Sport

Rali Ceredigion delivers thrilling BRC double header

Published

2 years ago

September 1, 2024

THE fight for the Probite British Rally Championship crown will go down to the wire at the final round, after the merciless Welsh mountain stages of the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion saw a dramatic rise and fall of several title challengers at the weekend.

The Aberystwyth-based event featured on the FIA European Rally Championship [ERC] roster for the first time and brought some of Europe’s fastest drivers to Wales to go head-to-head with the BRC regulars.

Two points scoring opportunities across the tricky three-day closed road event meant that the approach to the weekend for BRC contenders could well be a tactical one and two top scores for several of the front runners could significantly shape the championship standings. Points were allocated after Saturday’s stages, with another opportunity to score on the final day.

Over 184km of flat-out driving would ensure that crews would need to be on their “A-game” across the daunting asphalt tests and it was undoubtedly shaping up to be the toughest event of the year.

A qualifying session kicked off proceedings on Friday morning to determine road order for the following day and it was series leader William Creighton who took his Pirelli shod M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 to third fastest overall and top BRC time against the ERC regulars.

After the afternoon’s sell-out ceremonial start on Aberystwyth seafront, two blasts around the promenade street stage were in order and the short sharp test saw Chris Ingram set the pace with two scratch times despite this event marking his debut on asphalt in the Michelin-backed Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

Behind him, a fascinating battle for the overnight honours unfolded with ERC regular Jon Armstrong receiving a late call-up from the M-Sport squad to score points for the team and making an instant impression, taking second overnight.

Just 0.1s behind would be Creighton with an under-the-weather James Williams setting an impressive pace to finish the day fourth in his Hyundai i20 N Rally2. Keith Cronin escaped a first-stage clash with the stage furniture in his Fiesta Rally2 to round out the top five.

Whilst the opening day was brief, Saturday offered up a stark contrast with over 124km of special stages and eight tests providing the bulk of the competitive driving.

The opening Brechfa test saw a masterclass performance from Williams, who recorded a breathtaking pace which was not only the scratch BRC time, but also the fastest time overall, his maiden European stage win. Sadly, that would be all undone on the very next test when he and co-driver Ross Whittock left the road, tipping the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 onto its roof.

Punctures for William Creighton and Jon Armstrong over the opening loop of the day threw the leaderboard into chaos and positions would change with every passing stage.

Heading into the mid-point service it was Ingram out front, Cronin second and Osian Pryce in third with Ingram almost 19s to the good from the Irishman.

Armstrong would be the man of the moment over the repeat loop, setting the fastest BRC time over each one of the afternoon’s five tests but his earlier puncture meant that fourth would be the best he could manage.

Despite just one stage win, Ingram was uncatchable and ended the day in second overall, giving him his third maximum BRC score of the season.

“I’ve been so careful this afternoon with so many guys getting punctures,” said a delighted Ingram.

It’s been tough to keep everything together today and keeping it clean and tidy has been important. Scoring maximum points today means the pressure is off slightly [for tomorrow] but we can have a push”.

Ingram and co-driver Alex Kihurani’s result meant they headed into the final day with the BRC title within reach; a win could be enough to seal the crown. Second went to Cronin and Mike Galvin with Osian Pryce and Rhodri Evans rounding out the podium in third.

With the clocks reset for points purposes, Sunday would be a short, sharp blast of just four stages, kicking off with the treacherous Bethania test. Creighton was one of the first on the road and would set the pace but behind him, the drama unfolded in spectacular fashion.

Braking for a fast right-hander, Ingram’s Yaris rear end stepped away and launched him off the road and into instant retirement. If that wasn’t enough, just a few minutes later Cronin clipped the inside of a wall and rolled his Fiesta spectacularly, meaning once again the BRC leaderboard was thrown into disarray.

Eager to capitalise, Armstrong was quickest on the next test to move into the lead for Sunday’s points. Three-time British Rally champion Matt Edwards’ return to the series was a testing one, but the fastest overall time on the Bethania repeat was some consolation for a difficult weekend in his Fiesta Rally2.

