Sport

Young Otters thrash Ystalyfera

Published

5 years ago

September 8, 2021

ON Saturday, September 4, in the Championship Cup Narberth RFC once again fielded a young development side against visiting Ystalyfera.

The game kicked off on a beautiful sunny afternoon in front of a large crowd who had come to see the first home match for about eighteen months.

Narberth got off to a flying start and after a mere five minutes youngster George MacDonald playing at scrum half picked the ball up from a ruck, darted round the blindside and chipped ahead. He gathered his own kick and dived over in the corner for the first try. Nick Gale converted from the touchline (7 – 0).

Shortly thereafter the Otters had a lineout close to the visitors try line and set up a rolling maul. When this was brought down close to the line Narberth No.8 Guto Davies, playing in only his third match for the home team, picked the ball up and barged his way over the try line. Gale again converted (14 – 0).

Ten minutes later and the Otters were on the scoreboard once again. From an attack by the visitors on the ten metre line young Otters flanker, Josh Hamer, turned the ball over and the ball was quickly fed to fly half Ashley Sutton who broke through the visitors defence and then passed to supporting winger, Will Hughes, who scored in the left hand corner. Another superb kick by Gale saw the try yet again converted (21 – 0).

Despite the scoreline Ystalyfera had been playing some good rugby and after an attack by the Otters broke down the visitors left wing got hold of the ball and kicked downfield. The ball bounced kindly for him and he was able to gather his kick and dive over in the corner. The conversion attempt failed (21 – 5).

Despite this set back Narberth continued to attack and within five minutes had scored again. An initial break by Prop Bradley Davies saw the ball spun across the Narberth backs with precision passing from centres Joe Hutchings and Jake Jenkins and it ended up with wing Dafydd Pritchard who dived over to score in the right hand corner. Once again Gale converted with a superb conversion (28 – 5).

The Otters attacking was relentless and after switching play across the field on at least four occasions the ball was swiftly fed by MacDonald to Ashley Sutton who found himself in space with only the visitors tight head Prop in front of him. He easily glided passed him and scored under the posts. Needless to say, the try was converted by Gale (35 – 5). The whistle then blew for half time.

Ystalyfera started the second half with renewed vigour and put the Otters under significant pressure but the home team’s defence had held firm during the first half and they were determined to try and keep the visitors out. Eventually however after a series of drives towards the line by the Ystalyfera forwards the ball was fed out to the visitor’s centre who sliced through the Otters defence and scored under the posts. The try was converted (35 – 12).

Ystalyfera were now gaining more possession and were looking to spread the ball wide at every opportunity. Another kick downfield by the visitor’s left wing saw the Otters rushing back to defend their line. From the ensuing ruck the ball was fed to fly half Sutton who made a half break before slipping the ball inside to Guto Davies.

He passed to centre Joe Hutchings who made further ground before offloading to Nick Gale who finally got the ball away to supporting flanker Josh Hamer who scored in the corner. Another excellent kick from Gale saw the try converted (42 – 12).

At this stage the floodgates started to open but in fairness to Ystalyfera they never stopped trying and the Otters had to work hard for the points. After a series of forward drives by hooker Rhodri Owens and Props Bradley Davies and Ifan James a gap opened up for replacement scrum half Declan Smith who ran in under the posts and Gale duly converted (49 – 12).

Almost from the kick off a lovely offload from young winger Ryan Scourfield saw Gale score in the corner and add the conversion (56 – 12).

It wasn’t long before the Otters were once again encamped on the visitors line and after several players were tackled just short of the line No.8 Guto Davies once again forced his way over the try line and Gale duly converted (63 – 12).

Ystalyfera refused to give up and with five minutes to go scored a consolation try by their winger which he duly converted (63 – 19). With the last move of the match Ashley Sutton side stepped his way through a number of now tired defenders to score under the posts. Gale completed his afternoon by kicking ten out of ten conversions (70 – 19).

