Sport

Welsh Classic Motocross Team triumph in France

Published

2 years ago

August 26, 2024

IN a historic and hard-fought victory, the Welsh Classic Motocross team has emerged triumphant at the prestigious Motocross International des Nations Classique. This three-day event, held on the revered ex-Grand Prix circuit in Ahun, France, saw a formidable Welsh contingent of 25 riders take on 16 other teams from 14 nations, ultimately claiming first place and etching their name into the annals of motocross history.

The vision for this victory was born in the mind of Sean Smith, the team manager from Pembroke. What began as an ambitious dream—creating an unbiased and diverse Welsh team to compete on the international stage—soon became a reality. Initially expecting to field a modest team of five riders, the plan quickly expanded as interest surged among Welsh riders. By the time they set off for France, the team had grown to an impressive 25 riders, backed by 24 dedicated sponsors, including the lead sponsor, Mitsui Components Europe Ltd.

The journey to central France was not just a physical one; it was a test of endurance and determination. Upon arrival on 16 August, the team faced a rigorous day of technical inspections and administrative formalities. The highlight of the day, however, was a team track walk, where the riders first laid eyes on the circuit prepared by Club AMC Ahun. The track, daunting and formidable, presented a significant challenge. However, the team’s spirits remained unshaken. Practical solutions were devised during team discussions, laying the groundwork for what would become a memorable competition.

Race day on 17 August began with timed practice laps and qualifications across nine race classes, each defined by the age category of the classic bikes. From the outset, it was clear that Team Wales had arrived with intent. The Welsh riders clocked some of the fastest times of the day, with the team securing the top three track times in the process. The atmosphere was electric, fuelled by the passionate support of Welsh fans who had made the journey to cheer on their compatriots.

However, the day was not without its setbacks. The team suffered 14 Did Not Finishes (DNFs) due to technical issues and a serious crash involving Bridgend’s Andrew Gillett. Gillett, who had dominated his qualifying lap with a time 16 seconds faster than his closest competitor, was forced out of the competition after being taken down by another rider. Despite this, Team Wales ended the day in a strong second place.

The afternoon brought a much-needed respite with the Parade of Nations, where each country proudly displayed its colours. The sight of the Welsh team, united and proud, was a moment of immense pride for all involved.

The final day of competition on 18 August was nothing short of spectacular. One of the standout moments was a thrilling battle between Ammanford’s Carl Jones and France’s multiple Le Touquet race winner, Rudy Vergriette. The nail-biting, wheel-to-wheel duel drew comparisons to legendary races of the 1990s, showcasing the very best of classic motocross.

Class Highlights

Pre 65-70: Kevin Pettit (Treorchy) overcame initial nerves to finish fifth in his class, while Rob Morgan (Slebech) achieved a lifetime-best seventh place. Barrie Townend (Baschurch), riding the oldest machine in the competition, finished eighth.
1971-1975: Llanelli’s Dan Evans, a multiple pre-74 Classic champion, secured victory in his class and emerged as Team Wales’ top points scorer.
1976-1979: Tom Herring (Glynneath), despite mechanical issues, piloted ‘The Tank’ to sixth place, contributing significantly to the team’s points tally.
1980-83 Group A: Nigel Davies (Carmarthen) and Dylan Davies (Newcastle Emlyn) both delivered determined performances, finishing eighth and 13th, respectively.
1984-89 Group A: Carmarthen’s Mckaulee Malin, known as ‘Macka last lap’ Malin, was the team’s secret weapon, finishing first in his class and second in overall team points. Carl Jones (Ammanford) dazzled spectators with his thrilling rides, despite mechanical issues that kept him from the podium.
1990-95: Kip Herring (Glynneath), returning from retirement, claimed third place overall in his class, while Stephen Redfern (Llanelli) was lauded as the Team Wales Rider of the Event, finishing fourth overall.
1996-99: Carl Jones (Ammanford) once again displayed his prowess, finishing seventh despite mechanical challenges, while Neil Thomas (Swansea) pushed through to a top-six finish in his class.

The Welsh spirit was not confined to the track. In the team’s hospitality tent, Welsh products like Penderyn Whiskey, Cinnamon Grove Distillery’s offerings, Welsh cakes, and Bara Brith were shared with competitors and supporters alike, fostering a sense of camaraderie that transcended national boundaries.