Another scratch time from Armstrong on the final stage of the rally gave him the win on paper, before electing to check into the finish time control late to incur a 20second penalty – enough to hand teammate William Creighton the round six win and a vital top score for the Irishman’s Championship aspirations.

“It’s been great to be here and compete against the BRC regulars and compare our pace, especially William [Creighton] & Matt [Edwards], said Armstrong.

Equally happy was Creighton, who now heads to the final round in the lead of the standings, by just one point over Ingram.

“Yesterday wasn’t great from me, some small mistakes that had costly errors and that put us behind, but we reset ahead of today and we’ve done a pretty good job” he said. “Thanks to all the team who got behind us after yesterday’s issues.”

Edwards did enough to clinch third with Pryce fourth. Meirion Evans hurled his Yaris to fifth over the closing day, with plenty to take away from a good performance over this home event.

The title fight now goes down to the wire at the Cambrian in October, where a handful of BRC1 contenders still have a chance of clinching the crown.

Junior British Rally Championship and BRC4
Home hero Ioan Lloyd was unstoppable in the Junior BRC, taking his Peugeot 208 Rally4 to a convincing round-five victory with Sion Williams alongside. The Welsh pair finished a staggering 1m 17s ahead of Ryan MacHugh in his Fiesta Rally4 as early contender Keelan Grogan exited early with an off-road excursion. Kyle McBride rounded out the podium in third after switching to an Opel Corsa Rally4 for the weekend.

MacHugh enjoyed the top spot on Sunday’s sixth round, with Lloyd electing to take it easy and maximise his chances of a top Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup IRE & UK score, eventually taking second place. McBride’s Opel suffered a water pipe failure, taking him out of third and ensuring Grogan could leave Wales with some points for his efforts. Robert Proudlock and Steven Brown still head the championship standings with one round remaining.

In BRC4, James Lightfoot and Ula Budzyńska completed their first international rally and in the process became class champions in their Fiesta R2T.

Open Rally Title & National Rally Title
Callum Black and Jack Morton were unstoppable in the Open Rally Title, claiming both round five and round six wins in their Fiesta Rally2. Eventual second-placed man Neil Roskell mastered the Aberystwyth Street stage to lead overnight on Friday before Black hammered in fastest stage times throughout Saturday to end the day with over 2m 34s in hand and newcomer Dylan Davies rounding out the top three. The sixth round was a carbon copy, which means like its BRC1 counterpart, the title race goes to the final round of the season.

In the National Rally Title, Nathan Evans and Rhys Edwards took their Renault Clio RS to victory at round five, following it up with second spot on Sunday. Sunday’s victory went to Nathan Bolton and Phil Kenny in their Mitsubishi Evo. Series leader and Vauxhall Nova driver William Mains secured third on both occasions, to come within a hair’s breadth of the title.

The last round of the season heads back to the gravel and the popular Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally in October. With one and a half times points available, it’s all set to be a thrilling final encounter.

Catch up with all the action from Rali Ceredigion with the BRC highlights on ITV4, ITVX and ITV4+1 at 8pm on Wednesday 11 September.

Sport

Pembroke County Cricket League: Week nine round-up

Published

4 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Herald Sport

Saundersfoot extend Division One lead as Cresselly III continue unbeaten run

SAUNDERSFOOT strengthened their position at the top of Division One in the Thomas Carroll Pembroke County Cricket League with a convincing 145-run win over Burton.

Tom Mansbridge led the way with 86 as Saundersfoot posted 219-6, before Burton were bowled out for 74. Ollie Cook finished unbeaten on 20 and took 3-17, while Sam Franklin added 20 and 2-17.

Carew also enjoyed a strong afternoon, bowling Herbrandston out for 77 before reaching 79-2 to win by eight wickets. George Waters was the standout performer with 7-15, while Morgan Grieve made an unbeaten 61.

Cresselly kept themselves in the Division One chase with an eight-wicket win over Lawrenny. Mike Shaw took 4-10 before Tom Murphy’s unbeaten 105 saw Cresselly home.

Narberth beat Whitland by 103 runs, while St Ishmaels defeated Neyland by four wickets.

