Sport

Ref abuse driving officials away from grassroots football, warns experienced referee

Published

4 months ago

March 25, 2026

Concerns grow over behaviour on sidelines as officials say abuse is becoming “normalised”

A GRASSROOTS football referee has warned that persistent abuse from players, coaches and spectators is driving officials away from the game.

Marty Jones, who says he has spent more than thirty years involved in grassroots football and has refereed more than 500 matches as a Football Association of Wales official, has spoken out about what he describes as a growing culture of hostility towards referees.

In a strongly worded post shared online, he said the level of abuse directed at match officials has become relentless.

“When did we decide that abusing the referee is just part of the game?” he asked.

“I stand on sidelines now and it’s relentless. From kick-off to full-time, it’s a constant stream of nonsense.”

Mr Jones, who has officiated youth matches, friendlies and pre-season games — often without charging a fee — said referees are frequently blamed for incidents beyond their control, from missed penalties to fights between players.

“Why is the one neutral person on that pitch, the one without any teammates, the one who’s given up their afternoon for the love of the game, the target for everyone’s frustrations?” he said.

He described the behaviour as “bullying” and “harassment”, adding that standards of basic respect appear to have eroded.

“It’s grown adults spending ninety minutes having a go at someone who’s just trying to let a game of football happen,” he said.

The referee also highlighted concerns about the impact on children’s football, claiming some coaches have ruined matches by constantly arguing with officials from the sidelines.

“I’ve seen coaches ruin kids’ matches because they can’t stop moaning at the ref,” he said.

“I’ve seen grown men with responsible jobs get sent off for hurling abuse at officials. I’ve even seen physical abuse aimed at referees.”

Mr Jones warned that the long-term consequences could be serious for the sport at a local level.

“Referees are quitting in droves,” he said. “Every week, good officials walk away because they’re sick of being treated badly.”

“When they go, games don’t happen fairly, kids don’t get to play, grassroots football suffers — not because of refs, but because of behaviour we’ve all just somehow accepted.”

Campaigns such as “Respect the Ref” and “No Ref, No Game” have long been promoted across Welsh football, but Mr Jones questioned whether those messages are being taken seriously.

“Because if we did mean it, we wouldn’t tolerate behaviour that would get you thrown out of any other setting,” he said.

He urged supporters to reflect on their behaviour and focus on encouraging players rather than targeting officials.

“Go along, enjoy the game, cheer your team, encourage the players, make it a place people actually want to be,” he said.

“But if you’re just there to give the referee grief for ninety minutes, honestly, just stay home.”

The Herald understands that concerns about referee retention and behaviour at grassroots level have been raised more widely across Wales, with officials warning that recruitment and retention could become increasingly difficult if standards do not improve.

The Football Association of Wales has been approached for comment.

Sport

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

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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

3 days 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.