Match Report – Carmarthen Town v Cardiff Met (1 September 2018)

Carmarthen Town (2) Cardiff Met (0) 

Carmarthen deservedly secured their first win of the season thanks to a well-balanced display of resolute, stubborn defending coupled with frequent rapid and clinical counter-attacking – not only was this enough to comfortably subdue the  Met’s normally sharp attacking play, but on occasions their defence was made to look unusually fragile.

Yet the visitors began the match in their customary fashion, enjoying the greater share of possession and methodically making progress upfield.  However they were unable to make any serious early impression on the Town defence which, being well marshalled by the towering Lee Surman, remained disciplined and secure.

Despite that initial pressure, it was not until the 9^thminute that the Met managed their first scoring effort when Dan Spencer, on the right flank, crossed the ball into the crowded penalty area where Sam Snaith hit a smart 15 yard volley that ‘keeper Lee Idzi carefully watched fly safely over the bar.

The Old Gold meanwhile were frequently able to break forward from deep positions inside their own half and on 13 minutes they fashioned a decent chance when Luke Cummings surged forward along the right-wing before delivering a searching cross deep into the penalty area where Greg Walters produced a close-range header that ‘keeper Esa Aalto was well-placed to gather safely.

And Town, usually through the craft and determination of Mael Davies, Walters, Ceri Morgan and Cummings, continued to launch penetrating counter-attacks which frontmen Luke Bowen, Liam Thomas and Jordan Vickers eagerly pursued.

While several broke down in the face of some solid Met defending, eventually the Old Gold took the lead in the 35^thminute through a smart piece of goal-poaching by Liam Thomas – from the right-wing Cummings sent another fine cross into the penalty area where Town’s all-time top scorer neatly stole the ball off a hesitant defender then from close-range instantly struck an angled volley past Aalto and into the far corner of the net.

Stung by that setback, the visitors were quick to respond – on 37 minutes Spencer raced forward from midfield then struck a rasping 20 yard drive that Idzi, with an impressive full-length save, turned against the top of the post before the ball bounced safely away.

And in the closing moments of the first-half Spencer again surged upfield to reach the by-line then fired an inviting cross towards the far post but saw Snaith wastefully plant his close-range header wide of the goal.

After the interval the Met immediately pressed forward in search of an early equaliser – but through a combination of weak finishing and, more particularly, determined (occasionally desperate) Old Gold defending the home goal was never under serious threat during this spell.  The only notable effort arose on 64 minutes when Will Evans released a speculative long-range strike that Idzi, at full length, turned aside.

However the visitors’ commitment to scoring left them vulnerable to counter-attacks which Town, primarily through the pace and mobility of strikers Thomas and Bowen, were well equipped to exploit.  And in the 64^thminute they fully capitalised on this in clinical fashion.

With Carmarthen breaking swiftly out of defence, Walters headed the ball forward to Thomas who sprinted determindely into the penalty area then, after shrugging off a defender, he struck a fierce angled drive that Aalto could only manage to force against the bar – as the ball fell loose Davies was the quickest to react and from close-range he gratefully stabbed it into the unguarded net.

The Met once more launched a series of attacks which, as before, the Old Gold defence successfully withstood – and just ahead of them the industrious midfield unit willingly dropped back to provide a further valuable layer of defensive cover whenever necessary.  As a result, only rarely was Idzi seriously tested and on each occasion the experienced ‘keeper, displaying his customary safe and assured handling, confidently resisted any threat to his goal.

While the play in the closing stages was largely confined to Carmarthen’s end of the pitch, they did produce one notable late counter-attack when on 80 minutes the ball reached Walters just outside the penalty area but he saw his smart 20 yard volley fly narrowly outside the post.

However Town’s primary concern was to protect their lead and secure three valuable points which they comfortably managed.  And it has to be hoped that this encouraging performance, against one of the stronger teams in the WPL, can be repeated and ideally improved on in forthcoming fixtures as Neil Smothers’ new-look side further settles and progresses.

Carmarthen’s next fixture is on Saturday September 8^th(k/o 2.30pm) when Newtown visit Richmond Park.