Division One results

Fixture	Result
Saundersfoot 219-6 v Burton 74 all out	Saundersfoot won by 145 runs
Carew 79-2 v Herbrandston 77 all out	Carew won by eight wickets
Cresselly 178-2 v Lawrenny 173 all out	Cresselly won by eight wickets
Whitland 108-9 v Narberth 211-4	Narberth won by 103 runs
St Ishmaels 139-6 v Neyland 137-8	St Ishmaels won by four wickets

Division One table

Pos	Team	Pld	Points
1	Saundersfoot	9	148
2	Carew	9	126
3	Neyland	9	117
4	Cresselly	9	116
5	Burton	9	99
6	Herbrandston	9	95
7	Narberth	9	78
8	St Ishmaels	9	64
9	Whitland	9	49
10	Lawrenny	9	47

Hook stay top in Division Two

HOOK remain top of Division Two after a dramatic one-wicket win over Johnston.

Johnston were bowled out for 137, with Callum James taking 4-26 and Brennan Martin 3-37. Hook then edged home on 141-9, helped by Aled Phelps’ 68.

Haverfordwest kept up the pressure with a seven-wicket win over Pembroke. Simon Williams took 5-11 and Fin Ateyo 4-19 before Ben Field’s unbeaten 43 guided Haverfordwest to victory.

Cresselly II beat Llangwm by 11 runs, Fishguard defeated Pembroke Dock by 18 runs, and Llechryd beat Llanrhian by 71 runs.

Division Two results

Fixture	Result
Llangwm 155 all out v Cresselly II 166 all out	Cresselly II won by 11 runs
Pembroke Dock 57 all out v Fishguard 75 all out	Fishguard won by 18 runs
Pembroke 93 all out v Haverfordwest 94-3	Haverfordwest won by seven wickets
Hook 141-9 v Johnston 137 all out	Hook won by one wicket
Llechryd 204-6 v Llanrhian 133 all out	Llechryd won by 71 runs

Division Two table

Pos	Team	Pld	Points
1	Hook	9	138
2	Haverfordwest	9	133
3	Johnston	9	131
4	Cresselly II	9	129
5	Pembroke	9	129
6	Fishguard	9	93
7	Pembroke Dock	9	73
8	Llanrhian	9	73
9	Llangwm	9	70
10	Llechryd	9	65

Laugharne lead Division Three

LAUGHARNE stayed top of Division Three with a five-wicket win over Carew II.

Carew II were bowled out for 128 before Laugharne reached 129-5. Callum Collins-Davies took 4-13, Joe Hodges claimed 3-33 and finished 21 not out, while Matt Tait made an unbeaten 53.

Hundleton beat Kilgetty by one wicket in a close contest, Lamphey defeated Stackpole by eight wickets, Pembroke II beat Burton II by seven wickets, and Haverfordwest II beat Saundersfoot II by 43 runs.

Division Three results

Fixture	Result
Laugharne 129-5 v Carew II 128 all out	Laugharne won by five wickets
Hundleton 164-9 v Kilgetty 163-5	Hundleton won by one wicket
Stackpole 112-8 v Lamphey 113-2	Lamphey won by eight wickets
Burton II 146 all out v Pembroke II 150-3	Pembroke II won by seven wickets
Haverfordwest II 133 all out v Saundersfoot II 90 all out	Haverfordwest II won by 43 runs

Division Three table

Pos	Team	Pld	Points
1	Laugharne	9	143
2	Carew II	9	113
3	Kilgetty	9	113
4	Pembroke II	9	112
5	Lamphey	9	110
6	Saundersfoot II	9	91
7	Burton II	8	87
8	Hundleton	9	78
9	Haverfordwest II	9	76
10	Stackpole	8	35

Division Four remains tight

LAWRENNY II remain top of Division Four, although they had no game against Carew III.

Narberth II recorded a heavy win over Crymych, making 216-7 before bowling Crymych out for 58 to win by 158 runs. Manu Iddagoda made 62 and Arron Keane 57.

Neyland II beat Hook II by seven wickets, Herbrandston II defeated Llechryd II by 85 runs, and Haverfordwest III beat St Ishmaels II by 41 runs.

