Llandovery take advantage of Bedwas slip up in the race for the play-offs

Llandovery picked up a vital victory at a mud-strewn Brewery Field as they turn their attention to taking maximum points and sneaking in to the end-of-season play-offs.

They still have an outside chance, particularly with Bedwas dropping points yesterday, but they know that wins in their remaining games are essential. It could go down to the wire as the last match sees Bedwas and Llandovery square off at The Bridge Field.

Llandovery started well as the rain poured on south Wales, and after two minutes James Garland kicked them ahead with a well-struck penalty.

The two packs were taking the fight to each other; Bridgend’s inspirational No8 Lloyd Evans doing his best to inspire the home side, while Richie Pugh controlled the scrum for Llandovery and barked out orders to keep his team-mates focussed.

A quiet first half saw little quality as the weather combined with the referee’s whistle, with the only real action another missed Garland penalty attempt, but the second period promised more.

Whatever the respective managers had said worked, as both sides went close to scores chasing kicks over the top. First, Bridgend’s Ashley Evans, and then Llandovery’s Kieran Murphy kept the score at 3-0 by covering well to beat onrushing attackers to the ball.

The visitors went close again on the hour. Prop Peter Edwards burst down the line, before feeding Jack Roberts who looked certain to score as he sprinted clear. But Bridgend substitute Arthur Ellis matched him step for step and, in mid-air, forced him the wrong side of the touchline as he attempted to score.

Garland then missed another kick at goal and the feeling started to arise that Bridgend may somehow steal this in the closing stages on the counter.

But that was soon to dissipate and Roberts couldn’t be denied again. He pounced from close range on 70 minutes, with Rhodri Williams converting.

Bridgend responded well and did all they could to prevent a home defeat. The move of the game saw the ball spread to Tom Grabham on the right, who crossed for a late consolation to earn them a losing bonus point.

Llandovery did well to keep the ball after that, and when Bridgend did get it back, one final counter attack came to nothing and victory was theirs.

One other event of importance for the visitors was the second half introduction of Rob Walters from the bench. It was his 300th appearance for the club, a monumental achievement, as the former captain has been with the club for 12 seasons since the age of 18.

Meanwhile, Bedwas slipped to their sixth defeat of the season, going down 7-6 at Llanelli in a clash of two other play-off contenders.

Bedwas had trounced basement club Swansea by 50 points in mid-week, but came up against stubborn resistance from a motivated Llanelli side.

Centre Nic Reynolds, star of so many Llanelli successes this season, dived over the Bedwas line for what could prove to be one of the most important tries of his career.

It came after 13 minutes, converted by Jordan Williams, and was one of the few highlights in another match affected by frightful conditions.

They can still be overhauled by Cross Keys and Llandovery, but are in pole position.

That made the score 7-0 at half-time, but fly-half Ethan Davies kept Bedwas in the match with two penalties.

Llanelli fielded an extremely strong line-up and had more creativity, but kept the game very tight to notch up their 13^th win in 19 league games this season.

Swansea recovered from that home drubbing by repaying their fans with a 24-9 victory over Newport.

They may be guaranteed bottom place for this season, but showed they are determined to finish the campaign on a high note as they recorded only their third success of a gruelling campaign.

They were too slick and strong for Newport, who will end the season in the bottom half of the table having conceded more points than any other club in the division.

The hosts struck first when full-back Nicky Thomas put over the first of two penalties after just eight minutes, and when back row forward Daniel Baker dived over the line in the 25th minute the writing was very much on the wall for the Black & Ambers.

Geraint O’Driscoll tried to keep Newport in the game with his reliable boot, but Swansea were always on top.

Wing Andrew Claypole touched down two minutes from time for a try which Luke Price converted to round off Swansea’s most impressive performance of the season.

Newport had never really looked like breaching the Swansea defence and the All Whites believe they can finish on a high with their final games against Aberavon and Cardiff.