As the final results were read out in reverse order at the end of the second day of racing, tension filled the air. When Wales was announced as the winners, the team erupted in cheers and tears of joy. The Welsh riders ascended the podium amidst great celebrations, with champagne flowing and an evening of camaraderie following.

Sean Smith, the mastermind behind Team Wales, expressed his heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this momentous achievement. Special thanks were extended to Georgina Davies for her administrative and social media work, Sue Jones for her invaluable support as the team’s makeshift medic, and the numerous sponsors, riders, fans, and organisers who made this victory possible.

As the team looks ahead to defending their title in 2025, the victory in France will stand as a testament to the resilience, skill, and unbreakable spirit of Welsh motocross.

Final Standings:

Wales – 277 Points
Showtime – 261 Points
Italy – 226 Points
France – 225 Points
Lorraine – 209 Points
…
USA – 20 Points
Brittany – 10 Points

For the Welsh team, this victory is more than just a win; it’s a celebration of the sport, the community, and the nation they proudly represent.

Sport

Pembrokeshire cricket weekend round-up: Week 11 keeps title races alive

Published

22 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Herald Sport

A WEEKEND of tight finishes, big individual performances and important wins kept the promotion races moving across the Thomas Carroll Pembroke County Cricket League.

Saundersfoot remain top of Division One after a dramatic tie with Neyland, while Carew kept up the pressure with victory at St Ishmaels.

Hook continue to lead Division Two, Laugharne are still the team to catch in Division Three, and Lawrenny II remain out in front in Division Four.

Lower down the pyramid, Cresselly III stay top of Division Five despite defeat to Whitland II, while Lamphey II lead Division Six after another strong win.

Division One: Saundersfoot held in Neyland thriller

Saundersfoot remain unbeaten at the top of Division One, but they were made to work hard in a dramatic tied match against Neyland.

Both sides finished on 207-8. Paul Murray made 69 and Ross Hardy added 68 for Neyland, while Tom Mansbridge hit 64 for Saundersfoot and Sam Franklin made 39.

Carew stayed second with a six-wicket win over St Ishmaels. Herbrandston were emphatic winners over Narberth, winning by 157 runs, while Lawrenny picked up a valuable 88-run win over Whitland.

Division One results

Home side	Score	Away side	Score	Result
St Ishmaels	100 all out	Carew	101-4	Carew won by 6 wickets
Burton	148 all out	Cresselly	151-3	Cresselly won by 7 wickets
Herbrandston	249-7	Narberth	92 all out	Herbrandston won by 157 runs
Neyland	207-8	Saundersfoot	207-8	Match tied
Lawrenny	223 all out	Whitland	135 all out	Lawrenny won by 88 runs

Division One table

Team	Played	Points
Saundersfoot	11	181
Carew	11	166
Neyland	11	151
Cresselly	11	141
Herbrandston	11	135
Burton	11	106
Narberth	11	102
St Ishmaels	11	76
Lawrenny	11	73
Whitland	11	58

Division Two: Hook stay top as Johnston keep chase alive

Hook remain top of Division Two after an eight-wicket win over Haverfordwest.

Haverfordwest made 187-8, with Ben Field scoring 64 and James Marchant unbeaten on 57. Hook chased it down on 190-2, Lewis Miller making 61, Mikey Jones 52 and Aled Phelps 50 not out.

Johnston remain close behind after an eight-wicket win over Llangwm, while Fishguard edged one of the closest games of the weekend, beating Llanrhian by just two runs.

Division Two results

Home side	Score	Away side	Score	Result
Haverfordwest	187-8	Hook	190-2	Hook won by 8 wickets
Johnston	114-2	Llangwm	111 all out	Johnston won by 8 wickets
Fishguard	217-6	Llanrhian	215-9	Fishguard won by 2 runs
Cresselly II	151 all out	Llechryd	155-2	Llechryd won by 8 wickets
Pembroke	56 all out	Pembroke Dock	141-8	Pembroke Dock won by 85 runs

Division Two table

Team	Played	Points
Hook	11	177
Johnston	11	170
Haverfordwest	11	159
Pembroke	11	155
Cresselly II	11	140
Fishguard	11	132
Pembroke Dock	11	101
Llechryd	11	92
Llanrhian	11	85
Llangwm	11	80

Division Three: Laugharne remain out in front

Laugharne continue to lead Division Three after an eight-wicket win over Haverfordwest II.