Division Four results

Fixture	Result
Lawrenny II v Carew III	No game
Narberth II 216-7 v Crymych 58 all out	Narberth II won by 158 runs
Neyland II 184-3 v Hook II 182-6	Neyland II won by seven wickets
Herbrandston II 216-6 v Llechryd II 131 all out	Herbrandston II won by 85 runs
Haverfordwest III 128-9 v St Ishmaels II 87 all out	Haverfordwest III won by 41 runs

Division Four table

Pos	Team	Pld	Points
1	Lawrenny II	8	120
2	St Ishmaels II	9	119
3	Narberth II	9	114
4	Hook II	9	109
5	Herbrandston II	9	104
6	Neyland II	9	103
7	Crymych	9	92
8	Llechryd II	9	85
9	Haverfordwest III	9	84
10	Carew III	8	45

Cresselly III stay unbeaten

CRESSELLY III continued their unbeaten Division Five campaign with a 15-run win over Llangwm II.

Cresselly III made 190-6, with Steffan Jenkins scoring 57, Ollie Toy 47 and George Davies 32. Llangwm II replied with 175 all out, despite Toby Asson’s 68 and Bill Brant’s 40.

Llanrhian II beat Pembroke Dock II by three wickets, helped by Michael Lawrence’s unbeaten 43 and 2-6. Pembroke III defeated Whitland II by 67 runs, with Harry Penniket making 48.

Division Five results

Fixture	Result
Cresselly III 190-6 v Llangwm II 175 all out	Cresselly III won by 15 runs
Llanrhian II 104-7 v Pembroke Dock II 102 all out	Llanrhian II won by three wickets
Pembroke III 128-8 v Whitland II 61 all out	Pembroke III won by 67 runs
Llechryd III v Hundleton II	No game

Division Five table

Pos	Team	Pld	Points
1	Cresselly III	8	146
2	Llangwm II	8	113
3	Llanrhian II	8	108
4	Whitland II	9	106
5	Pembroke III	8	79
6	Pembroke Dock II	9	63
7	Llechryd III	7	58
8	Hundleton II	7	28

Haverfordwest IV lead Division Six

ONLY one Division Six match was completed, with Haverfordwest/Cresselly beating Lamphey II by eight wickets.

Lamphey II were bowled out for 89 before Haverfordwest/Cresselly reached 90-2. Tom Rowlands was unbeaten on 66, while Dan Cole finished 12 not out and took 2-13.

Whitland III’s match with Haverfordwest IV was abandoned, as was Kilgetty II’s fixture against Laugharne II. Neyland III had a bye.

Division Six results

Fixture	Result
Whitland III v Haverfordwest IV	Match abandoned
Kilgetty II v Laugharne II	Match abandoned
Lamphey II 89 all out v Haverfordwest/Cresselly 90-2	Haverfordwest/Cresselly won by eight wickets
Neyland III	Bye

Division Six table

Pos	Team	Pld	Points
1	Haverfordwest IV	8	101
2	Lamphey II	7	100
3	Whitland III	8	93
4	Neyland III	8	84
5	Haverfordwest/Cresselly	7	70
6	Laugharne II	8	65
7	Kilgetty II	8	23

The results and tables cover Week Nine fixtures played on Saturday (June 20).

News

National champions set for Lloyds Road Championships in Wales

Published

4 days ago

June 17, 2026

Herald Sport

Strong Welsh contingent among elite field heading to Lampeter and Aberystwyth

SOME of Britain’s leading cyclists will head to Wales next week as the 2026 Lloyds National Road Championships get under way.

Sixteen former elite national road champions are among the riders named for the event, which begins in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25, before moving to Aberystwyth for the circuit race and road race.

Welsh rider Zoe Backstedt, of Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto, is expected to be one of the headline names after winning the elite women’s time-trial title at last year’s championships.

Backstedt said: “I’m super excited to come back to Wales to race national champs this year. I don’t get to race in the UK a lot, let alone in Wales, so that makes it even more exciting to be there.

“We’ve got such a strong roster of riders in the UK, so it’s never going to be easy, but I hope I’ll come into this in good shape and fighting for the win.”

Millie Couzens, of Fenix-Premier Tech, returns to defend her women’s road race title. She faces a strong field including three-time road national champion Pfeiffer Georgi, Morven Yeoman, Imogen Wolff, Cat Ferguson, Anna Henderson and Flora Perkins.

