Sport
Williams brace helps Robins to comeback victory over Bluebirds
HAVERFORDWEST County ended up on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline for the second time in a week as Newtown came from behind to beat the Bluebirds at the Ogi Bridge Meadow.
Dylan Rees’ excellent strike – his first goal for the club – gave County a 1-0 lead before Louis Robles’ header levelled matters, however Jack Wilson’s goal in first-half stoppage time meant Tony Pennock’s side led at the interval.
Things did not go the Bluebirds’ way after the break, though, as a brace from Aaron Williams helped the visitors to turn the game around and take all three points.
Manager Pennock selected the same starting 11 from the game against Penybont earlier in the week, with the returning Lee Idzi – who completed a return to the club this week – taking his place on the bench, along with Ricky Watts, who missed the game in Bridgend through injury.
In testing conditions, the hosts started well and had the first opportunity of the game when Rees glanced a header wide from Jamie Veale’s corner.
After fouls on striker Ben Fawcett had earned Ryan Sears and George Hughes a yellow card apiece, Pennock’s side took the lead after a quarter of an hour when a headed clearance fell into the path of Rees, and he showed excellent technique to unleash a first-time volley which flew into the bottom left corner past the helpless Dave Jones.
This goal gave the Bluebirds a confidence boost, and they could well have doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Jordan Davies got to the byline and squared to Rhys Abbruzzese, but the full-back’s first-time effort whistled over the crossbar.
Chris Hughes’ side began to grow into the game as the half wore on, and they found an equalising goal when Nick Rushton’s cross into the area picked out the unmarked Robles who headed home to make it all square.
The momentum had swung the way of the Robins following the goal, and they could have taken the lead as Hughes’ ball into the area was deflected on to left post by the outstretched leg of Lee Jenkins, with Zeli Ismail shooting just wide shortly after.
It appeared that the teams were going to head into the break level, but, just as they had done last weekend against Airbus UK Broughton, the Bluebirds struck in first-half stoppage time when Ryan George crossed to Fawcett, and he swept the ball into the path of Wilson who prodded home from close range to give County a 2-1 half-time lead.
With the momentum shifting again after Wilson’s second league goal of the season, Pennock’s side came close to doubling their advantage two minutes into the second-half, but midfielder Jamie Veale lost his footing on the wet turf as he prepared to direct Wilson’s cross on goal.
Jordan Davies then got a shot away from a tight angle which forced a save from Jones as Haverfordwest County searched for a third goal.
Newtown remained in the contest though, and shortly after the hour mark they equalised for a second time when Williams produced an acrobatic effort from inside the area to set up a grandstand final 30 minutes or so.
Both teams had opportunities to swing the match their way after this, with Rushton’s snapshot from inside the area saved by Zac Jones, before Jordan Davies’ shot from a similar angle was saved at the near post by Jones.
However, with just over five minutes left on the clock, the decisive moment went the way of last season’s third place finishers when Hughes’ shot rolled into the path of Williams, and the forward reacted to divert it home and hand the Robins all three points.
The Bluebirds are next in action on Saturday, September 10 when we travel to Park Hall to take on reigning champions The New Saints.
The game kicks off at 5.15pm, and will be shown live on Sgorio via their digital platforms on Facebook and YouTube.
Sport
Annual veterans tennis tournament was the most popular yet
HAVERFORDWEST Tennis Club’s ninth annual veterans tournament proved to be the most popular yet with a record 42 entries.
Running from 9 September to finals day on 14 September, players over the age of 45 competed in singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions.
David Roch James beat Marc Thompson to claim the men’s singles title, while Liz Green edged Jenny Guard in the ladies’ final.
Marc was consoled in the men’s doubles, where he and partner Gwyn Scale defeated Louis Warren and Peter Brooker.
Meanwhile Liz enjoyed double delight, with she and Angela Scourfield beating Helen Groves and Jane Groves in the ladies’ final.
