Sport

Spotlight – Clarbeston Road

Published

2 years ago

January 11, 2024

We sat down with Clarbeston Road manager Matthew Fox after his team’s impressive win over Hakin United Saturday. His team has impressed and turned heads up and down the county over the past few months. We got some insight on the story of their season so far.

Herald – Matt thanks for taking the time to talk to us today! It’s good timing as I’m sure you’re still on a high after Saturdays win?

Matt – No problem it is my pleasure to catch up. Of course, we are delighted with the result Saturday. That is Hakin’s first League defeat of the season so to win down there is a massive credit to the lads. Especially with the amount of fitness work they put in over the Christmas break. But we are not complacent, we know that we cannot waste the effort of last week’s result only to then drop points this week. The league is fairly relentless and that shows where we go to Merlins Bridge this week which will be a really tough game. They are above us in the league, even though we do have some games in hand, but they have not lost since the beginning of October so they will be full of confidence also. Therefore, certainly no time to sit back and enjoy one good result! The target for us will be to continue getting good results week on week and the preparation for Saturday started Monday and we will be training again this week so we are ready for Saturday.

Herald – Saturday was your second win over Hakin this year. Have you had thoughts of disrupting the ‘top’ two?

Matt – We had an indifferent start to the season so after those early couple of defeats I would have taken not being relegated at that stage of the season let alone disrupt Goodwick or Hakin!! But no, as the the old football cliché goes, our aim is only focus on the next game and that is what we will be doing this Saturday. Hakin will be right up there at the end of the Season, Skinny will get them bang at it next week, but I do think it is now Goodwick’s to lose. Leon Luby and Cam Thomas being injured for Hakin hasn’t helped them, but Goodwick beat us convincingly at their place early in the season, and in the return fixture, it was a lot closer game than the 4-0 scoreline suggests. But still, they have taken 6 points from us and under Sully and Lee Morgan, they won’t show any complacency. Our aim will to be to finish as high as we can but to do that we have to be consistent week on week.

Herald – Obviously Goodwick would take some catching this season, so what are your goals for the rest of the season?

Matt – I agree, I don’t see Goodwick being caught in the League now. So after knocking one of the Senior Cup favourites out of the competition, you have to look at being in and around the competition come Final Day. However, there will be 16 other teams in round two thinking exactly the same thing!! In round two we have the winner of Fishguard or St Ishmaels,who have steadied themselves well in Division Two, so we cannot look further than that really as a trip to either is going to be tough. But it would be great to get back to the Meadow if we could and we will be all out to try and do that, not least to avenge the last time we got to the final where Hakin walloped us 7-1!

Herald – What’s pleased you most about this season so far?

Matt – It is probably the togetherness in the squad and the club as a whole. We train as one squad, firsts and seconds and we regularly have 30 plus training in all weathers. We all know the amount of work the committee at Clarbeston Road do for the club under the watch of Chairman Steve Brown so it is nice to put a team out every Saturday that they can be proud of and make the work that they do worthwhile. I would also have to say the amount of youngsters coming through to Senior football at the club and a large credit for that goes to the Junior Coaches at the club, not least, Raph Barnett our second team manager as he brought through seven or eight players from Junior football, that are now involved between the two squads every week.

Herald – If you had to pick out your teams main strength what would it be?

Matt – I would say team spirit and the blend of youth and experience. We often get labelled with “tricky” or “Sticky” opponents which suggests sometimes we are just hard to play against,but I feel sometimes we haven’t had the credit we deserve for our ability to play ourselves. We have quality now right through the squads and plenty in reserve so this season we have been far less disrupted by unavailability as we have quality players who can come in when players are away and make the position their own. We went to Hakin Saturday without our Club Captain, Rheinallt George and still won. That is a credit to the lads taking their opportunities when called upon and the depth of our squad this season.

Herald – And finally, where do you see the team and the club aiming to go in the next couple of years? Is it a long term project?