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RGC Produce Monumental Comeback

Leaders RGC-1404 produced a monumental comeback from 21-0 down to see off Rumney 24-21 and extend their advantage at the summit to four points.

Rumney, third in the table, opened up their lead through tries by Chris Jones, Tom Silva and Lawrence Facey, all converted by Danny Clarke, as they capitalised on uncharacteristic errors from the visitors.

Mike Jones, Carwyn Meredith and Kelvin Davies all crossed, before Llywarch Meredith added a bonus point try to complete an unlikely comeback. Rhodri Jones added two conversions to seal the victory that keeps them four points clear of the chasing Ystrad Rhondda, with the title showdown at Parc Eiras next Saturday.

Ystrad kept the heat on with a tight 12-6 win over second from bottom Mountain Ash. Kyle Evans and Sean Webber tries ensured RGC’s lead wasn’t extended, while Ystrad also hold a game in hand over the leaders.

Tredegar’s sorry season continued with the referee blowing the final whistle 10 minutes early as they trailed Rhydyfelin 114-10, having arrived with only 13 men.

The hosts had run in 18 tries by this point, including four tries for Lloyd Peart and hat-tricks for Ross Lucas and Rhys Chinock, with Lucas also adding nine conversions. Their eight remaining tries were shared between four players – Casey Pitman, Mark Tyler, Josh Hawkins and Keiron Phillips all grabbing braces, with Kristian Norman adding another three conversions.

Tredegar had managed two tries through Josh Jackus and Brendan O’Sullivan while the hosts had two players in the sin bin to level the numbers out.

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Penallta handed a 37-3 defeat to Gilfach Goch at Ystrad Fawr to move to within a point of Rumney. Shaun Powell scored a hat-trick of tries, while Ross Edwards and Martyn Dunn made it five to secure the home side a bonus point.

Trystell Lewis, Peter Hutchins, Gareth Fear and captain Jamie Summers earned Treorchy a bonus point in their 20-15 victory over lowly Merthyr, while Ynysybwl edged their lower table clash at Heol y Cyw 20-16 through Dale Stuckey and penalty tries, and Nathan Ellis kicking 10 points.

Nant Conwy took advantage of Pwllheli’s game being called off to extend their lead at the top of One North to six points.

They ran in 10 tries in a 58-7 bonus point win in the bottom v top of the table clash at Llangefni. Andre Hughes crossed twice, with the rest of the scores shared around the team. Carwyn Roberts, Rhys Jones, Gareth Jones, Sion Pringle, Aeros Jones, Robin Glyn, Eryl Jones and Elgan Davies all added five points to the scoreboard. Mark Gray got Llangefni’s single score.

Third-placed Ruthin blew the chance to close the gap on Pwllheli as they went down 23-21 at Bethesda. Hugh Sharples scored twice for the visitors, and Shay Owen kicked 11 points, but two Daniel Jones tries and a third from Matthew Parry earned Bethesda the win. Parry added the extra points with his boot.

Elsewhere, Caernarfon edged a tight encounter with Dolgellau 24-22. Both teams scored three tries, with the home side’s coming from Lewis Parker (two) and Iolo Hughes, Kelvin Morris converting all three and adding a penalty to pip Dolgellau to the win.

Yet they remain in fifth, as fourth-placed Bala were victorious by an 18-10 scoreline at Bro Ffestiniog. Rhydian Jones scored all of the visitors’ points via two tries, one conversion and two penalties in a productive day for the Bala fly half.

Tondu earned their 16th win in 18 league games at the top of One West, swooping to a 44-26 victory over Lougher.

They ran in six tries, with Darren Thomas scoring twice and Matthew Phillips, Mark Roberts, Hywel Davies and David Griggs getting the others. Paul Smithson converted three and added two penalties, with Matthew Murphy converting another.

Lougher also gained a bonus point for running in four scores of their own. Andrew Bamfield got two of them, with Dan George and Mick O’Kelly also crossing. Tom Davies converted three of them.

