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Pembrokeshire youngster heading for School Games National finals

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THE UK’s largest multi-sport event for talented young athletes, the School Games National Finals will be returning for its 15th year from September at Loughborough University.

This year, up to a thousand young athletes will be competing at the event, hoping to emulate Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games heroes and former School Games National Finals alumni, Adam Peaty, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Hannah Cockroft, in their own path to success.

The four-day event, led by children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, will host 1,000 aspiring athletes aged between 13 and 18. Athletes to watch out for include Michael Jenkins (17) from Pembrokeshire, who is already a para world record holder in F38 discus and Charlie McIntyre (17) from Southend, England, who won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Wheelchair Basketball.

The opening ceremony will be held on Friday at the campus’s Hazlerigg Fountain from 8:15 pm to 9:00 pm and will be hosted by Paralympian Kate Ager and Olympian Montell Douglas.

Former School Games National Finals alumni and 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists will also be making appearances on stage including, Joe Fraser (Gold, Gymnastics), winner of 3 Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, Shannon Archer (Bronze, Gymnastics) who received Scotland’s first ever individual women’s gymnastics medal at the games, and multiple Northern Ireland record holder in swimming, Daniel Wiffen (Silver, 1500m Freestyle).

The School Games National Finals is one of the many initiatives led by the Youth Sport Trust which is committed to providing opportunities outside of competition to create a future where every child enjoys the life-changing benefits of play and sport. The event is a key part in supporting young people to develop a sense of belonging and to become future changemakers.

As part of the Athlete Education Programme, high profile athletes will share advice to young athletes regarding competing in major competitions, alongside providing workshops designed to provide skills for life. This will be led by Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medallists, Hannah Cockroft OBE (Wheelchair 100m T33/4), Nathan Maguire (Wheelchair 1500 metres T54) and Emma Reid (Judo).

This year the School Games National Finals 2022 is taking place thanks to National Lottery funding from Sport England as part of the organisation’s Birmingham 2022 legacy investment.

Held at Loughborough University, it provides the young athletes with first class facilities and the experience of being in a sport competition village akin to the Commonwealth Games.

Register for your ticket to one or more events here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/2022Schoolgamesfinals or stream SGNF live on the Youth Sport Trust website and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/YouthSportTrust. You can also follow SGNF social media for the latest updates, search @_schoolgames on Twitter or @schoolgames on Instagram.

Sport

Promotion, relegation and everything in between.

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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.

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Sport

Fox’s Fantastic Clarby shock the county to win Senior Cup

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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.

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Sport

South-West Wales Athletes Aiming to Shine at the Summer Olympics

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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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