THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 27 2017 Like us on Facebook facebook.com/thellanelliherald


69 Sports


Aberaeron Cefneithin


Aberaeron ease to win New heights for Harriers


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League 3 West C LEAGUE rugby returned to


Parc Drefach on Saturday (Jan 21), after a long period of three months. The void is very much the result of


the few participating teams in Division 3 C West, with friendly games a poor substitute to maintain interest and momentum. It was no surprise, therefore, that


it took Aberaeron a while to find their feet in this encounter before gaining the all-important bonus point success. Heavy overnight frost had also


been a risk factor but fortunately the hard work by the groundstaff on the much-used surface earlier in the week proved to be the saving grace. Early pressure from Aberaeron


was repelled by the visitors and they only has a Rhodri Jenkins penalty to show for the effort. Cefneithin were always dangerous on the break but the home defence stood firm which would have pleased the coaching staff. Relief came minutes from the


break with pressure on the visitor's line, resulting in tries for Aaron Lewis and Sean Stephens, with both following rolling mauls near the try line. Another Jenkins penalty extended the advantage after the restart and a series of substitutions provided the spark to capitalise on the superiority. The half back partnership of


Gareth James and Jenkins ensured that play was mostly in away territory, but the introduction of Tudur Jenkins proved to be a masterpiece, with the number eight quickly claiming a brace of tries - although he would be the first to appreciate the hard work of his fellow forwards. To crown the afternoon, there was


much elation as Connor McCaffery took a short pass for his first try for the club. Although there was pleasure from the five try salvo, there was just as much satisfaction for keeping a clean sheet, which is always the coaches' dream. With two away games before the international break, the victory will hopefully provide the perfect fillip for further success.


Under 18s end tournament without a win


Strong performances: Carmarthen Harriers take home a strong medal haul after competing in this year’s West Wales Indoor Championships and British Athletics Cardiff Cross Challenge


OVER 25 Carmarthen Harriers


put in comprehensive performances at this year’s West Wales Indoor Championships and British Athletics Cardiff Cross Challenge, which took place last weekend (Jan 21-22). Held at Swansea University, the


Indoor Championships saw a record 315 athletes take part, with Carmarthen coming away with a total of nine medals over the two day competition. Glen Elsdon put in winning performances for both the senior men’s hurdles (8.33) and the 60m final (7.05). Meanwhile, on the field there were further gold medal performances from Danielle Jones in the under 17 women’s shot (11.04m), Olivia Haines in the under 20 women’s triple jump (9.85m), Lili Church in the under 15 girls' high jump (1.58m), and Zara Evans in the under 13 girls' long jump (4.06m).


Adding to the tally, there were also


three bronze medals won thanks to Haydn Davies in the under 17 men’s 60m hurdles final (9.07), Zak Daly in the under 17 men’s 60m final, and


ON SUNDAY (Jan 22), Carmarthen’s U18 team travelled to Swansea to take part in their annual hockey tournament. Carmarthen had a strong team going into their three games. The first game was against an


experienced Gwent Firsts team. Gwent took possession in the first half, putting pressure on Carmarthen. Unfortunately, this opened up gaps in the defence, leading to two goals in the first half, 0-2. With the first half in mind,


Carmarthen held their ground in the second half, making goal scoring opportunities. However, the well- structured Gwent side breached the Carmarthen defence on two further occasions, 0-4. The second game was against


Bridgend. Carmarthen put pressure on the Bridgend defence straight away, breaking into their ‘D’ to make scoring opportunities. However, no goals were converted.


Bridgend kept the Carmarthen


defence on their toes with quick breaks up the wing, but Carmarthen worked well as a team to prevent them scoring. Due to Carmarthen’s continuous strength and speed on the pitch, the game ended 0-0. The final game was against a


skilful and confident Whitchurch team. Carmarthen put all their final bursts of energy into this final game of the hockey weekend. Carmarthen’s midfields and


forwards linked up well using the wings to attack the Whitchurch defence.


However, Whitchurch didn’t make


it easy for Carmarthen and possession bounced between the two sides. The defence held their ground in


multiple short corners to ensure the score didn’t change. The game ended 0-0 after a well-fought game between the two sides. Carmarthen chose Rhian Moremon as their Player of the Tournament.


Olivia Haines who won her second medal of the day, this time in the long jump (4.52m). In the younger age groups, Sophia Reid-Thomas made it all the way to the under 13 girls' 60m final, where she finished sixth with a time of 9.04. Meanwhile, the upcoming and talented year six athletes Harri Howells and Owain-Hari Davies sprinted strongly to finish seventh and eighth respectively, both achieving a time of 9.30 and just missing out on a place in the final. In the same event, Mia Lloyd,


Jessica Lee, Siwan Jones-Evans, Stephen Reed and Haydn Davies all represented the club and performed well in their heats, whilst in the shot, Nia Williams - having moved up an age group - threw 8.02m to finish in seventh position. Meanwhile, the cross country


runners headed for Cardiff for the fourth series of the British Athletics series, where they tested themselves against the best in the UK. In the primary school races, the


boys won the overall trophy for the second successive year, thanks to Jack Thomas who won individual bronze and was supported by Iwan Jones in fifth, Steffan Davies in 17th, Jake Lynock in 32nd, and Brynmor Peters in 44th. In the girls’ race, Emma Brazier and Bessy Hill finished 22nd and 23rd respectively. Ben Thomas, having been selected


to represent Wales in the under 17 Celtic Cross Country International, following an impressive set of results over the past few months, finished as the third Welsh scorer in 12th. Behind him, Thomas Jones secured 36th position and competing in the women’s event, Ellie Kiff ran well to take 33rd place. Daisy Thompson, having already


competed in the previous two race series’ at Liverpool and Milton Keynes, again kept up with the leading pack, eventually coming in fifth. Also putting in a strong performance, Phoebe Williams crossed the line in 22nd. In the corresponding boys’ age


group, Liam Edwards finished in sixth and Dafydd Jones had his best race for the club to date, finishing in eighth. Dyfed teammate Iori Humphreys from Pembroke finished in between (seventh). Frank Morgan unfortunately had to pull out during the race. First in for the Harriers in the


under 15 boys' race was Tomos Rees, who had a great run to take home sixth place. Following him was Archi Morgan in 14th and Gareth Morgan in 22nd overall. Meanwhile, the under 15 girls’ event saw Beca Roberts secure 47th position, and Siwan Jones–Evans 54th.


Finally, in the senior categories,


Louise Jones-Evans won her F45 age group in a great time, while Gordon Orme continued his fine form this season to take fifth.


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