Cwmllynfell also won, the second-placed side edging a tight encounter with Kenfig Hill 26-24 at Groft Goch. The Mules outscored their visitors four tries to two, earning two bonus points in the process.

Curtis Kerton, Rhodri Clark, Tom James and Matthew Davies went over for the home side, with Craig Jones and Tristan Lewis replying for Cwmllynfell. It was Peter Thomas they can thank for winning the game for them, kicking 16 points to edge them home.

Third-placed Waunarlwydd ensured they weren’t left further behind by the top two courtesy of a 24-19 victory over lowly Skewen. Alan Pope and Michael Lewis both scored tries for the home side, with Lee Evans adding 14 points with his boot.

Mark Harvey replied for Skewen, who also had James Ball to thank for converting Harvey’s try and adding four penalties of his own to keep them in the game.

Elsewhere, Ammanford ran in seven tries as they hammered Llangennech 46-3. Jake Sims scored a brace, with Gary Stevens, Llyr Morris, Gareth Rees, Dexter Thomas and Johnny Evans getting the others.

Camarthen Athletic were also big scorers, crossing nine times in a 69-3 victory at basement club Aberavon Quins, and Kidwelly beat Glynneath 22-12 with Tom Garvill (two) and Andy Francis scoring their three tries.

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Wales close Algarve Cup with penalties defeat

Wales lost 3-1 to Portugal on penalties after a late equaliser had denied them the victory in normal time.

It was a disappointing end to their 2013 Algarve Cup campaign as they were trying to avenge their opening tournament defeat to the hosts.

After winning, drawing and losing a game in the group stages, they were drawn to play Portugal a second time in the 11^th/12^th place play-off match after finishing third in Group C.

After an even first half, the second half saw attacking intent from Wales, but they couldn’t often finish the chances they were creating.

Substitute Sarah Wiltshire hit one shot straight at the ‘keeper, while fellow sub Natasha Harding headed wide after a Jess Fishlock free-kick was palmed out to her.

Fishlock did fire Wales ahead on 77 minutes, but they couldn’t hold on, and the hosts equalised late on before triumphing on spot kicks.

Wales had used a number of under-19s stars throughout, including handing caps to several new players.

Captain Fishlock believes the experience of tournament football will be invaluable to the younger team members, saying: “It’s absolutely massive for us and our preparations. We've brought a very young squad this year.

“For the reasons we came here for, and what we wanted to do and try and do, we've done very successfully. It’s actually put us in perfect stead to go forward for the rest of the year [and] for our qualifiers, which start in October.”

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Wales Women ring the changes for England clash

Wales Women go in to this Sunday’s (March 17^th) final RBS 6 Nations clash with England knowing second place is up for grabs.

Ireland may have already secured the title and are going for the Grand Slam against Italy, but the Welsh ladies know a big win over the English, coupled with a Scottish upset against France, could earn them the runners-up crown.

They make six changes to the side to face England at the Talbot Athletic Ground. Amy Day replaces Laura Prosser at scrum half, while Charlie Murray makes her first start of the campaign after impressing as a replacement in Sunday’s win away to Scotland where she scored a second half try. Philippa Tuttiett makes way for her on the wing.

The pack has been boosted with 157 caps’ worth of experience as prop Jenny Davies, hooker Lowri Harries, second row Gemma Hallett and back row Catrina Nicholas all come in. Megan York, Carys Phillips, Vicky Owens and Nia Davies all move down to the bench.

Head coach Rhys Edwards has faith in his changes, saying: “Charlie had her first opportunity against Scotland and looked dangerous every time she got her hands on the ball. She took her try really well, while Amy also did well when she got her chance.

“In the forwards, all the players who are coming in for the England game made an impact when they came on against Scotland. They steadied the ship in what was a tough game in demanding conditions. We can’t afford to start slowly against England so I think their experience will prove invaluable.”

England, France, Wales and Italy are all tied on four points going in to the final round of games. With Italy hosting Ireland, if the Irish continue with form then Wales know that a win over England will mean only they and France will be in contention for second.

