke Dock before later moving to Poole, was Norris’s first coach at BKC Racing. He began mentoring the future McLaren star when he was just seven years old, helping shape the early foundations of a career that reached its peak on Sunday (Dec 7) when Norris secured the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to The Herald, Mr Dodds said Norris’s talent was obvious from the very first outing.

“There was something special about him from day one,” he said. “By the time he was eight, he was already as quick as the 10–12-year-olds. He just had this will about him – he wanted it.”

Pembrokeshire link to a global success story

Dodds coached Norris for four years, guiding him through kart setup, technique, and competitive racecraft. He says he remains “immensely proud” that his own Pembrokeshire roots now form a small part of the world champion’s rise.

“Ten or fifteen years ago he was sat in the front of my van as we drove to tracks,” he said. “Now he’s flying around the world racing in Monaco. It’s incredible how far he’s come.”

That early development included a fierce sibling rivalry with Norris’s older brother, Oliver – something Dodds believes accelerated his progress.

“Because of that rivalry, his pace shot up. He wanted to beat his brother – and then he wanted to beat everyone.”

BKC Racing has produced other top talents too, including 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Phil Hanson, further underlining the pedigree of the team that helped launch Norris’s career.

The moment a champion first stood out

Dodds still recalls an early test at Clay Pigeon Raceway, where a seven-year-old Norris completed a lap in 39 seconds – a benchmark usually achieved only by much older cadet racers.

“He came past me with his thumb up – this tiny kid doing senior cadet times. That was the moment we knew.”

Norris seals his first world title

Norris made his Formula 1 debut in 2019, claimed his first podium in 2020, took pole position in 2021 and secured his first Grand Prix win in Miami in 2024. His 2025 campaign saw him take multiple victories before clinching the world championship in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first British driver since Lewis Hamilton to lift the title.

Pride back home in Pembrokeshire

Motorsport fans across the county followed Sunday’s title decider closely, with many celebrating the unexpected local connection.

A local F1 fan who watched the race in a Haverfordwest pub told The Herald:
“Everyone here was proud of Lando – and hearing that one of his early coaches came from Pembroke Dock makes it feel like Pembrokeshire had a tiny part in his journey.”

Dodds, who continues to mentor young racers today, says Norris’s success is already inspiring the next generation.

“It’s like something out of a film. I’m proud of what he’s achieved – and proud to have been part of the journey.”

For Pembrokeshire, the story adds a local footnote to a global sporting triumph – and a reminder that world champions sometimes start out much closer to home than anyone realises.

Cover image:

Proud mentor: Pembroke Dock’s Robert Dodds helped shape Norris’s early racing career (Pic: Robert Dodds)

Sport

South Pembs Short Mat Bowls: East Williamston strengthen lead after Week 11

Published

6 days ago

December 9, 2025

Herald Sport

EAST Williamston tightened their grip at the top of the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association’s Friendly League table following another strong set of results in Week 11.

The week’s fixtures saw Lamphey beat Hundleton 8–2, St Johns defeat Badgers 8–2, Carew overcome Reynalton 7–3, and East Williamston record an impressive 8–2 win over Kilgetty.

The match between Llanteg and Cosheston was postponed, while St Twynnells had the bye. A catch-up fixture was also completed, ending St Twynnells 5–5 Cosheston.

Updated league table – Week 11

(Played – Won – Drawn – Lost – Shot Difference – Points)

East Williamston: 9–8–1–0 | +136 | 70 points
Reynalton: 9–5–1–3 | +54 | 53 points
St Johns: 9–4–1–4 | +14 | 46 points
Lamphey: 10–5–0–5 | +5 | 44 points
Hundleton: 9–4–1–4 | –17 | 44 points
St Twynnells: 9–4–1–4 | –34 | 43 points
Badgers: 10–3–1–6 | –41 | 43 points
Llanteg: 8–4–0–4 | –5 | 41 points
Cosheston: 9–3–1–5 | –13 | 40 points
Carew: 8–4–0–4 | –44 | 39 points
Kilgetty: 10–4–0–6 | –55 | 38 points

East Williamston remain clear leaders with a substantial shot-difference advantage, while the battle for the mid-table positions continues to tighten as the season progresses.

The South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association thanked teams for their cooperation with rearranged fixtures as the league moves toward the final stages.

Report courtesy of League Fixtures Secretary Steve Cox.