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Rugby Report

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Crymych1Narberth win nail bitter
Blackwood 28
Narberth 30
THE OTTERS snatched a bonus point victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying moments of their tough game away to Blackwood.
Narberth were behind for large periods of the game, trailing 16-13 at half time. Blackwood scored 13 early unanswered points as Narberth took their time to settle into the fixture.
The Otters scored their first half points in the last 20 minutes of the half, as fly half Ianto Griffiths landed a penalty, and converted Morgan Griffiths’ try, before specialist long-distance kicker Nick Gale stepped up to the kicking tee, and struck a cracking long-range penalty.
The second half began much like the first, with the Otters on the back foot and Blackwood extending their lead to 28-13. If the first 20 minutes of the half belonged to Blackwood, then the final quarter of the game belonged entirely to Narberth, as they upped their intensity and stringed together some beautiful phases to crawl back into a strong position.
Steffan Phillips got the visitors rolling with a well taken try, as the number 8 went on a typical bull-dozering run to touch down, with Ianto Griffiths adding the conversion. Griffiths would then find a space in midfield and used his feet to sneak through the tiring Blackwood defence to score a try of his own.
As the travelling supporters found their voice in dying moments, Narberth dug deep, as the forwards slowly moved their way upfield, before the hero of the day second-row Alex Jenkins, found himself with the ball and crossed the whitewash to record a memorable victory for Narberth.
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Crymych’s second half slip up
Crymych 19
Cwmllynfell 21
CRYMYCH conceeded an 11-point lead to slip to a two point defeat at home to Cwmllynfell due to ill-discipline in the second half.
The first 40 minutes of play belong to the Preseli Men as scrum-half Rhys Davies, back from a stint with Premiership side Llanelli, slotted two penalties before Guto Griffiths continued his try scoring form, touching down in the corner. Griffiths had crossed in the corner earlier, but the try had been disallowed, much to the frustration of the home crowd.
Leading 11-0 at half time, Crymych were looking good for the victory, but so much can happen in 40 minutes of play.
Dyfan Dafydd added an extra penalty for Crymych, however Cwmllynfell dug their heels in and began to muscle their way back into the game. Craig Kelly, Daniel Jones and Luke Battenbow all scored for the visitors.
Crymych did manage a try through Gavin Thomas, but some ill-discipline in the final moments of the game, gifted Cwmllynfell two kickable penalties, which Tristan Lewis happily obliged to convert to give his team an unlikely victory, and leave the Crymych faithful frustrated.
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Whitland wither at home
Whitland 19
Waunarlwydd 37
LEAGUE LEADERS Waunarlwydd were too strong in the second half for the Borderers, as they only trailed by four points at the break.
Aidan Laxton scored Whitland’s only first half try and Nico Setaro struck two penalties. Waunarlwydd secured the bonus point victory in the second half with some outstanding play from the whole 15 players, before Whitland scored a consolation try through Laxton, and Setaro struck his third penalty.
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First win for Blues
Haverfordwest 14
Tumble 9
HAVERFORDWEST finally got their season on track with a hard fought home victory against a difficult Tumble side.
The Blues started the game with great intent as Ryan Banner and Scott Candler crossed the white-wash, as full back Ashley Sutton converted both.
However, these were the only points of the game for Haverfordwest, as they lost their discipline, and Tumble’s Steve Hewitt slotted three penalties for his side. The height of frustration for the Blues came when both Sutton and Adam Williams were sin-binned, but stern defensive work meant their try line remained intact.
Haverfordwest’s Ashley Sutton said after the game: ‘’It was really important to get the first win on Saturday. The boys have worked really hard in pre-season and deserved a few wins in previous weeks, but hopefully now the win on Saturday will kick start their season.’’
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Tenby remain undefeated
Cardigan 7
Tenby United 12
TENBY remain at the top of their division after a hard fought match away to Cardigan.
The drama began in the first half as Cardigan’s Emyr Harries was red-carded, and Tenby scored their opening try through Jack Guerriro, converted by Jonathan Rodgers. The Cardi’s then replied with Dorian Butler touching down, with Iestyn Crompton adding the extras.
The second half was a war of attrition as only Tenby’s Dai Meyrick was able to cross the try line, maintaining Tenby’s unbeaten record.
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Miserable day for Milford
Penybanc 50
Milford Haven 0
MILFORD HAVEN’s season continued down a bad path as they remained scoreless away from home, conceding no fewer than 50 points.
Effort was seen from all Milford players, but a lack of confidence from this season’s results cumulated in another poor performance for the Mariners.
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Fishguard fall short
Laugharne 25
Fishguard & Goodwick 21
THE SEAGULLS fell short in the final moments of play as Laugharne were able to take the lead, and the victory through a converted try.
Simon James again led from the front for Fishguard as he touched down twice, along with centre Mike Jenkins, with scrum half Alun George adding two penalties to the total.
But some missed opportunities to see the game off from Fishguard allowed Laugharne to snatch victory from the Seagulls.

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Quins win hard derby
Pembroke Dock Harlequins 17
Neyland 10
THE QUINS secured their first win of the season with typically brutal contest against Neyland in an entertaining game.
Neyland’s Delme Bateman opened the day’s scoring with a try in the corner, before Gregg Miller slid over for a try. The Quins battled back through Alex Pearce, converted by Adam Cawley. Arian Heath was then able to cross for the Quins, again converted by Cawley.
A final Cawley penalty secured the victory for the Quins, with Neyland picking up a losing bonus point.
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Scarlets lose 100% record
Pontyates 15
Pembroke 3
PEMBROKE lost their first game of the season, as both sides entered this contest undefeated.
In a tight game, neither side gave an inch, but it was the Pontyates kicker who edged his team ahead, as he maintained pressure on the Scarlets.
Lewis Davies scored Pembroke’s only points with a well struck penalty, but it wasn’t enough as Pontyates prevailed.
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Wasps stung away from home
St Clears 41
Llangwm 3
LLANGWM were only able to manage three points away from home as they met a strong St Clears side.
Andrew Brock kicked the three-pointer for the Wasps, but an impressive individual haul of 21 points for St Clears’ Chris Rodenhurst helped his side claim a bonus point victory.
Saints well beaten on the road
Burry Port 80
St Davids 5
TRAVELLING with the bare minimum 15 players, St Davids were always up against it as they faced the promotion favourites Burry Port on their home patch.
Trailing 46-0 at half time, the Saints would be forgiven for imploding, but they refused to lay down, and in the second half, mustered the power to work up-field, with Russell Watkins scoring for the Saints.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

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A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

  • Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
  • Violence against staff up 109%
  • Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
  • Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

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Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

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A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

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News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

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THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old. 

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