France’s current points difference of +36 (Wales are currently on -20) means that, really, they have to hope for a Scottish win. However, if Scotland can keep the score down against France, if Wales then thump England the race for second will still be on.

As well as immediate honours in the 6 Nations, there is also further reward at stake. Wales’ win against Scotland last Sunday edged them in front of Italy for the last spot up for grabs in the race for automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.

“Italy still have an outside chance of overturning that, but they would have to beat Ireland this weekend and we would have to concede an avalanche of points against England,” Edwards added.

“Our mindset is to go out and beat England. We played well against Ireland in our first game to lose by only two points. The following week they then beat England 25-0. We’ve just to go for it.”

The match kicks off at 2.30pm.

Wales Women team to face England Women:

15 Dyddgy Hywel (Caernarfon)

14 Caryl James (Cardiff Quins)

13 Elen Evans (Waterloo)

12 Rebecca de Filippo (Cardiff Quins)

11 Charlie Murray (Neath Athletic)

10 Elinor Snowsill (Bristol)

9 Amy Day (Unattached);

1 Jenny Davies (Waterloo)

2 Lowri Harries (Neath Athletic)

3 Catrin Edwards (Cardiff Quins)

4 Gemma Hallett (Pontyclun)

5 Shona Powell-Hughes (Neath Athletic)

6 Catrina Nicholas (Cardiff Quins)

7 Sioned Harries (Cardiff Quins)

8 Rachel Taylor (Bristol - captain)

Replacements:

Carys Phillips (Cardiff Met)

Megan York (Blaenau Gwent)

Bethan Howell (Seven Sisters)

Nia Davies (Cardiff Met)

Vicky Owens (Pontyclun)

Laura Prosser (Pontyclun)

Philippa Tuttiett (Cardiff Quins)

Leila Johns (Unattached)

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Wrexham make second loan signing

Player/manager Andy Morrell has continued his busy week since guiding Wrexham to their first finals appearance at Wembley, bringing in defender David Artlell on loan from Northampton Town until the end of the season.

Following Rochdale striker Dele Adebola (37) in through the front door, Artell (32) will also provide experience to a side chasing a league and Cup double that would mark a memorable season for the Dragons.

Artell only joined Northampton in the summer from Port Vale, and scored on his debut as the Cobblers knocked last season’s Capital One Cup finalists Cardiff City out in the first round.

But after 14 starts for the club he ruptured his Achilles tendon in October, missing three months of the season. Northampton boss Aidy Boothroyd believes that the game time will help his player.

He said: “David has found his opportunities limited. He is fit again now and he needs to be playing regular football. We have a lot of competition for places in defence and it won’t do David any good to be sat on the bench.

“He hasn’t played for almost five months and he needs games between now and the end of the season. Wrexham are local to where David lives so it is a logical move for all parties.”

Artell has garnered significant experience of the lower leagues, having begun his career at Rotherham United and making nearly 40 appearances for the Millers.

His career has also seen him take in Mansfield Town, Chester City, Crewe Alexandra and Morecombe, where he made more than 100 appearances.

Neither Adebola or Ardell played in Tuesday’s (February 26) 1-0 win at Barrow due to their international clearance not coming through from Fifa.

Adebola's now has, so he could make his debut at home against Alfreton on Saturday (March 3), while Artell is still waiting for his.

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Cwmbran Stadium sees athletics license revoked

Cwmbran Stadium, once home to top athletics meetings and European football, has had its license suspended after falling in to poor condition.

The stadium can hold 10,500, but despite having £5.6m spent on renovations in 2002, the main stand was condemned last year and now UK Athletics (UKA) has deemed the athletics track unsuitable for competitions, although training can still take place on it.

It is a sad plight for a stadium that once saw athletes like Colin Jackson and Lynn “The Leap” Davies hone their skills there, and Cwmbran Town football club take on the likes of Cork City, Nationale Bucerusti and Maccabai Haifa in European competition.