Haverfordwest II reached 152-6, with David Haynes making 45, Jac Peters 47 and Doug Johnson 28. Laugharne replied with 155-2, Matt Tait finishing unbeaten on 76 and Harry Clapperton making 49.

Lamphey beat Burton II by six wickets, Saundersfoot II were convincing nine-wicket winners over Pembroke II, and Kilgetty kept their promotion push alive with a seven-wicket win over Stackpole.

Division Three results

Home side	Score	Away side	Score	Result
Lamphey	74-4	Burton II	73 all out	Lamphey won by 6 wickets
Laugharne	155-2	Haverfordwest II	152-6	Laugharne won by 8 wickets
Carew II	153-4	Hundleton	152-8	Carew II won by 6 wickets
Saundersfoot II	77-1	Pembroke II	75 all out	Saundersfoot II won by 9 wickets
Kilgetty	179-3	Stackpole	175-7	Kilgetty won by 7 wickets

Division Three table

Team	Played	Points
Laugharne	11	181
Carew II	11	152
Lamphey	11	150
Kilgetty	11	138
Pembroke II	11	119
Saundersfoot II	11	114
Hundleton	11	104
Haverfordwest II	11	102
Burton II	10	94
Stackpole	10	46

Division Four: Lawrenny II lead after Daley display

Lawrenny II remain top of Division Four after a 26-run win over Llechryd II.

Rhys Daley was the key man, making 75 before taking 4-32. Narberth II stayed in touch with a 63-run win over Neyland II, while Hook II were seven-wicket winners against St Ishmaels II.

Division Four results

Home side	Score	Away side	Score	Result
Carew III	115 all out	Haverfordwest III	116-5	Haverfordwest III won by 5 wickets
Crymych	183-7	Herbrandston II	186-8	Herbrandston II won by 2 wickets
Llechryd II	162-8	Lawrenny II	188-7	Lawrenny II won by 26 runs
Narberth II	217-6	Neyland II	154-9	Narberth II won by 63 runs
Hook II	56-3	St Ishmaels II	54 all out	Hook II won by 7 wickets

Division Four table

Team	Played	Points
Lawrenny II	10	156
Narberth II	11	150
Hook II	11	138
Herbrandston II	11	129
Neyland II	11	129
St Ishmaels II	11	128
Crymych	11	121
Haverfordwest III	11	109
Llechryd II	11	102
Carew III	10	71

Division Five: Cresselly III beaten but stay top

Cresselly III remain top of Division Five despite a 35-run defeat to Whitland II.

Whitland II made 162-6 before bowling Cresselly III out for 127. Connor Beynon produced one of the performances of the weekend, hitting an unbeaten 110 as Hundleton II beat Llangwm II by 36 runs.

Pembroke III also enjoyed a strong chase, beating Pembroke Dock II by six wickets.

Division Five results

Home side	Score	Away side	Score	Result
Llangwm II	172-4	Hundleton II	208-8	Hundleton II won by 36 runs
Llanrhian II	112-4	Llechryd III	111-9	Llanrhian II won by 6 wickets
Pembroke Dock II	195-4	Pembroke III	196-4	Pembroke III won by 6 wickets
Whitland II	162-6	Cresselly III	127 all out	Whitland II won by 35 runs

Division Five table

Team	Played	Points
Cresselly III	10	174
Whitland II	11	146
Llangwm II	9	142
Llanrhian II	9	127
Pembroke III	10	100
Pembroke Dock II	10	70
Llechryd III	9	69
Hundleton II	8	45

Division Six: Lamphey II lead after eight-wicket win

Lamphey II remain top of Division Six after beating Haverfordwest IV by eight wickets.

Haverfordwest IV were bowled out for 191, with Tom Baker making 47 not out, Stef Ateyo 43 and Brandon Dewstowe 30. Lamphey II replied with 193-2, John Sture finishing unbeaten on 82 and James White also making 82.

Kilgetty II picked up a 48-run win over Haverfordwest/Cresselly, with Iwan Godwaltz making 101 and taking 2-39.