Matt – It most definitely is a long term project both on and off the field. My co-manager Matt Ellis is still playing exceptionally well at the ripe old ag of 39 and I think the way he is going he will be still playing at 49! Off the field there are plans for the changing rooms and training facilities to be developed at our Knock Field site and on the pitch we just want to improve year on year, keep bringing youngsters through and giving them a chance and enjoy everything that is good about Pembrokeshire League football. Like many other clubs in Pembrokeshire, we would like to look at options for the West Wales Premier League but geography is the biggest challenge we all face with most games in the Swansea area. We really feel that we can push teams at that level as we did against League Leaders Evans and Williams in the West Wales Cup. But for now we will continue working hard at what we are doing and look to improve week on week, year on year so maybe we can disrupt the “Top Two!”

News

National champions set for Lloyds Road Championships in Wales

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2026

Herald Sport

Strong Welsh contingent among elite field heading to Lampeter and Aberystwyth

SOME of Britain’s leading cyclists will head to Wales next week as the 2026 Lloyds National Road Championships get under way.

Sixteen former elite national road champions are among the riders named for the event, which begins in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25, before moving to Aberystwyth for the circuit race and road race.

Welsh rider Zoe Backstedt, of Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto, is expected to be one of the headline names after winning the elite women’s time-trial title at last year’s championships.

Backstedt said: “I’m super excited to come back to Wales to race national champs this year. I don’t get to race in the UK a lot, let alone in Wales, so that makes it even more exciting to be there.

“We’ve got such a strong roster of riders in the UK, so it’s never going to be easy, but I hope I’ll come into this in good shape and fighting for the win.”

Millie Couzens, of Fenix-Premier Tech, returns to defend her women’s road race title. She faces a strong field including three-time road national champion Pfeiffer Georgi, Morven Yeoman, Imogen Wolff, Cat Ferguson, Anna Henderson and Flora Perkins.

In the men’s road race, Sam Watson, of NetCompany Ineos, will look to retain his crown against a field including former national champion Ben Swift, reigning under-23 champion Matthew Brennan, Adam Howell and Ethan Hayter.

Hayter said: “Nationals always seem to bring out the best in me. I’ve managed to win a jersey in 2024 and 2025, so it would be nice to try to add another in the TT or RR.

“Each year the level gets higher, but it makes for aggressive, exciting racing.”

Cameron Mason will return to Aberystwyth to defend his open circuit race title, with Thomas Armstrong, Matt Bostock and Oliver Wood among those expected to challenge.

Kate Richardson also returns as defending women’s circuit race champion. She will be joined by a strong field including Isabel Sharp, Carys Lloyd, Xan Crees, Jenny Holl and Josie Knight.

A number of Welsh riders will also compete across the championships, including Finlay Tarling, Elynor Backstedt, Anna Morris, Owain Doull MBE and Megan Barker.

Erin Boothman, following a successful track season, will make her Lloyds National Road Championships debut in the women’s road race and under-23 women’s time-trial. Ben Wiggins will also return to Ceredigion as he looks to improve on last year’s silver medal in the under-23 men’s time-trial.

Ten national champions’ jerseys will be contested over three days of racing.

The time-trial takes place in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25. The elite women, under-23 women and under-23 men will race over 25.6km, while the elite men will cover 38.4km.

Aberystwyth will host the circuit race on Friday, June 26, and the road race on Sunday, June 28, giving spectators the chance to watch some of Britain’s best riders on Welsh roads.

The championships return to Wales with support from the Welsh Government.

Pic: Lloyds National Circuit Championship 2025 (Pic: SWPix.com)

Sport

Young rally driver makes impressive gravel debut

Published

3 days ago

June 16, 2026

Herald Sport

EIGHTEEN-year-old Henri Cynwyl, of Newcastle Emlyn, marked a memorable milestone at the Plains Rally, Bala, as he made his gravel debut in the highly competitive Mini Rally Challenge.

Henri was driving the ex-championship-winning car previously campaigned by Tom Hynd, giving the young driver a strong platform on which to demonstrate his ability.

Family team

Sitting alongside him was his father, Dilwyn John, whose extensive experience in the co-driver’s seat proved invaluable throughout the demanding event.

