Sport

Coles stokes the fire for Whitland promotion push

Published

8 years ago

March 19, 2018

WHITLAND’s march towards promotion to Division 1 West continued with a convincing bonus point 46-7 victory over Loughor at Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn on Friday (Mar 16).

The ‘Green Machine’ ran in seven tries in total alongside a penalty and five conversions from captain Nico Setaro, the outside half having another fine game alongside dynamic flanker Ryan Morgan and man of the match, winger Sean Coles.

The speedster ran in a hat trick of first half tries as he put on the after burners to cause havoc amongst the visiting back line before crossing for the bonus point try early in the second half as he collected the ball on the halfway line before ‘jetting off’ on a mesmerising run once again leaving all and sundry in his wake.

Centre Johnnie Thomas scored the final try wide out after full back Scott Newton, in his last appearance before heading to Australia for a ‘gap year’ got on the score sheet and there was a resounding cheer from a hearty crowd when veteran second row Dai Ebsworth crashed over for his sides fifth try.

Whitland play the game with energy, ingenuity and guile guided by the magician at pivot, where the platform is set by the forwards which includes another veteran in the boiler house in Raff Williams.

Flanker Morgan, responsible for setting in motion the opening score as he took a clean catch at a line out in his own half before taking the opportunity to plough through the opposition tackles over 40 metres; fellow back row colleagues, number 8 Jack Mason and Danny Evans were on hand to recycle the ball allowing Setaro the time to put in a cross field kick, where Newton took the ball in his stride to draw winger Rhys Gear and set Cole away to scoot round under the posts for a 10-0 lead after 11 minutes.

Setaro, conducting the plan set by coaches Gareth Bennet and Jon Mason to ‘win the game first and foremost’ thrived off the acclaims as he pumped line kicks to turn the Loughor forwards on their heels, one 55 metre punt setting up the scenario of a Morgan catch and drive, recycled ball from scrum half Tom Parry through the hands of Centres Josh and Johnnie Thomas to Newton.

Cole received the ball 35 meters out and put in a kick over the top and collected as winger Josh Thomas fumbled the ball on his own line and a 17-0 lead after the first quarter was completed.

Cole’s hat trick came with four minutes of the half remaining as Setaro caught an up and under to call a ‘mark’ in his own 22 metre area, taking a quick tap and go which released winger Liam Price for a 30m gallop down the stand side where he could have been ‘Native River’ at Cheltenham earlier in the day.

Josh Thomas was direct in clearing out the opposition to set up the ball for the back line to again free Cole, whose kick ahead saw him out pace Newton and visiting centre Peter Smiriglia for the score and a 24-7 half time lead.

Loughor had scored their own converted try after half an hour as scrum half Tom Davies touched down following a sustained period of pressure, to capitalise on a yellow card for home flanker Evans as Irish referee Gerard English, based now in Porthcawl drew the home crowd to hum tunes from Welsh folk legend Max Boyce.

All levels of rugby now have teams well drilled and sensitive to opposition tactics and there is a fine line between defence and infringement, but being reduced by a player gives an advantage where a score often follows, something Bennet will be wary off as during the seasons climax.

Credit the green and whites, sponsored by GD Harries and Sons, as the forwards with props Aaron Mayne and Michael Ryan and front row colleague Gethin Lewis dominated the scrum set piece despite being a man down. The Loughor pack, for so long in the match strong and secure began to wilt as the second half points rattled up and not even a second yellow card to Josh Thomas for ‘crossing’ deep in the second half could halt the progress.

Bennett was able to put second row Trystan Lewis into the cauldron for a debut as the youngster returned after a two year recuperation from a knee reconstruction, the former Scarlets academy and Carmarthen Quins player getting a run out last week with Ferryside in readiness for his debut.

