Sport
Engineer wins another World Championship
PEMBROKESHIRE-BORN engineer Owen Jones has won his third consecutive World Championship as an integral member of the Mercedes Formula One Team, in which he is the Director of Performance and a key member of company’s Engine Factory at Brixworth, near Northampton.
For the third year running, the fantastic Mercedes engine has outpaced its competitors at Ferrari, Renault and Honda to propel another Mercedes car to the summit of the Formula One World Championship – this time in the hands of German driver Nico Rosberg.
The extremely complicated V6 1.6 litre turbocharged Mercedes engine has over 3,000 components and is, of course, at the cutting edge of Formula One power unit technology and is acknowledged to be the best in Formula One.
It has helped Mercedes (whose headquarters is based at Brackley in the UK) achieve an incredible record of success in the V6 hybrid-turbo era of Formula One. Mercedes has won the drivers’ Formula One World Championship for the last three years – with Lewis Hamilton in 2014 and 2015 and this year with Nico Rosberg.
During that time, it has won 51 out of the 59 Grands Prix held, taking 56 out of 59 pole positions and has led in 84% of the laps raced. It has won the last three constructors championships by nearly 300 points each time.
This years WO7 has been even more impressive, winning 19 out of 21 Grands Prix and missing pole position just once.
Last week, Owen and his wife, Amanda, attended the prestigious annual presentation evening at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, where Owen, together with five of his Mercedes colleagues, was presented with the Autosport Racing Car of the Year Award by World Champion Nico Rosberg.
Originally from Letterston and a former pupil at Fishguard Secondary School, Owen gained a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College, London before joining Cosworth Racing as a Senior Engineer designing Formula One Engines for Jaguar and Stewart cars.
He was later headhunted by Mercedes to be Head of Performance Engineering and has since gained considerable success in the world of Formula One. This is the fifth World Title to come Owen’s way with a Mercedes engine.
The first was with Lewis Hamilton driving a McClaren in 2008, and then with Jenson Button’s Brawn car in 2009.
These were followed by Lewis Hamilton’s double success in 2014 and 2015 and now Owen has a fifth World Championship win with this year’s Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid World Championship car driven by Nico Rosberg (following in the footsteps of his father, Keke Rosberg, who won the 1982 World Championship).
Owen believes next year will be even harder with Red Bull, particularly, threatening to catch up. The mighty Ferrari is not far behind.
Owen lives near Towcester with his wife, Amanda, and children, Elena and Alice. His parents, Patrick and Valerie Jones, formerly of Letterston, now live at Loveston near Kilgetty.
Sport
Promotion, relegation and everything in between.
As we come to the end of the 2023-2024 season it’s time to look at the winners and losers so to speak as most promotion and relegation battles are now all sewn up.
We begin at the very top where Goodwick United have blown away the first division to become deserved champions elect. At the opposite end of the table Fishguard Sports struggled all season and we comfortably relegated, going down with them are Neyland who’s relegation was confirmed a few weeks ago. Neither team were cut adrift and battled right until the end which is credit to both outfits, sometimes relegation can act as a spring broad and both clubs will be hoping this is the case.
Monkton Swifts reserves were the outstanding team in the second division and were a cut above the rest on their journey to becoming league champions on 56 points with an impressive plus 61 goal difference. As Monkton can’t be promoted due to their first team being in the first division it allowed both Herbrandston and St Ishmaels to be promoted. Herbrandston finished in third on 40 points, whilst the Mice just beat them to second place ending up on 42 points. Both clubs will now use the summer to prepare for the step up that awaits.
At the opposite end of the division, Cosheston never really got going and after their points deduction ended on a lowly 6 points which is never going to be enough to avoid relegation. The second relegation place was much closer with St Clears, Carew reserves and Broad Haven all being in a dog fight for the majority of the season. Broad Haven showed good fight and character which steered them clear of trouble while Carew found form at a key time, which means St Clears will play their football in the third division next season.
Sport
Fox’s Fantastic Clarby shock the county to win Senior Cup
Strong favourites Goodwick United were expected by many to be lifting the senior cup again come Saturday afternoon. However Clarbeston Road had other ideas, we warned they were a dangerous opponent with pressure off, this proved to be the case.
A healthy crowd at the Bridge Meadow were treated to an excellent final, often cagey perhaps boring affairs this final was far from boring. It took just seven minutes for the deadlock to be broken when Clarby captain Rheinallt George put the underdogs ahead. However just before the twenty minute mark his opposite number in Scott Delaney squared things up with a trademark header.
Goodwick then took the lead when another set piece caused problems for Clarby who failed to deal with a free kick before Rhys Dalling latched onto the loose ball to volley his team into the lead. However the lead was short lived as the impressive Jake Booth found the net at the second time of asking to make it all square at the break.
Halfway through the second half another set piece led to the equaliser when Matthew Davies headed home a Laurie Haworth corner. Goodwick manager O’Sullivan rung the changes in search of a way to find an equaliser. Newly introduced striker Nathan Greene was fouled in the box and Rhys Jones had the chance to level the cup final, however Rhys Mansell had other ideas and he saved the penalty. The save gave his team a huge boast and belief that this could be their day, and indeed it was.
Most of the season we have hyped up the quality and character of this Clarby team and praised Matthew Fox and his players. Fox has done a excellent job and this is just rewards, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Clarby began this cup run by beating Hakin who have dominated this cup for so many years. An excellent achievement for all involved and an interesting plot going into next season, will Clarby be able to challange Goodwick in the league also.
For Goodwick it’ll be a bitterly disappointing defeat in a season of such dominance just the one trophy will be the least most expected from this quality side. Many thought Goodwick would win the treble and they were certainly capable, which will be the frustrating factor for the Goodwick management.
Sport
South-West Wales Athletes Aiming to Shine at the Summer Olympics
Two of the finest athletes in south-west Wales are dreaming about bringing home medals from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Track cyclist Emma Finucane and sailing star Micky Beckett will head to France in a buoyant mood after enjoying a successful build-up to their respective events.
Welsh athletes collected a record-equalling 11 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games and hopes are high that the tally could be beaten this year.
The Carmarthen-born rider cemented her rapid rise up the sprint ranks by winning a gold medal at the 2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.
She became Great Britain’s first women’s sprint world champion since Becky James in 2013 and is now on track to chase more medals at the Olympics across three events.
The 21-year-old has yearned to compete at the Summer Games since watching Team GB sparkle at London 2012 and she is eager to make her mark this summer.
“It’s a massive dream of mine and it’s pretty cool that I’m kind of living my dream,” Finucane said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the journey and hopefully I’ll get selected and compete for my country.
“And it’s exciting because as the Team GB women’s sprint. I feel like we’re in a really good place to do well at the Olympics, not just compete as Olympians.”
Pembrokeshire-born sailor Beckett will also head to Paris with his sights firmly set on winning gold in the hugely competitive ILCA 7 class.
He will renew rivalries with Australian Matt Wearn, who controversially claimed the World Championship title ahead of Hermann Tomasgaard and Beckett earlier this year.
Online bookmakers rate Wearn as the favourite to emerge victorious this summer, but Beckett’s recent form gives him every chance of turning the tables.
Several new sports betting sites in Australia cut the Welsh sailor’s Olympic odds after he completed a trio of World Cup successes at a recent event in Palma.
Beckett believes the hard work he has done over the past few months gives him every chance of toppling Wearn when the action gets underway this summer.
“There is still plenty of work to do and managing form is probably the most important thing of any athlete’s job,” Beckett said. “There is no point being the best in the world unless you are the best in the world when it counts.
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