Despite mechanical issues on Stages 3 and 4, the father-and-son pairing showed determination and composure to overcome the setbacks and continue gaining valuable experience on the loose surface.

As the day progressed, Henri’s confidence grew with every stage. The crew’s times steadily improved throughout the rally, underlining his rapid adaptation to gravel and his ability to learn quickly in competitive conditions.

***Rally hopes: Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start (Pic: Aneurin James)***

Their efforts were rewarded with an impressive sixth-place finish, a highly respectable result on a first gravel outing against more experienced competitors.

Strong foundations

The performance was even more notable given Henri’s limited gravel experience.

Having developed his car control skills through Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests from the age of 14, he was able to transfer much of that experience to the challenging Welsh forest stages.

Additional tuition on gravel from James Williams, of W1 Motorsport Group, also helped prepare him for the step up into rally competition on loose surfaces.

Reflecting on his debut, Henri said: “It was great and I enjoyed every minute of it. Taking part in Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests most definitely helped, along with tuition on gravel stages in the company of James Williams from W1 Motorsport Group.

“I’d also like to thank Mark Williams, my team manager, for all of the support and encouragement.”

Promising start

The successful gravel debut provides another encouraging chapter in the young driver’s development, with the pace, consistency and maturity shown throughout the day suggesting plenty more potential to come.

Henri now switches back to tarmac this weekend as he continues his busy season at the Park Garage Rally in Anglesey, aiming to build on the confidence gained from an impressive first appearance on gravel.

Looking ahead, he is already eagerly anticipating the next round of the Mini Rally Challenge in Greystoke Forest, Cumbria.

With a strong first result under his belt, and plenty of lessons learned from the Plains Rally, Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start when the championship heads north.

Sport

Rowers conquer gruelling 22-mile Cleddau challenge

Published

4 days ago

June 15, 2026

Herald Sport

Crews from across the UK battle tides, headwinds and the Haven to finish marathon race at Haverfordwest River Festival

ROWERS from across the United Kingdom descended on Pembrokeshire at the weekend to take part in one of Wales’ toughest coastal rowing challenges — the 22-mile Cleddau River Marathon Row from Dale to Haverfordwest.

Held as part of the annual Haverfordwest River Festival on Saturday (Jun 13), the spectacular endurance race saw around 25 crews line up on the shoreline at Dale for a dramatic beach start before battling the tides, currents and changing weather conditions along the Milford Haven Waterway.

With calm waters and blue skies greeting competitors at the start, crews launched from Dale Bay at around 2:30pm and powered into the Haven, navigating a route that took them past Milford Haven, Neyland and Pembroke Dock before passing beneath the Cleddau Bridge and tackling the winding upper reaches of the river toward Haverfordwest.

However, conditions became more testing as the race progressed, with the tide turning against competitors and a headwind adding to the challenge during the final push upstream.

The marathon row was organised by Helen Heaton and Llangwm Rowing Club, with staggered starts helping ensure crews arrived in Haverfordwest in time for the celebrations at the River Festival.

At the finish line in Haverfordwest, exhausted rowers were greeted by cheering crowds, family members and councillors, who helped crews bring their boats ashore before an evening of celebrations and prize-giving at HaverHub.

The event drew teams from across Wales and further afield, highlighting Pembrokeshire’s growing reputation as a destination for competitive coastal rowing. The marathon route, stretching approximately 22 miles from Dale to the county town, is regarded as one of the more demanding fixtures in the Welsh sea rowing calendar.

Video crews and drone operators captured the action throughout the day, with local media teams filming both from shore and on the water.

The race was sponsored by Dale Sailing, with video sponsorship support from Pembrokeshire Powerboating and Sailing Academy.

The Herald understands the Wasps of Llangwm crew took top honours in the demanding race after a hard-fought contest on the water.

Photo caption:

Marathon effort: Crews from across the UK battled tides and headwinds during the 22-mile Cleddau River Marathon Row from Dale to Haverfordwest