Sport

Bluebirds soar to the top after beating Wingmakers

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2022

HAVERFORDWEST County went joint top of the JD Cymru Premier on Saturday (Aug 27) after a strong second-half display earned the Bluebirds a convincing 3-0 win against Airbus UK Broughton.

A brace from substitute Jordan Davies, after Henry Jones’ free-kick had given the hosts a half-time lead, helped Tony Pennock’s side to a second league victory of the season.

County had to work hard against a competitive Wingmakers side, who were very much in the contest in the first-half, but the Bluebirds’ extra quality made a telling difference after the break as they put on a show for a home crowd of over 400 at the Ogi Bridge Meadow.

Pennock made three changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Bala Town on MD3, with Zac Jones and Jamie Veale coming in to make their first league starts for the club, while wing-back Ryan George was also handed a starting berth as Lewis Brass, Elliot Scotcher and Jordan Davies dropped to the bench.

It was the visitors who had the first sight on goal, when Jake Phillips’ long throw into the box was met by George Peers, who directed his effort wide of the right post.

After Joe Palmer had seen his shot from distance fly well over the crossbar, the Bluebirds had a good chance to go ahead when Jack Wilson headed the ball into the path of Ben Fawcett, who saw his shot under pressure gathered by Lewis Dutton.

The hosts suffered a setback nine minutes before half-time when midfielder Ricky Watts was forced off through injury after taking a knock minutes before. Scotcher came on in his place.

Chances were few and far between in a scrappy opening 45 minutes, however, with almost the final action of the first-half, County took the lead.

After Ben Fawcett had been fouled five yards from the left side of the area, Jones stepped up and saw his effort go under Dutton and into the net for his first goal of the season, which gave the team a real confidence boost heading into half-time.

The Bluebirds took this momentum into the second period, as a cross into the area found an unmarked Fawcett, but the striker’s header went over the bar.

Pennock introduced Jordan Davies from the bench after 63 minutes, and just moments after coming on the forward was played through on goal but was unable to keep his shot down and saw it fly over.

There was another big chance for County three minutes later when George was played through on goal, but Dutton was equal to his effort to keep thee deficit at one for the time being.

Pennock’s men continued to keep the pressure on, as Fawcett saw his shot saved at the near post just a minute later.

And the pressure eventually told soon after when Dutton’s misplaced clearance landed at the feet of Scotcher, who slid a pass through to Jordan Davies, and he made no mistake by firing into the left corner to double the advantage with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Goalkeeper Jones had a solid first outing between the sticks for Haverfordwest County, and the New Zealand stopper got down well to deny substitute Beau Cornish’s shot in the closing stages to preserve the clean sheet.

And with the win already secured, there was just enough time for the hosts to add a third and final goal.

After substitute Ioan Evans had won possession back in midfield, the ball fell to Veale who played a through ball for Jordan Davies, with the striker showing great composure to take it around Dutton and roll it into an empty net to end the game in perfect fashion.

The Bluebirds are next in action on Tuesday (August 30), when we travel to the SDM Glass Stadium to take on Penybont. Kick-off is at 7.45pm, and the game will be shown live on Sgorio via their digital platforms (Facebook and YouTube).

Report by Haverfordwest County

Related Topics:Bluebirds Football Haverfordwest pembrokeshire

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South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association results

Published

17 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Herald Sport

THE RESULTS of the catch-up games played over the Christmas/New Year period are as follows:

Llanteg 10 – 0 Hundleton
Reynalton 8 – 2 Badgers
Cosheston 10 – 0 St Twynnells

Updated League Table

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	S/D	Points
East Williamston	10	9	0	1	127	74
Carew	10	7	1	2	86	65
Reynalton	11	7	0	4	31	62
Hundleton	11	6	0	5	65	60
St Johns	10	7	0	3	69	58
Cosheston	11	6	0	5	33	54
Llanteg	9	3	0	6	-22	44
St Twynnells	11	3	0	8	-108	41
Badgers	9	3	1	5	36	40
Kilgetty	10	3	0	7	-85	40
Lamphey	10	1	0	9	-155	22

Singles tournament success

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the singles tournament this weekend. After a competitive Round Robin in the morning, players were divided into red and blue streams for the afternoon knockout stages.

Red Stream Winner: Simon Hall (Reynalton)
- Runner-up: Andrew Maclean (East Williamston)
Blue Stream Winner: Margaret Richards (Reynalton)
- Runner-up: Chris Clarkson (Lamphey)

Upcoming event

The next tournament will be the Doubles, held at Heatherton on Saturday, 15th February. Entry forms will be distributed shortly once details are finalized.