“Having set ourselves up for victory, I asked the players at half time to search for that bonus point try and for 20 minutes after the break we were excellent in our execution of play. I have a group of players who are not only fit but eager to play for each other, all of whom enjoy having the ball in hand” said a delighted Bennett post-match. “Sean (Coles) came into his own tonight and showed what he is capable of on firm ground, although I could talk up all nineteen players in the squad for their efforts.”

Whitland have nine fixtures remaining, sitting 11 points adrift of table toppers Hendy with three games in hand and the midweek meeting, scheduled for early May a potential ‘winner takes all’ encounter.

Equally important in the quest for promotion is the six point gap and game in hand they have over Pontarddulais in third place.

Bennet and Mason will prepare the side for their next fixture at relegation threatened Amman United on Saturday (Mar 24) before local rivals Fishguard visit Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn on Saturday (Apr 7).

It’s reassuring for chairman Jason Bowen to feel at home watching the games after he underwent major heart surgery in early March, the enigmatic smile and demeanour not effected by any stress as the green machine rumbles forward.

Related Topics:League 2 West Loughor Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn Promotion Rugby Whitland

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Carew set early pace as rain disrupts Pembrokeshire cricket programme

Published

46 minutes ago

May 3, 2026

Herald Sport

RAIN played a major part in Week 2 of the Nicholas Insurance Thomas Carroll Pembroke County Cricket League, with several Division 1 fixtures abandoned after strong first-innings performances.

Carew made the biggest statement in the top flight, cruising to a ten-wicket win over St Ishmaels to move clear at the top of the table.

St Ishmaels were bowled out for 110, with Tim Hicks (3-18), Shaun Whitfield (3-14) and Logan Hall (2-27) doing the damage. Carew then eased to 111-0, Hicks completing an outstanding all-round display with 55 not out, alongside Morgan Grieve’s unbeaten 54.

Elsewhere, Narberth piled up 301-7 before rain intervened against Herbrandston, Jamie McCormack hitting a superb 104. Lawrenny (297-7) and Burton (203-7) also posted big totals before the weather had the final say.

Division 1 results

Match	Result
Cresselly 30-2 v Burton 203-7	Match abandoned
Narberth 301-7 v Herbrandston 51-0	Match abandoned
Whitland 10-0 v Lawrenny 297-7	Match abandoned
Saundersfoot 205-7 v Neyland	Match abandoned
Carew 111-0 v St Ishmaels 110 all out	Carew won by 10 wickets

Division 1 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	Ab	Pts
1	Carew	2	2	0	0	36
2	Saundersfoot	2	1	0	1	27
3	Herbrandston	2	1	0	1	25
4	Neyland	2	1	0	1	25
5	Narberth	2	0	0	1	20
6	St Ishmaels	2	0	1	0	15
7	Burton	2	0	1	1	14
8	Whitland	2	0	1	1	14
9	Cresselly	2	0	1	1	11
10	Lawrenny	2	0	1	1	11

Johnston lead strong Division 2 pack

Johnston sit top after a dominant 135-run win over Llangwm, powered by Lewis Boswell’s 99 and Steve Mills’ 62.

Hook maintained their perfect start, edging Haverfordwest by four wickets, while Cresselly II brushed aside Llechryd by nine wickets after bowling them out for just 41.

Division 2 results

Match	Result
Llechryd 41 all out v Cresselly II 44-1	Cresselly II won by 9 wickets
Llanrhian 155-5 v Fishguard 154-7	Llanrhian won by 5 wickets
Hook 143-6 v Haverfordwest 142-9	Hook won by 4 wickets
Llangwm 106 all out v Johnston 241-6	Johnston won by 135 runs
Pembroke Dock 152-2 v Pembroke 168-8	Match abandoned

Division 2 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	Ab	Pts
1	Johnston	2	2	0	0	40
2	Hook	2	2	0	0	37
3	Cresselly II	2	2	0	0	36
4	Pembroke	2	1	0	1	28
5	Haverfordwest	2	1	1	0	24
6	Pembroke Dock	2	0	1	1	23
7	Llanrhian	2	1	1	0	22
8	Fishguard	2	0	2	0	16
9	Llangwm	2	0	2	0	13
10	Llechryd	2	0	2	0	3

Kilgetty and Carew II lead Division 3 race

Kilgetty and Carew II are locked together at the top after two wins from two.