UKA claims that warnings were made to Torfaen Borough Council of the track’s condition last March and as no action has been taken they have had to take action.

But the council says that the license has only been suspended, and if they can complete the necessary work it will be reinstated. They will investigate various ways in which the money can be raised in due course.

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Sinclair gets Colwyn Bay job

Colwyn Bay have appointed defender Frank Sinclair as their new manager, after performing a U-turn on their initial statement that they would take their time over the decision.

The former Chelsea, Leicester and Jamaica defender (41) has played for the club for 18 months and it has been revealed the board decided to make an in-house appointment in order to limit further player unrest following the sacking of two managers in the past month. It is his first job in management.

Secretary Grant McIndoe said: “The board had a meeting and on reflection, they decided that Frank had the respect of the players. He has played at the top level and they believed he could move the club forward.

“It was also believed that an in-house appointment limits upheaval as there has been large unrest since Jon Newby left last month.”

Sinclair himself said of his new role: “It is a great opportunity for me as I am coming to the end of my playing career and I have been looking to get in to coaching and management.

“I have been here for a year and a half and get on well with the directors and players. It has been an unsettling time this past month, but I know the players here and would not have taken the job if I didn’t think I could turn things around.

“The first job is to turn confidence around and start winning. I have worked under top managers like Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Martin O’Neill and have picked up a few things from them along the way.”

Frank Sinclair started his career at Chelsea where he made nearly 170 appearances before appearing for Leicester City, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City and Wrexham, among others, on his path to Colwyn Bay.

He also amassed 28 caps for Jamaica, playing at the 1998 World Cup in France, and will bring a wealth of football experience at the top level to the job.

The FA Cup and League Cup winner made an immediate impact at The Seagulls by scoring an injury time winner in a 4-3 win over Altrincham the day after signing.

His first game in charge is against Bradford Park Avenue away on Saturday (February 16), with the club stuck in the relegation zone, seven points off safety, and without a win in seven in the league.

However, they do have three games in hand on the team above them, Histon, and Seagulls fans will be hoping the players' respect for Sinclair sees an upturn in fortunes.

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Winter Olympic dream over for Welsh ice hockey stars

A wrist injury suffered by Phil Hill added to the woes of Team GB’s ice hockey side, whose hopes of making their first Winter Olympics appearance since 1948 ended over the weekend.

Following an opening 6-2 loss to hosts Latvia last week, they went down 4-2 to France on Friday (February 8) afternoon, before losing 6-0 to Kazakhstan on Sunday (February 10).

The wrist injury suffered by Hill ruled him out of the Kazakhstani tie, with fellow Cardiff-born stars Jonathan Phillips and Matthew Myers unable to help their side to victory against sides ranked above them in the current world rankings.

Cardiff-born netminder Stevie Lyle was left out of the final match so that Hull Stingrays’ Ben Bowns could make his international debut for GB.

The French (14^th) and Kazakhstani (17^th) sides both place higher than Team GB in 21^st, and the French match in particular saw them put in a good account of themselves with a terrific third period comeback.

But it was again ill-discipline that cost Team GB, with two of their four goals coming on power plays, with Hill’s first-period injury also limiting their chances.

Against Kazakhstan, GB fell behind after just 30 seconds, with their opponents never looking back.

Ill-discipline cost them again, with one of Kazakhstan’s goals coming from a five-on-three after penalties against Phillips and team-mate Rod Sarich.

However, there is good news for Devils fans regarding Hill’s injury, with GB head coach Tony Hand saying: “Phil went for an x-ray and the good news is that this showed there was no break.”

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Welsh badminton stars impress in Cyprus

Every Welsh badminton player who competed at the Cyprus Open reached the final in their event, with three picking up gold medals, ahead of the upcoming Yonex Welsh National Badminton Championships in Cardiff.

The tournament was a huge boost to the sport in this country, with top Welsh players demonstrating their talents against international opponents.

