Sport

Otters earn win in first game

Published

2 years ago

September 5, 2022

IN the first half of the game against visitors Ystrad Rhondda, Narberth were under pressure in the first 20 minutes with Ystrad threatening to break through at any moment. Plucky defence held them out.

Eventually a penalty after 16 minutes, taken by Full back Nick Gale, notched up 3 points for Narberth.

Narberth played in their green/black striped shirts because the visitors wore the blue/black stripes normally worn by Narberth.

At this stage the rain started to arrive which got stronger as time went on making the ball a bit slippery in the windy conditions.

At 18 minutes into the game Ystrad replied with their own kicked penalty but it was wide of the posts.

Lewis Gibby the OTTERS No.9 went off for head wound at 22 minutes and young George McDonald came on to replace him but Gibby came back on bandaged up after 10 minutes on the side-lines.

30 minutes in Ystrad scored a penalty from the right hand side to make it 3- 3.

Two minutes later, another penalty to Narberth was taken by Nick Gale from left-hand side, followed at 37 minutes with another penalty kick from left hand side just inside the half way line. 9-3 was the score at the end of the first half.

In the second-half at 48 minutes Narberth were attacking strongly but gained no penetration. Ten minutes later new-signing Ewan Badham came on to replace Rhys Williams at No.8.

Finally at the 61 minutes point, a break out from Loose play in the Ystrad half of 10 metres out on the right side Lewis Gibby got through and scored under the posts with a conversion to follow which was Successful score 16-3.

Narberth made a number of additional substitutions and in the closing minutes of the game replacement hooker Kyle Hamer was yellow carded for some infringement in the defensive ruck just 5 metres out from Narberth’s try line. So, the last minutes of the match Narberth played with only 14 men.

Sadly, with only dying seconds left in the game Ewan Badham breaking out from the 5m defensive line suffered a suspected ankle injury and his left leg had to be splinted and he was then taken off to hospital.

The backs coach Deiniol Evans was asked to sum up his view of this first Championship game in the new season.

“it’s always a very difficult game against Ystrad Rhondda. Twice before we have beaten them but twice they’ve beaten us on their home ground. It was always going to be a tight game, and I was difficult to control the ball in the conditions of strong wind and rain”.

He added: “There were loads of turnovers which means we couldn’t quite get into the flow we wanted for a possession game and multiple phases”.

The coach felt that the Narberth defence was the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.

He commented that: “ there’s a few development boys who have played a part of the last couple of weeks so especially seeing youngsters playing again today it was really good to see those coming through and hopefully give them more opportunities as the season progresses”.

Man of the match was given, by main match sponsor Hywel Griffiths, to flanker No.7 Caine Rees-Jones. Well deserved for his play around the rucks.

Related Topics:Narberth Otters pembrokeshire Rugby

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Letterston marksman wins junior athlete award

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2 days ago

January 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A TALENTED young athlete from Letterston has been honoured at the British Shooting Awards 2024.

Seren Thorne was shortlisted for the prestigious awards and attended the gala event held at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. To the delight of her family and supporters, Seren was named the winner of the Rifle Pathway / Junior Athlete of the Year award.

This accolade highlights Seren’s exceptional skill and dedication to the sport, marking her as one of the rising stars in British shooting.

Her mother, Sian Thorne, expressed immense pride in Seren’s achievement, sharing photos of the memorable evening.

The British Shooting Awards 2024 celebrated excellence in the sport, with a full list of winners available on their official website.

PHOTO CAPTION: Champion marksman: Seren Thorne receiving the Rifle Pathway / Junior Athlete of the Year award (Pic: Supplied).

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Previewing the 2025 Super Bowl

Published

3 days ago

January 20, 2025

Staff Writer

Each year millions of people across the world gather to watch one of the biggest sporting events of the year – the Super Bowl. Last year, 3.4 million people in the UK watched the Super Bowl, up 1.1 million from the previous year. Considering the growth in popularity of American football in the UK, we anticipate the viewership will be even higher for 2025.

The 2025 Super Bowl is scheduled to take place on 9 February 2025 at Caesars Superdrome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NFL teams

12 teams began competing for a spot in the 2025 Super Bowl when the playoffs began on January 11. At this point, four teams were eliminated. This now leaves eight teams to compete in the Divisional playoffs. Four of these will make it to the Conference Championships before contesting for a spot at this year’s Super Bowl.

The eight teams left with a shot at competing in the 2025 Super Bowl are:

Philadelphia Eagles
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
Washington Commanders

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs took the title for the second year in a row. However, the latest Super Bowl odds puts the Detroit Lions as the favourites to win this year’s Super Bowl, following a series of impressive performances in the regular season.

The national anthem and halftime show

Before the game commences, a special guest performs the national anthem. Last year, Reba McEntire offered a moving performance of The Star-Spangled Banner, and this year the task falls to jazz singer Jon Batiste.

It’s not just the football match that people look forward to. Super Bowl halftime shows are a spectacle in themselves and many look forward to the performance as much as the game itself. This year, 17-time grammy winner Kendrick Lamar is headlining the halftime show. Lamar previously headlined the Super Bowl in 2022.

How can I watch the Super Bowl in the UK?

The Super Bowl is being broadcast to fans free on ITV, including live online via ITVX on your laptop, mobile, or tablet.

Sky Sports is also broadcasting the event which you can watch online via Sky Go, NOW TV, or using the Sky Sports mobile app. You could also head to your local pub as plenty of pubs in Pembrokeshire will be showing the big game.

Will you be tuning in?

With a surge in popularity for American Football, it’s anticipated that more people from the UK than ever before will be turning their TVs on for the big event this year. Will you be watching this year’s Super Bowl?

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Division Four West rugby: Thrills and tight contests on a chilly Saturday

Published

4 days ago

January 19, 2025

Herald Sport

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Teirw Crymych Outgun Llangwm in High-Scorer
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