Team:

Lee Idzi;  Luke Cummings;  Lee Surman; Jordan Knott;  Sean Hanbury (sub Dave Vincent 71);  Jordan Vickers (sub Declan Carroll 68);  Greg Walters;  Ceri Morgan; Mael Davies (sub Craig Hanford 87); Luke Bowen;  Liam Thomas;

Unused sub:  Jay Woodford;

Goals:  Liam Thomas (35);  Mael Davies (64);

Cards:  (Y)   Greg Walters (43);  Lee Surman (60).

The annual Withybush Baby Service will be held at St Luke’s Chapel in Withybush Hospital on September 11th at 6.30pm.

The service will include hymns, readings and poems, and little ones will be remembered with memory cards, which will be given out to be placed on the altar.

Gill Llewellyn, Bereavement Officer at Withybush Hospital, said: “Acknowledgement of the death of a baby, regardless of when the loss occurred, is very important. We hope that this will provide parents and family members the support and space they need to remember the baby or child that they have lost, and ease some of the pain that they feel.

“The service will also provide staff who have provided support to families, with the opportunity for peace and reflection.”

All are welcome to attend this service which will remember loved and lost babies from Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and further afield. Refreshments will be provided after the service.

If you are unable to come and join us then you can still have a memory card placed on the altar on your behalf by contacting:

Gill Llewelyn –  Gill.Llewellyn@wales.nhs.uk Tel: 01437 772347  or
Sarah Horsley – Sarah.Horsley@wales.nhs.uk   Tel: 01437 773931 

The opening round of the Guinness PRO14 was a tense affair at Kingspan Stadium with Scarlets narrowly missing out on a victory over the homeside Ulster.

The only try of the afternoon came in the opening minutes from outside half Rhys Patchell with scrum half John Cooney claiming all of Ulster’s fifteen points.

Speaking after the game head coach Wayne Pivac said; “We didn’t expect it to be perfect rugby in round one. I don’t think either side played particularly well, there were a lot of mistakes but we made the costly ones.

“At half time we talked about staying in the arm wrestle, we knew it was going to be a tight affair. To lose the man and go down to 14 wasn’t helpful and then I thought we had the opportunity to put the game to bed at 13-12 in their 22 with about four minutes to go.

“The message was to keep the ball in hand and build the phases bt we chose to kick the ball away and they had one last go, got down there and kicked the penalty to win.”

Cooney’s penalty in the closing minutes was enough to claim the victory for the homeside breaking Scarlets hearts in the process.

Pivac went on to say; “We defended reasonably well throughout the game so they didn’t really threaten the try line itself. We paid the ultimate price for kicking the ball away. It’s one that we let get away unfortunately.”

Scarlets lost centre Jonathan Davies in the warm-up adding to the side’s injury woes. Commenting on that Pivac said; “Every team picks up injuries, the side that we put out was good enough to win that game.

“Those points are vital eventhough it’s round one, it’s bitterly disappointing but hopefully we’ll learn a lot from that.”

Scarlets welcome Leinster to Parc y Scarlets on Saturday 8^th September, kick-off 19:35.

Five new road cycling routes through Carmarthenshire’s breath-taking countryside and coast have been unveiled today ahead of the Tour of Britain Grand Depart at Pembrey Country Park.

Carmarthenshire County Council has launched its Cycling Hub of Wales destination guide showcasing the county’s new routes and incredible cycling terrain, including tracks, trails, circuits and traffic free paths.

Some of those have been experienced today by world class cyclists including Tour de France winners Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome as they rode the Tour of Britain from Pembrey to Llandovery.

The first time the tour has visited Carmarthenshire, it allowed the county to showcase its stunning landscape and scenery to cycling fans across the world.

The new cycling guide shines a spotlight on five new routes, totalling over 450km of quality road cycling terrain.

The largest – the Big Wilderness Adventure Tour – clocks up an impressive 105km with a 7 out of 10 difficulty rating taking in breath-taking views north of Llandovery and crossing in to neighbouring Ceredigion.

The most challenging route – Big Hills and Big Views – takes riders over 101km across some of the county’s best mountain trails taking in Ammanford, Llandovery and Llandeilo and skirting the edge of the Brecon Beacons.