After the match Team Manager Chris James said “With so many seasoned 1st team players unavailable today it was good to see several young players put their hands up for future selection. The 1st team coaches have been working very hard over the summer to get these youngsters up to Championship standard and whilst there will be some far more competitive teams to play during the season this augurs well for the Club’s future”.

Head Coach Sean Gale said that he had been impressed by several performances and all the coaches were very pleased with the hard work and dedication to training that many of these young players had put in pre-season.

Next week’s team selection would be causing them some headaches but that was just what they wanted.

Next week the Otters are again home in a Championship Cup match against Trebanos.

Sport

Castrol MEM Rally Team targets title push as BRC season begins

Published

2 days ago

April 8, 2026

Herald Sport

Meirion Evans and Osian Pryce ready for Severn Valley Stages opener

THE CASTROL MEM RALLY TEAM will begin its 2026 British Rally Championship campaign this weekend with its sights firmly set on both the drivers’ and teams’ titles.

The team heads to the Severn Valley Stages on Saturday (Apr 11) with new team-mates Meirion Evans and Osian Pryce lining up in a pair of Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 cars.

Evans starts the opening round still chasing his first major gravel rally win after coming close on more than one occasion last season. A puncture near the end of the 2025 Malcolm Wilson Rally and a spin on the final stage of the recent Rally North Wales cost him what had looked set to be well-earned victories.

The 30-year-old from Lampeter, alongside co-driver Dale Furniss of Llanfyllin, Powys, tested his Pirelli-shod Toyota in Gorsedd Bran forest, Denbighshire, on Tuesday. The session allowed the team to make a series of subtle set-up changes which Evans believes have improved the car ahead of the new campaign.

Pryce also got his first experience of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 during the same Castrol MEM Rally Team test and quickly settled into the Michelin-shod machine.

The 33-year-old, who was born in Machynlleth, won the Severn Valley Stages in 2024 and is seeded at number one for what will be the 125th rally start of his career. The 2022 British champion will therefore lead the BRC field onto the stages.

This weekend will also see Pryce reunited with co-driver James Morgan, from Llandysul, Ceredigion. The pair have only previously contested one event together — the Cambrian Rally 10 years ago.

With just over 50 stage miles ahead, the Severn Valley Stages promises to be a fast and demanding season opener. The event features a ceremonial start and finish in Llandrindod Wells, with a midday service halt at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, before crews tackle the classic mid-Wales forests of Sarnau, Myherin and Tarenig.

Evans said: “I’m looking forward to this weekend’s Severn Valley Stages, as it’s nice to get the show on the road again. We’re starting the new season aiming for some more strong results and hoping to challenge for rally victories and the BRC title like we did last year.

“We had a good test yesterday and made some very positive steps with the Toyota Yaris. The car worked well on Rally North Wales, but I felt there were some things that could be improved and by exploring a few things during the test I feel that we’ve made some steps in that direction. Hopefully that will help this weekend.

“In fact, as the road was wet in the morning and dry in the afternoon, it was nice to get a mix of conditions which should benefit us not just for this weekend’s Severn Valley Stages but the season ahead.”

Pryce said: “Having now driven the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be aiming for a win on the Severn Valley Stages this weekend.

“There wasn’t much doubt in my mind that I’d gel with the car, yet it was still reassuring to know that everything I’d heard about the Toyota was correct and I felt comfortable in it straight away.

“I’m also happy with being seeded at car number one. At the end of the day, I won the rally two years ago, so it’s our turn to run first on the road and I’m looking forward to it. Having a clean road ahead might even suit me. It is what it is, and we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.”

Sport

Haverfordwest County AFC Women one win from title glory

Published

2 days ago

April 8, 2026

Herald Sport

Bluebirds can seal the league championship and promotion on Sunday in front of a home crowd at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women are on the brink of history as they prepare for a huge home clash this Sunday at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium.