Lamphey produced one of the standout performances of the week, hammering Burton II by 155 runs, while Laugharne continued their unbeaten start.

Division 3 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	Ab	Pts
1	Kilgetty	2	2	0	0	38
2	Carew II	2	2	0	0	38
3	Laugharne	2	2	0	0	37
4	Lamphey	2	1	1	0	28
5	Saundersfoot II	2	1	0	1	26
6	Hundleton	2	1	1	0	24
7	Haverfordwest II	2	0	2	0	14
8	Stackpole	2	0	2	0	14
9	Pembroke II	2	0	1	1	13
10	Burton II	2	0	2	0	12

Narberth II lead Division 4

Narberth II sit top after a five-wicket win over Neyland II, thanks to Jordan Howell’s unbeaten 88.

Hook II edged a thriller by one wicket, while Haverfordwest III also maintained a perfect start.

Division 4 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	Pts
1	Narberth II	2	2	0	39
2	Hook II	2	2	0	36
3	Haverfordwest III	2	2	0	36
4	Lawrenny II	2	2	0	35
5	Crymych	2	1	1	29
6	Llechryd II	2	1	1	28
7	Neyland II	2	0	2	15
8	St Ishmaels II	2	0	2	15
9	Herbrandston II	2	0	2	13
10	Carew III	2	0	2	11

Rowlands ton headlines Division 5

Tom Rowlands’ superb 108 guided Cresselly III to victory, while Llanrhian II remain joint top after a crushing win featuring Rick Walton’s remarkable 8-13.

Division 5 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	Ab	Pts
1	Llanrhian II	2	2	0	0	40
2	Cresselly III	2	2	0	0	40
3	Whitland II	2	1	1	0	25
4	Llangwm II	1	1	0	0	19
5	Pembroke III	2	0	1	1	14
6	Llechryd III	2	0	2	0	11
7	Pembroke Dock II	2	0	1	1	11
8	Hundleton II	1	0	1	0	6

Lamphey II top Division 6

Lamphey II lead the way after edging a tight contest against Haverfordwest IV, while Whitland III produced a dominant win over Neyland III.

Division 6 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	Ab	Pts
1	Lamphey II	2	2	0	0	36
2	Haverfordwest IV	2	1	1	0	27
3	Whitland III	2	1	1	0	25
4	Laugharne II	1	1	0	0	20
5	H’West/Cresselly	2	0	1	1	17
6	Neyland III	2	0	2	0	15
7	Kilgetty II	1	0	0	1	8

Sport

Amman United end season with narrow win at Cardigan

Published

2 hours ago

May 3, 2026

Herald Sport

AMMAN United rounded off a difficult Division 3 West campaign with a hard-fought 22-21 victory away at Cardigan.

After a season marked by long journeys, disappointing defeats, cancellations and several late abandoned fixtures, the Reds finished on a positive note in Aberteifi.

It was United’s third match in a hectic six-day spell, all away from home. After valiant defeats against high-flying New Dock Stars and Tumble, Amman showed character to claim a narrow but deserved final-day win.

The late-season improvement has been helped by the introduction of several players from Amman’s victorious Youth side, who recently lifted the National Welsh Youth Cup at the Principality Stadium for the first time in the club’s history.

Ceian Lewis, Harvey Duncan, Tom James, Dyfan Llewelyn, Cole Lacey, Ioan Booth, Aled Davies and Hefin Davies all started at Cardigan, bringing fresh energy and renewed spirit to the side. The match also marked the end of the road for several long-serving stalwarts who have helped carry the team through some difficult recent seasons.