Jane Allen and John Parker triumphed in the mixed doubles, beating Ruth Moss and Richard Davies in a hugely entertaining finale.
The traditional finals day dinner took place in the clubhouse afterwards, with the trophies presented by club president Brian Hearne.
Tournament organiser Richard Davies was thanked for his hard work, along with Sarah Keogh and her team of volunteers who provided the meal.
Sport
Don’t miss Sport Pembrokeshire Awards nominations deadline
THE deadline for nominations for the Sport Pembrokeshire Awards is fast approaching.
Anyone thinking of putting a sportsman or woman, coach, club, team or organisation forward for any of the categories is urged to do so before the closing date of Sunday October 13th.
The Awards will be held at Folly Farm on Friday November 29th.
The award categories are:
- Coach of the Year
- Female Sporting Achievement
- Male Sporting Achievement
- Boys (U16) Sporting Achievement
- Girls (U16) Sporting Achievement
- Disability Sport Award
- Junior (U16) Disability Sport Award
- Unsung Hero
- Club Organiser of the Year
- Team Achievement of the Year
- Junior (U16) Team Achievement of the Year
- Young Volunteer of the Year
- Club of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement
An additional award announced on the night is the Schools Award, which recognises a local school which works extra hard to make sport and physical activity fun, inclusive, and innovative – and forges strong bonds with the local community.
Thanks go once again to the Awards sponsors, Valero, Pure West Radio and Folly Farm for ensuring that the celebration of Pembrokeshire sport can continue.
To make a nomination, go to: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/forge/index.asp?x=F53021F86D
Sport
Division 4 West sees high-scoring affairs and tightly contested fixtures
THE latest round of matches in the division 4 west saw some high-scoring affairs and tightly contested fixtures, as the table starts to take shape early in the season. Neyland and Narberth Athletic continue to set the pace, while Llangwm’s struggles continued, and Teirw Crymych recorded a dominant win. Here’s a breakdown of all the action.
Llangwm 17-19 Dreigiau Emlyn
In a closely fought contest, Dreigiau Emlyn narrowly edged Llangwm 19-17. Llangwm put up a brave fight, with tries from Calum Jenkins and George James, both converted by Harry Makepeace, who also added a penalty. However, Dreigiau Emlyn’s scorers were not available, though their performance was enough to secure the victory. Llangwm, despite showing flashes of quality, remain winless after three games.
Pembroke Dock Harlequins 22-40 Neyland
Neyland continued their unbeaten run with a commanding 40-22 victory over Pembroke Dock Harlequins. Damien Miller was in fine form for the Quins, scoring two tries, while Ben Gibby also crossed the line. Ben Hathaway added a conversion and a penalty. However, Neyland proved too strong, with Ben Williams, Josh Watts, and Owen Hamer each contributing tries, while Oli Rothero starred with two tries of his own. Rothero also slotted over three conversions and three penalties, guiding his team to a comprehensive win and cementing their position at the top of the table.
St Davids 0-40 Narberth Athletic
Narberth Athletic dominated St Davids in a one-sided affair, winning 40-0. The scoring started early, with Harry Phillips and Shane Rossiter each scoring two tries. Harry Williams and Kyle Williams also crossed the line, while Rossiter’s reliable kicking saw him add five conversions. St Davids, who struggled to make an impact, were simply outclassed by a Narberth side that looks like serious title contenders after their second consecutive victory.
Teirw Crymych 42-21 Llanybydder
Teirw Crymych produced one of the performances of the weekend with a resounding 42-21 win over Llanybydder. Tomos Lewis led the charge with two tries, while Hedd Jones, Griff Lloyd, Luke Freebury, and Osian Thomas each scored a try apiece. Elgan Wilson was flawless with the boot, converting all six tries. Llanybydder did respond, with Osian Roberts crossing the line twice and Will Evans also adding a try. Roberts converted all three scores, but Teirw Crymych were too strong on the day, earning their first win of the season.
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