HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women and Girls marked a milestone last Saturday (Aug 31), with the launch of their Girls Development Centre at a highly successful open day event. The sun shone brightly on a day packed with excitement, camaraderie, and, most importantly, brilliant football.

Girls’ teams from across age groups took to the pitch in friendly matches, delivering standout performances that thrilled spectators throughout the day. Local boys’ teams also participated, adding to the spirit of community and competition. The club expressed their gratitude to the boys’ teams for their sportsmanship and the entertaining football displayed.

A special mention was given to the following clubs for their contribution to the day’s matches:

• Camrose Football Club and Prendergast Villa AFC for the Under-10 girls’ games
• Clarbeston Road AFC and Narberth AFC for the Under-12 girls’ matches
• Johnston FC for the Under-13 fixture
• Goodwick United FC for the Under-14/16 matches

Spectators were treated to a fantastic display of football from all the teams involved, with the club praising the impeccable behaviour and sportsmanship of everyone who took part. The atmosphere was electric, and the games were a joy to watch, with supporters commenting on the high standard of play across the board.

The success of the event extended beyond the pitch, thanks to the contributions of local businesses. Pembrokeshire & West Wales Bouncy Castles provided inflatables, keeping the younger attendees entertained, while Pure West Radio’s Darren was on hand to provide music throughout the day. In addition, Princes Gate Water generously donated refreshments to keep all the players hydrated, and face painting, ice cream, and hot food added to the festivities, creating a carnival-like atmosphere.

The club also gave heartfelt thanks to their fundraising team for their hard work in organising the event, collecting raffle prizes, and ensuring the day ran smoothly. A separate post will acknowledge the local businesses that contributed raffle prizes, demonstrating the strong community spirit that underpinned the day.

First-team players Alaric Jones and Zac Jones were in attendance, showing their support for the girls in the morning, while several U13 boys academy players, including Zach, Owain, Bobby, and Iestyn, assisted throughout the day.

Coaches Arron Thomas, Rhys Mansell, Imi Scourfield, Leanne Jones, Martyn Lewis, and Gareth Owens were recognised for their dedication and commitment to developing the girls, with the club commenting on the remarkable progress made in such a short time.

Haverfordwest County AFC Women and Girls are looking forward to an exciting future, with this event marking just the beginning of their journey. A special thanks was extended to all involved, with the club noting that the future looks bright for the development of girls’ football in Pembrokeshire.

SOLVA bounced back from their midweek defeat to beat Broad Haven 6-2 at Maes Y Mor on Saturday (Sep 7).

Skipper Josh Bland scored a brace, his first a sublime left foot volley from outside the box on 25 minutes, to put his side 3-0 ahead.

Man of the match Kieran Price opened the scoring inside the opening 5 minutes with a direct free kick from the arc of the penalty box, veteran forward Matthew Price setting up Lee Dinmore to double the score line ten minutes later.

Broad Haven regrouped from the Solva onslaught and scored two goals in quick succession on the half hour mark, industrious midfielder Sam Barton crisply striking the first after good work by Mathew Grainger and skipper Ashley Bladen drifted seamlessly into the action from the right wing to score the second.

Chris Basset unluckily put the ball into his own net to put the home side 4-2 ahead, after a rebound off goalkeeper James Llewellyn following pinball in the visitors penalty box five minutes before the half time whistle blown by referee Jonathan Twigg.

The second half saw both teams make changes as the game saw end to end action, Llewellyn and his counter part Nick Mendoza-Connell called open as the last line of defence by their respective teams. Bland scored his second after good work from Finn Isles on 75 minutes before Isles put himself on the scoresheet with an assist from veteran substitute Joe Shaw.

The result puts Solva in fourth position in the table, 3 points off the top spot ahead of their trip to Monkton Lane to take on the Swifts reserves next weekend. Broad Haven find themselves rooted in the relegation zone on one point, where they will be looking for a touch of wizardly magic ahead of their visit to the Sports Village to take on Merlins Bridge Reserves.

SOLVA AFC has been left reeling after vandals targeted the club’s junior football pitches, causing significant damage to all of the goals. The incident, which occurred overnight, has prompted the club to issue a public appeal for information and left the local community outraged.

The damage was discovered on the pitches near the road, where the goals for the junior teams had been vandalised. The club quickly took to social media to alert the public and to encourage anyone with information to come forward, using police reference DP-20240907-163.

Shaun Barcoe, a local resident, expressed his frustration on the club’s post, highlighting that similar incidents have happened at other local football clubs, including Milford Athletic FC. He noted that although catching the culprit may not undo the damage, he hoped the club could resolve the situation swiftly.

Many other community members shared their disappointment and anger. Heidi Holland, a dedicated volunteer, expressed her sadness, noting how much effort volunteers put into creating a welcoming environment for children and young people. She urged the responsible party to come forward and offer to cover the costs of the damage, so the junior teams wouldn’t suffer due to “a random act of silliness.”

Further concern was raised by local resident Nicola Schoenenberger, who reported seeing police near the football club around 2am with searchlights and a drone. This information was passed on to the authorities, who are actively investigating the incident.

Susan Williams, another local, called the act “spiteful,” expressing her sadness that the children who enjoy playing football are being affected by such mindless vandalism. Others, like Luke Phillips, were hopeful that the shop’s CCTV footage would help identify the individuals responsible.

The police are currently reviewing the evidence, and Solva A.F.C. is urging anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area to come forward. The community remains hopeful that those responsible will be caught and held accountable for their actions.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police or reach out to club officials directly.

For further details or to report any information related to this incident, please contact the police using reference number DP-20240907-163