Kick-off is at 2:00pm, and in their very first season together, victory would see the Bluebirds crowned league champions and secure promotion — a remarkable achievement for the team.

Supporters are being urged to turn out in force and help create a carnival atmosphere for what could be a truly historic afternoon at the Bridge Meadow.

Entry is free, with the food hut and bar both open on the day. Young academy girls will be there as mascots and ball retrievers, while blue flags will be available on entry.

Anyone free on Sunday is being encouraged to come along, make some noise, and be part of a special occasion as Haverfordwest County AFC Women aim to make club history.

News

Haverfordwest County AFC faces High Court winding-up threat from HMRC

Published

3 days ago

April 7, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Chairman says issue has been dealt with, but winding-up notice is still listed ahead of High Court hearing

HAVERFORDWEST County AFC is facing serious questions after an HM Revenue and Customs winding-up petition against the company behind the club remained live on The London Gazette website despite the chairman insisting the matter has already been dealt with.

The petition against Haverfordwest County A.F.C. Ltd was presented on February 23 and is listed to be heard at the High Court in London on Wednesday, April 15 at 10:30am. The public notice states that HMRC is seeking to wind up the company, registered at Bridge Meadow Stadium, Bridge Meadow Lane, Haverfordwest, claiming to be a creditor.

***Haverfordwest’s Chairman and Director: Rob Edwards***

Any person intending to support or oppose the petition must give notice by 4:00pm on April 14. At the time of publication, the notice remained publicly visible and there was nothing on the Gazette entry to show that it had been withdrawn, dismissed or otherwise disposed of.

After being contacted by The Herald, chairman Rob Edwards said the case was “a non-story” and claimed it related to “a VAT offset against PAYE that wasn’t recorded”. He said the issue had been rectified “some time ago”, that the club had no debt to HMRC, and that HMRC had already provided a petition to withdraw to the court.

However, HMRC did not confirm that when approached by The Herald. Instead, a spokesperson gave only a general statement, saying: “We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and only file winding-up petitions once we’ve exhausted all other options, in order to protect taxpayers’ money.”

That leaves an obvious gap between the chairman’s account and the public record. If Edwards is right, the matter may already be in the process of being withdrawn. But until the court or Gazette record is updated, the petition remains live in public and continues to list a High Court hearing next week.

Even if the matter is ultimately withdrawn, the fact it progressed to the stage of a published HMRC winding-up petition is likely to raise concern among supporters, sponsors and creditors. A petition of this kind is a serious insolvency step, not a routine administrative query. If it were to proceed and succeed, the company could face compulsory liquidation.

The issue is especially striking because the club has recently spoken publicly about growth, investment and longer-term ambition. In January, Haverfordwest said it was in the latter stages of an exclusivity agreement relating to significant investment from a US-based fund. Earlier statements had also referred to outside backing, ambitions to move towards full-time football, and a wider business vision around the club.

Those statements painted a picture of momentum and expansion. The emergence of a live HMRC petition, whatever the eventual explanation, is therefore bound to prompt scrutiny of the club’s financial management and internal controls.

Questions are also likely to be asked about Rob Edwards’ wider business interests beyond west Wales. Recent coverage has linked him and Morley Sports Management to ventures in the United States, underlining the scale of the broader commercial ambition surrounding Haverfordwest’s rise.

For supporters, sponsors, staff and creditors, the immediate question is whether the matter will be formally withdrawn or whether the public court record will remain unchanged until the hearing date. Until that becomes clear, one of Welsh football’s most talked-about recent success stories is facing a deeply serious test off the pitch.

UPDATE: 14:16 HRS, April 7, 2026:

The club has now published an official statement saying the petition “has been withdrawn by HMRC,” but the petition still appears live on The London Gazette and still lists the April 15 hearing. The club statement says there is “no debt owed to HMRC” and attributes the matter to “an allocation issue around a PAYE/VAT offset at the end of last year.”