Sport
Wales senior men’s assistant coach Gareth Williams departs

GARETH Williams, Wales senior men’s assistant coach with responsibility for the contact area, has left his role to join the Scarlets as defence coach.
Williams departed following the three-Test Series in South Africa where Wales’ senior men’s side secured its first ever win over the Springboks in South Africa in the second Test.
The 40-year old started working as part of head coach Wayne Pivac’s coaching team during the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup and 2021 title-winning Guinness Six Nations campaigns, combining the role with his previous position with the Welsh Rugby Union as head of transitional players and head coach of Wales men’s U20, before being appointed on a full-time basis in June 2021.
Prior to this Williams spent a decade coaching Wales Sevens on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, during which time he helped his country win Rugby World Cup Sevens, as well as assisting Team GB in claiming silver at the Rio Olympics.
Pivac said: “I’d like to thank Gareth for his work over the last two years. It’s a shame to lose one of the coaching team just over a year out to Rugby World Cup, but I understand Gareth’s decision and am pleased for him.
“He’s not going far and it will be great having a good young coach moving from the national team into the regional system to further their development. This is also an important element in increasing alignment between international and domestic rugby in Wales.”
Williams said: “I’m incredibly proud to have been able to work with the men’s national team over the past two years. This is a such a great group of talented and hard-working players and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“It is not an easy decision to leave and I’d like to thank Wayne, the other coaches and staff for all their support during my time with the squad.”
Sport
East Williamston maintain dominance in Friendly League

SOUTH PEMBROKESHIRE Short Mat Bowls Association – Week 16 Results
THE LATEST round of matches in the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association’s ‘Friendly League’ saw East Williamston extend their lead at the top with a commanding 10-0 victory over St Twynnells.
Elsewhere, Llanteg edged a tight contest against Badgers 6-4, St Johns secured an 8-2 win over Kilgetty, and Cosheston overcame Carew 7-3. The scheduled match between Reynalton and Lamphey was postponed, while Hundleton had a bye.
A catch-up fixture was also played, with Badgers defeating Llanteg 8-2.
League standings after Week 16:
Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Shot Diff | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Williamston | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 195 | 108 |
St Johns | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 106 | 88 |
Carew | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 110 | 86 |
Hundleton | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 72 |
Reynalton | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 32 | 70 |
Cosheston | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 34 | 65 |
Badgers | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 63 |
Llanteg | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -50 | 63 |
St Twynnells | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | -152 | 48 |
Kilgetty | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | -146 | 42 |
Lamphey | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | -118 | 35 |
With just a few rounds remaining, East Williamston look poised to secure the league title, while St Johns and Carew remain in contention for the runner-up spot.
– Steve Cox, League Fixtures Secretary
Sport
Merlins Bridge 11- Herbrandston 1: A whopper win for the wizards!

IN ANOTHER defeat for Herbrandston, Merlins Bridge completely dominated the game, and ball time.
Kick-off was at 2:30pm at the Pembrokeshire Sport Village, on a 4G ground facility.
Within 10 minutes, J. Thomas scored the first goal for Merlins Bridge. At 22 minutes, Merlins Bridge were 3 goals up.
The first, and only, goal for Herbrandston was at 25 minutes into the game by M. Jones.
Another 4 goals were scored after this by Merlins Bridge: J. Thomas, D. Davies, J. Griffiths, N. Evans.
In a turn of events, a yellow card was served to O. Robinson of Herbranston for a bad tackle.
The damage had been done by this yellow card, as the game only got increasingly worse for Herbrandston. In a continued thrashing, 4 more goals were scored by Merlins Bridge by T. G Williams, J. Griffiths, J. Thomas x2.
Next weekend (Sat 15), Merlins Bridge are back against Pennar Robins: currently sitting at 24 (Pennar) and 20 (Merlins) on the League table- it should be a tense match.
Merlins Bridge Line-Up:
D. Pearce, A. Plunkett, L. Hudgell, J. Thomas, F. Nash, D. Davies, J. Thomas, N. Evans, J. Griffiths, H. Dimond, T. G Williams.
Subs: M. D’Ivry, M. Preddy, P. Thomas.
Herbrandston Line-Up:
M. Mcluckie, T. Richardston, O. Robinson, D. John, E. Chalker, S. Findlay, S. Gilepsie, M. Jones, A. Whatling, C. Owens, A. Maccallum.
Subs: C. Hughes, A. Hughes, C. Davenport.
Sport
Pembrokeshire teen and her horse take top honours at UK equestrian finals

A YOUNG Pembrokeshire rider and her horse have made their mark on the equestrian world with a stunning performance at one of the UK’s top shows.
Seventeen-year-old Chloe Owen and her five-year-old horse, Tarr Dauntless – better known as Rodney – took top honours at the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) Rising Star finals at London’s Excel.
The pair, the youngest competitors in their class, not only won their category but also claimed the prestigious hunter championship. Their performance was hailed as “sublime” and “faultless” by leading equestrian magazine Horse & Hound.
Chloe, an A-level student at Haverfordwest High, has an unbreakable bond with Rodney, having helped raise him after his mother tragically died when he was a foal.
Rodney was bred by Chloe’s parents, Charles and Charlotte Owen of St Brides. His bloodline traces back to the first Holsteiner imported by the Hunter Improvement Society more than 50 years ago, a lineage carefully maintained by Chloe’s family.

However, Rodney’s early life was fraught with tragedy. His mother was attacked by a badger when he was just a few days old, suffering severe injuries that left her in a full plaster cast for three months before she succumbed to colic.
Charlotte said: “It was horrific. We bottle-fed Rodney, but his mum couldn’t play with him, so Chloe took over. They have such a lovely relationship – he’s a proper softie.”
The pair have had a remarkable debut season in the show ring, winning five out of seven championship titles, including Supreme Horse at the Pembrokeshire County Show.
“The London show in December was the first time Rodney had ever left Wales,” said Charlotte. “The furthest he’d travelled before was the Royal Welsh! But he just took everything in his stride.”
“I’ve never had a horse with a temperament like his—he’s so professional and so special. I knew from when he was a yearling that there was something different about him.”
Proud mum Charlotte added: “There were a lot of happy tears shed that day in London. There’s a very exciting future ahead for Chloe and Rodney—their first year together has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
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