More leisurely routes are the 90km Teifi River Tour taking in Newcastle Emlyn; the slightly longer 95km Tywi Valley Tour of the Castles from Carmarthen; and the 62km Carmarthen Bay Coastal Tour taking in Llanelli’s beautiful Millennium Coastal Park.

The guide also showcases two fantastic off-road cycling circuits launched during 2018 – the new National Closed Road Circuit at Pembrey Country Park and the newly renovated historic Carmarthen Velodrome; challenging mountain biking trails through the Brechfa and Crychan forests; and traffic free paths through Llanelli, Amman and Tywi.

Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Culture, Sport and Tourism, said: “We have been bold in our ambitions for Carmarthenshire to become the Cycling Hub of Wales, and today’s launch – coinciding with our hosting of the Tour of Britain Grand Depart – shows just how far we have come and the scale and variety of cycling opportunities Carmarthenshire has to offer.

“Carmarthenshire is already enjoying record-breaking tourism figures, and with the Tour of Britain introducing our wonderful county to millions of people around the world, we’ve no doubt that many cyclists are already planning their visit.

“We are raising our profile as a world class visitor destination and a county that’s well-equipped to host high quality sporting events.

“We look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors and to hear them spreading the word about our fantastic cycling terrain.”

Cyclists can download the guide, routes and GPS Plotaroute Map at Discover Carmarthenshire.

Geomorphologists from around the world will convene in Aberystwyth in September as Wales hosts the discipline’s top annual UK academic gathering for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The Annual Meeting of the British Society for Geomorphology (BSG), which takes place from the 10-12 September 2018 at Aberystwyth University, will see early career and more seasoned geomorphologists showcase cutting-edge research and discuss new collaborations.

Referred to as “landscape detectives”, geomorphologists study the history of a landscape and how it has been moulded over millennia by the action of running water, wind, snow, ice and gravity.

The focus is on Earth’s landscapes but increasingly interest is also turning to landscapes on other planetary bodies such as Mars and Titan.

And it isn’t only the gradual evolution of the landscape that attracts their interest. Geomorphologists also study the effects of fast-acting, disruptive hazards such as coastal storm surges, river floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides.

A key theme of this year’s Annual Meeting is communicating the relevance and importance of geomorphology in an era of rapid environmental change.

This includes going beyond university circles and developing approaches for improved communication of geomorphology in schools, among the general public, and with land owners and environmental policy makers.

Delegates will also hear from one of the UK’s most eminent geomorphologists and a Fellow of the BSG, Aberystwyth University’s Emeritus Professor John Lewin, who will deliver the meeting’s Frost Lecture.

There will also be keynote addresses from the BSG Award Winners for 2018, including Hervé Piégay (David Linton Award), Larissa Naylor (Gordon Warwick Award), Edwin Baynes (Dick Chorley Award), and Bradley Johnson (Wiley Award).

Delegates also have the option of staying on after the meeting for field trips on 12, 13 and 14 September that will take them to the uplands, valleys and coastline of mid Wales.

The meeting is chaired by Professor Stephen Tooth, from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University.

Professor Tooth said: “This is the first time for many decades that the BSG has hosted such an event in Wales, and given the contributions of Aberystwyth-trained geomorphologists and Welsh landscapes to development of the science, it is fitting that the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences is able to host the Annual Meeting as part of its centenary year celebrations”.

As part of the conference, Professor Tooth and Dr Hywel Griffiths, also from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, will release a booklet entitled 10 Reasons Why the Geomorphology of Wales is Important.

The booklet is based on a series of parallel blogs by Dr Griffiths (Welsh) and Professor Tooth (English), providing examples of Welsh landforms and landscapes that illustrate the 10 reasons.

Further details of the Annual Meeting can be seen on the BSG’s website www.geomorphology.org.ukand Facebook page www.facebook.com/geophemera. Developments can also be followed on Twitter @BSG_Geomorph #bsg2018.

Photo: Professor Stephen Tooth, Chair of the 2018 Annual Meeting of the British Society for Geomorphology (BSG), and Dr Hywel Griffiths, both of the Department of Geography and Earth Science at Aberystwyth University, who will launch their booklet 10 Reasons Why the Geomorphology of Wales is Importantduring the meeting.