Division Six results

Home side	Score	Away side	Score	Result
Bye		Laugharne II		No match
Haverfordwest IV	191 all out	Lamphey II	193-2	Lamphey II won by 8 wickets
Haverfordwest/Cresselly	156 all out	Kilgetty II	204 all out	Kilgetty II won by 48 runs
Neyland III	110 all out	Whitland III	113-7	Whitland III won by 3 wickets

Division Six table

Team	Played	Points
Lamphey II	9	140
Haverfordwest IV	10	123
Whitland III	10	116
Neyland III	10	109
Haverfordwest/Cresselly	8	80
Laugharne II	9	69
Kilgetty II	10	53

Weekend stars

Player	Club	Performance
Harry Nicholas	Herbrandston	74 and 4-16
Charlie Arthur	Lawrenny	81 and 4-33
Connor Beynon	Hundleton II	110 not out
Iwan Godwaltz	Kilgetty II	101 and 2-39
Rhys Daley	Lawrenny II	75 and 4-32
Matt Tait	Laugharne	76 not out
John Sture	Lamphey II	82 not out
James White	Lamphey II	82
Josh Samuel	Saundersfoot II	5-10
Tom Murphy	Cresselly	5-26 and 25
Lewis Miller	Hook	61 and 3-32
Sam Kurtz	Fishguard	79
Nitai Durey	Crymych	83
Jac Davies	Llechryd	81 not out

Sport

Rising rally star claims maiden Mini Rally Challenge victory

Published

22 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Herald Sport

Newcastle Emlyn’s Henri Cynwyl secures first outright R53 Mini Rally Challenge win at Greystoke Stages Rally in Cumbria

RISING rally star Henri Cynwyl has claimed his first outright victory in the R53 Mini Rally Challenge after an impressive performance at the Greystoke Stages Rally in Cumbria.

The young driver from Newcastle Emlyn, who recently made his gravel debut at the Plains Rally, wasted no time in showing his potential on one of the toughest events of the season.

In only his second gravel rally, Henri delivered a composed and determined drive over rough and demanding terrain. Despite difficult conditions and damage to the car during the event, he secured victory in the R53 Mini Rally Challenge, finished an outstanding 15th overall, and took second in Class 3 in the over 2000cc category.

The result further strengthens Henri’s reputation as one of rallying’s brightest young prospects and marks another major step forward in his developing career.

Speaking after the event, 18-year-old Henri said: “This was my second outing at a gravel event and I’m absolutely delighted with the win, especially on very rough and challenging terrain.

“It was my first time at Greystoke and although it was rough, I really enjoyed it. I knew I just had to get back to service for the win with a one minute 30 second lead.”

For the apprentice electrician, finishing inside the top 15 overall and second in class capped off a superb weekend.

Henri added: “A huge thank you to my support network and sponsors, especially W1 Motorsport Group and team manager Mark Williams, who has a wealth of knowledge and gives me valuable advice.

“From the service crew to my mum, they have all been terrific. It was also brilliant to have the support and help from other Mini Rally Challenge members, who went above and beyond to help fix my damaged radiator.

“I really appreciate all the phone calls and messages from family, friends and sponsors. They all mean a lot to me.”

Henri also paid tribute to his co-driver Dilwyn John, whose experience proved invaluable throughout the event.

He said: “Having Dilwyn John as my co-driver was super. He is very experienced at gravel, stage and night events, and reading the maps over the weekend suited him perfectly.

“Thirteen-year-old Wil Parry also came along to service. He is very much part of the team now. It was his 13th birthday and he worked so hard with Mark to make sure the car was running well. Top job!

“I would also like to thank all of the organisers for a great event. We will be back next year.”

With a podium finish on his gravel debut followed immediately by his first outright Mini Rally Challenge victory, the future looks bright for Henri.

If these early performances are anything to go by, the Newcastle Emlyn youngster is certainly one to watch as his rally career continues to gather momentum.

Sport

Bluebirds give new home strip first run-out

Published

23 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Herald Sport

Haverfordwest County AFC’s new Tor Sports home kit made its first appearance on the pitch at the weekend

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC’s new home strip has been seen in action for the first time.

The Bluebirds wore the new Tor Sports kit during Saturday’s fixture, giving supporters a first proper look at the design on the pitch.

The strip keeps Haverfordwest’s traditional blue colours, with yellow detailing on the sleeves and shorts, while the club badge sits prominently on the front.

The club shared photos of the kit on social media, asking supporters: “How good?!”

The images show the squad walking out and in match action, with the new strip already getting plenty of attention from fans.

Haverfordwest County, who continue to proudly use the slogan #PlayingForPembrokeshire, will wear the kit as their home strip for the new campaign.