Cardigan made the stronger start, opening the scoring with an early converted try.

Amman responded well, drawing level before taking a 14-7 lead through tries from centre Dylan Lloyd and scrum-half Lee Evans, both converted by captain and outside-half Iestyn Griffiths.

The home side hit back with a second try, but Lloyd crossed again for his second of the afternoon. A Griffiths penalty then stretched Amman’s advantage to 22-12.

Cardigan rallied late on, but United held firm to secure a welcome win and bring their campaign to a close on a high.

Sport

Haverfordwest County miss out on Europe after play-off final defeat

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2026

Herald Sport

Penybont secured a 2-0 win in Bridgend as the Bluebirds’ long season ended one game short of another European campaign

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY’S hopes of another European adventure were ended on Saturday (May 2) as Penybont claimed a 2-0 victory in the JD Cymru Premier European play-off final.

The Bluebirds travelled to the DragonBet Stadium in Bridgend looking to secure a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League qualifiers, but it was the home side who struck first.

Chris Venables put Penybont ahead inside the opening ten minutes, giving the hosts early control of the contest.

Haverfordwest, who had reached the final after beating Barry Town United on penalties, were unable to find a way back before the interval.

The decisive second goal arrived in the second half when Mael Davies made it 2-0 on 63 minutes.

That proved enough to settle the final, with Penybont seeing out the closing stages to secure European qualification for the third time in four seasons.

For Haverfordwest, the defeat brought an end to what the club described as a “long, rollercoaster ride of a season”.

After the final whistle, Haverfordwest County manager Tony Pennock admitted his side had not performed at the level required.

He said: “It’s probably our most poor performance since the start of the season, really.

“But we knew it was going to be tough. Penybont are a fairly good side. Congratulations to them — third European qualification in four years, so they’ve been consistent and they’re there or thereabouts all the time. You’ve got to give them credit first and foremost.”

Pennock also questioned the opening goal, suggesting Haverfordwest felt there had been an offside in the build-up.

He said: “We just didn’t get going today. I thought we started okay and then, I don’t want to go on about decisions, but the goal is offside.

“I can’t understand why the linesman can’t see it. But we didn’t really threaten.

“We huffed and puffed but just couldn’t get into the game.”

Despite the disappointment, Pennock praised his players for the way they recovered from a difficult start to the campaign.

He said: “I can’t fault them. I keep saying we were bottom of the league in October. Loads of people wrote us off this year.

“We lost players in the summer and all I heard was, ‘you didn’t replace him, you never replaced him’, but we’ve got to a play-off final — third final in four years.

“So we haven’t done too much wrong, really, to get where we are.”

Pennock said the players would learn from the defeat, adding that the club is already preparing for next season.

He said: “There’s always a winner and there’s always a loser. Unfortunately, we’ve come out on the other side today.

“We’ll have a break now in the summer. I’ve been busy recruiting for the last three months, really, with us going hybrid next season, which is exciting times for the club.

“It would have been nice to start the summer off with a European trip, but it’s not to be.

“There are a lot of boys in that room who will be with us next season, and as well as you learn from the experience of winning, you learn from losing as well.

“It’s not a taste that we want to repeat, and we want to give a better account of ourselves in the league next season.”

Pennock also welcomed changes to the Cymru Premier, with the league moving to a 16-team format.

He said: “I’m looking forward to some new clubs. It’s going to be a change and a refreshing change. I think it needed it.

“It will be nice just to play each other twice instead of probably four or five times.

“It has been a long season, and we just look forward to coming back and having another crack next year.”

Posting after the final whistle, Haverfordwest County AFC said: “It’s not to be for the Bluebirds in the play-off final.

“Thank you for your fantastic support today and throughout what has been another long, rollercoaster ride of a season, and we look forward to doing it all again in a few months time.”

The result means Penybont will take Wales’ final European place, while Haverfordwest must now regroup ahead of the new campaign.