In the men’s road race, Sam Watson, of NetCompany Ineos, will look to retain his crown against a field including former national champion Ben Swift, reigning under-23 champion Matthew Brennan, Adam Howell and Ethan Hayter.

Hayter said: “Nationals always seem to bring out the best in me. I’ve managed to win a jersey in 2024 and 2025, so it would be nice to try to add another in the TT or RR.

“Each year the level gets higher, but it makes for aggressive, exciting racing.”

Cameron Mason will return to Aberystwyth to defend his open circuit race title, with Thomas Armstrong, Matt Bostock and Oliver Wood among those expected to challenge.

Kate Richardson also returns as defending women’s circuit race champion. She will be joined by a strong field including Isabel Sharp, Carys Lloyd, Xan Crees, Jenny Holl and Josie Knight.

A number of Welsh riders will also compete across the championships, including Finlay Tarling, Elynor Backstedt, Anna Morris, Owain Doull MBE and Megan Barker.

Erin Boothman, following a successful track season, will make her Lloyds National Road Championships debut in the women’s road race and under-23 women’s time-trial. Ben Wiggins will also return to Ceredigion as he looks to improve on last year’s silver medal in the under-23 men’s time-trial.

Ten national champions’ jerseys will be contested over three days of racing.

The time-trial takes place in Lampeter on Thursday, June 25. The elite women, under-23 women and under-23 men will race over 25.6km, while the elite men will cover 38.4km.

Aberystwyth will host the circuit race on Friday, June 26, and the road race on Sunday, June 28, giving spectators the chance to watch some of Britain’s best riders on Welsh roads.

The championships return to Wales with support from the Welsh Government.

Pic: Lloyds National Circuit Championship 2025 (Pic: SWPix.com)

Sport

Young rally driver makes impressive gravel debut

Published

5 days ago

June 16, 2026

Herald Sport

EIGHTEEN-year-old Henri Cynwyl, of Newcastle Emlyn, marked a memorable milestone at the Plains Rally, Bala, as he made his gravel debut in the highly competitive Mini Rally Challenge.

Henri was driving the ex-championship-winning car previously campaigned by Tom Hynd, giving the young driver a strong platform on which to demonstrate his ability.

Family team

Sitting alongside him was his father, Dilwyn John, whose extensive experience in the co-driver’s seat proved invaluable throughout the demanding event.

Despite mechanical issues on Stages 3 and 4, the father-and-son pairing showed determination and composure to overcome the setbacks and continue gaining valuable experience on the loose surface.

As the day progressed, Henri’s confidence grew with every stage. The crew’s times steadily improved throughout the rally, underlining his rapid adaptation to gravel and his ability to learn quickly in competitive conditions.

***Rally hopes: Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start (Pic: Aneurin James)***

Their efforts were rewarded with an impressive sixth-place finish, a highly respectable result on a first gravel outing against more experienced competitors.

Strong foundations

The performance was even more notable given Henri’s limited gravel experience.

Having developed his car control skills through Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests from the age of 14, he was able to transfer much of that experience to the challenging Welsh forest stages.

Additional tuition on gravel from James Williams, of W1 Motorsport Group, also helped prepare him for the step up into rally competition on loose surfaces.

Reflecting on his debut, Henri said: “It was great and I enjoyed every minute of it. Taking part in Teifi Valley Motor Club autotests most definitely helped, along with tuition on gravel stages in the company of James Williams from W1 Motorsport Group.

“I’d also like to thank Mark Williams, my team manager, for all of the support and encouragement.”

Promising start

The successful gravel debut provides another encouraging chapter in the young driver’s development, with the pace, consistency and maturity shown throughout the day suggesting plenty more potential to come.

Henri now switches back to tarmac this weekend as he continues his busy season at the Park Garage Rally in Anglesey, aiming to build on the confidence gained from an impressive first appearance on gravel.

Looking ahead, he is already eagerly anticipating the next round of the Mini Rally Challenge in Greystoke Forest, Cumbria.

With a strong first result under his belt, and plenty of lessons learned from the Plains Rally, Henri will be aiming to build on his promising start when the championship heads north.