Sport

Pembrokeshire Second Division Match Report – January 11, 2025

Published

18 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Herald Sport

A THILLING weekend of football in Pembrokeshire’s Second Division delivered key results that tightened the race for promotion and intensified the relegation battle.

Narberth 2-0 Hakin United II

Narberth bolstered their title aspirations with a commanding 2-0 victory over league leaders Hakin United II. Brychan David broke the deadlock with a clinical finish, and Jordan Williams secured the win with a second goal. The result leaves Narberth just two points behind Hakin in a hotly contested title race.

Merlins Bridge II 0-2 Fishguard Sports

Fishguard Sports continued their march towards a top-three finish, claiming a vital 2-0 win away at Merlins Bridge II. Ieuan Llewellyn coolly converted a penalty to give Fishguard the lead, while Luke Thomas added a second to seal the victory. With games in hand, Fishguard remain firmly in contention at the top end of the table.

Lawrenny 1-2 Neyland

Neyland edged a close contest against Lawrenny with a 2-1 win that keeps their top-half ambitions alive. Thomas Cole scored for the home side, but goals from Aidan Rees and Jack John secured all three points for Neyland in a hard-fought encounter.

Monkton Swifts II 1-7 Johnston

Johnston produced a dominant performance, thrashing Monkton Swifts II 7-1. Ryan Doyle netted twice, with further goals from Steve Allen, James Larsen, Marcus Allen, Callum Rees, and Joey George. The emphatic victory consolidates Johnston’s strong campaign, while Monkton Swifts II remain perilously close to the relegation zone.

Carew II 3-3 Solva

Carew II and Solva played out a dramatic 3-3 draw in a match filled with excitement. George Davies scored twice for Carew, with Charlie Perkins also on target. Solva responded with two goals from Josh Bland and an own goal that levelled the match. Both sides remain stuck in mid-table, with the result doing little to ease their relegation concerns.

Sport

Haverfordwest cruise to comfortable 33-0 win over Cefneithin

Published

18 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Herald Sport

Haverfordwest 33 – Cefneithin 0

HAVERFORDWEST made a strong return to league action at Pembroke Road with a convincing 33-0 victory over bottom-placed Cefneithin. Despite a six-week absence from competitive rugby for the visitors, both sides put in a commendable effort to play expansive rugby in challenging conditions.

The Blues wasted no time asserting their dominance, scoring within the first minute of the match. After receiving the ball around halfway, centre Jack Evans made a powerful break, evading defenders and linking up with supporting players. The move culminated with scrum-half Liam Eaton receiving the ball and passing to outside-half Jack Codd, who slotted over the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Haverfordwest’s forwards controlled the set-pieces, but their attempts to run the ball often resulted in knock-ons, as they looked to flick passes rather than build consistent phases. Cefneithin, on the other hand, showed more composure in their play, particularly through their half-backs Jack Willingham and Aled Thomas, and their back row of Raymond, Roberts, and Dickie.

The Blues’ midfield duo of Jack Evans and Matty Phillips posed constant threats, and it wasn’t long before they added to their tally. In the 24th minute, after some powerful carries from Jack Clancy, Jake Evans, Josh Young, and captain Karl Busch, Codd orchestrated a move that saw Evans slice through the Cefneithin defence to score under the posts. Codd converted the try, albeit off the upright, to make it 14-0.

Haverfordwest continued to press, but missed opportunities came in the form of a line-out throw-in that went crooked after Codd had kicked them close to the Cefneithin try line. However, the Blues weren’t to be denied, and soon after, another well-placed diagonal kick to the corner resulted in a fumble from the Cefneithin defence, allowing winger George Hopkins to pounce and dive over the line. Codd added the conversion from the touchline to give Haverfordwest a commanding 21-0 lead at the break.

The second half saw the Blues continue their dominance. The bonus-point try came in style when winger Guy Barrons was involved in a quick-moving attack. Quick hands among the forwards, including Dan Berry and Tom Carrington, created space for full-back Owain Roberts to break through and score under the posts. Codd’s simple conversion extended the lead further.

By this stage, Cefneithin had opted for uncontested scrums due to injuries, but the Blues kept pushing forward. A late fifth try came courtesy of back rower Mikey Griffiths, who dotted down after a determined run. Although the try was unconverted, Griffiths was later named man of the match for his tireless performance.

With this win, Haverfordwest maintain their strong position in the league, while Cefneithin will look to regroup after a challenging return to action.