Women’s doubles duo Carissa Turner and Sarah Thomas took gold, with Thomas also celebrating victory with Oliver Gwilt in the mixed doubles. The men’s doubles saw Joe Morgan and Nic Strange completing Wales’ gold medal haul.

Turner and Thomas defeated the home Cypriot pair of Maria Avraamidou and Stella Knekna 21-14, 21-13 in the final of the women’s doubles.

Turner then went on to take silver in the women’s singles after being beaten at the final hurdle by Bulgaria’s world No49 Linda Zetchiri.

Thomas’ second competition fared one better, as her and Gwilt overcame Belgium’s Nathan Vervaeke and Sabine Devooght 21-10, 21-17 for their debut tournament win in only their first year together.

Thomas said: “I am really pleased with my two wins in Cyprus this weekend. It was great to go away and all do so well as a team, showing all our hard work over the past year is paying off.”

Morgan and Strange faced English opposition in the final, and Sam Parsons and Rhys Walker took them to three sets before finally succumbing 22-24, 21-19, 17-21 to leave Wales with its third gold.

Morgan said: “It was great to get back on the winning trail again and gives us a confidence boost ahead of the nationals this weekend.”

Things could have been even better for Wales, but Daniel Font turned his ankle over in the warm up and was forced to pull out of the singles event, as well as the men’s doubles alongside Gwilt.

The players can now look forward to the Yonex Welsh National Badminton Championships at the Sport Wales Centre in Cardiff this weekend, with home favourites in action on both Saturday and Sunday.

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Cooke calls time on cycling career

Cyclist Nicole Cooke, one of Wales’ biggest sporting stars, has called time on her glittering career with a parting shot at those in her sport who had turned to performance enhancing drugs.

A gold medal winner at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2008 Road World Championships at Varese and Olympics in Beijing, the Vale of Glamorgan resident also earned an MBE for her achievements in the sport.

She announced her retirement this week, amid the media storm surrounding Lance Armstrong’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in the United States.

She said: “I am very happy with my career. I have many, many happy memories over what has been my life’s work since I was 12.

“I have won every race, and more, that I dreamed I could win. As a little girl of 12, after beating all the boys at the Welsh cyclo cross championships, I stood in front of the TV cameras and stated to the BBC reporter…’I want to win the Tour de France and win the Olympic Road Race’.

“At 12 I dreamed like every child. I hoped that some of my dreams could come true. You cannot imagine how happy I am to be here with you now, with my dreams fulfilled. I am very happy.”

Recounting her early career as a junior and the hurdles overcome for a young female cyclist, she also had some comments to make on her experiences with doping on the cycling circuit.

“I did not have long to wait before encountering suspicious circumstances,” she remembers. “In the fridge [in a team house] were various bottles and vials with diaphragms on top for extracting the contents via syringes. I rang dad and asked what I should do. We chatted it through and came to the conclusion that even condoning the presence of ‘medicines’ in the house I was staying, could lead to pressure being put on me. So, I emptied the fridge and put the lot out in the front garden and [said] either it went or I went. It went.

“I have had days where temptation to start onto the slippery slope was brought in front of me. [In one race] I was asked what “medicines” I would like to take to help me, and was reminded that the team had certain expectations of me during the race and I was not living up to them with my performance over the last couple of stages. I said I would do my best until I had to drop out of the race, but I was not taking anything.

“I am appalled that so many men bleat on about the fact that the pressures were too great. Too great for what? This is not doing 71mph on the motorway when the legal limit is 70. This is stealing somebody else’s livelihood.

“I have been robbed by drug cheats, but I am fortunate, I am here before you with more in my basket than the 12-year-old dreamed of. But for many genuine people out there who do ride clean; people with morals, many of these people have had to leave the sport with nothing after a lifetime of hard work — some going through horrific financial turmoil. When Lance “cries” on Oprah later this week and she passes him a tissue, spare a thought for all of those genuine people who walked away with no reward – just shattered dreams. Each one of them is worth a thousand Lances.”

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