Links:

British Society for Geomorphology http://geomorphology.org.uk/

British Society for Geomorphology2018 Annual Meeting
http://geomorphology.org.uk/meetings/bsg-annual-meeting-2018

Stephen Tooth’s Blog: https://stephentooth.wordpress.com/2015/03/

Hywel Griffiths’ Blog (Welsh): http://hywelgriffiths.blogspot.com/2015/03/10-rheswm-pam-10-reasons-why-1.html

By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. This column appears in the Pembrokeshire Herald, the Carmarthenshire Herald and the Llanelli Herald.

British banks approved fewer mortgages last month, despite a boost from existing home-owners looking to lock in cheaper interest rates ahead of the Bank of England’s rate rise in August.

That’s the verdict from the latest mortgage industry data.

“The broader economic outlook remains mixed, with households continuing to see their incomes being squeezed by rising inflation,” UK Finance director Peter Tyler said.

“July saw steady growth in gross mortgage lending, driven largely by remortgaging as homeowners locked into attractive deals in anticipation of the recent base rate rise.

Annual consumer credit growth slowed to 3.7 percent, its weakest since December 2014.

The narrower measure of credit card purchases was more robust, which UK Finance linked to the World Cup and unusually warm weather boosting spending.

Meanwhile, there’s been a warning from the British Government of the consequences of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

Britons living in the European Union could lose access to their UK bank account services and businesses on the continent could be cut off from investment banks in London if a Brexit deal cannot be agreed.

In a document detailing contingency planning if Britain leaves the EU in March with no transition deal, the government said unilateral action on several fronts could only minimise disruption up to a point.

While Britons will still be able to use their bank cards to withdraw money in EU countries, more than a million UK citizens living abroad may not be able to use their British accounts for borrowing and deposit services, or insurance contracts such as annuities that pay pensions, the document said.

Banks offering these services may also be affected.

“This could impact these firms’ ability to continue to service their existing products,” it added.

All Britons will face higher costs to make card payments in the EU when travelling or shopping online.

The EU agreed this year to cap the fees retailers pay to process debit and credit card transactions.

Without a deal between London and Brussels, British customers will no longer be covered by a ban on cross-border surcharges, which prevents business from imposing excessive charges on consumers.

The Government had previously said those charges cost Britons about £166 million in 2015.

“Leaving the EU without a deal would cause major inconvenience to millions of pensioners, travellers and drivers,” said Hugh Savill, director of regulation at the Association of British Insurers.

Currently banks, insurers and fund managers in Britain have unfettered access to the EU, their biggest export market, worth £26 billion last year, under the bloc’s “passporting” rules.

Without a deal, banks, insurers and pension providers would have to establish operations in the EU or be legally barred from serving clients or sending out payments.

Brexit minister Dominic Raab played down the threat that tens of thousands of British retirees in the EU – many of whom live on the Spanish Mediterranean coast – could lose access to their pensions.

“It’s hardly in the interests of southern Spain to do harm to the UK pensioners out there,” Raab told reporters.

The Government said it was committed to giving regulators such as the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority a “general transitional tool” to phase in changes easing the impact if no deal is agreed.

However, the EU would also need to take action to avoid disruption in cross-border financial services, it said.

Brussels has said it is primarily up to banks and insurers themselves to prepare for Brexit, such as by opening new hubs in the bloc.

The Government document said the EU needed to reciprocate British action to ensure continuity in cross-border insurance policies, derivatives contracts, and core market services for companies and people.

Without EU action, it said, businesses across the bloc could no longer use investment banks in Britain.

Brussels, for example, would need to give investors in the EU permission to continue using a share trading platform or clearing house in London, where most euro-denominated derivatives are currently cleared.

The finance ministry and the Bank of England will give details next month on how customers in Britain can continue using a settlement house in the EU, a critical step whereby cash is exchanged for legal ownership of a stock or bond.

You can find out more about money matters on the Clay Shaw Butler website (under our news for business section) –

http://www.clayshawbutler.com/news/latest-news-for-business

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