The Ospreys have issued an update on the fitness of Adam Beard and Rhodri Jones after the pair picked up injuries in Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 win over Cardiff Blues.
Adam Beard
Adam sustained a neck injury in the first minute and was immobilized and transferred to Morriston Hospital for further assessment as a precaution. X-rays & scans were clear, and happily he was discharged later the same evening.
Adam’s recovery is going well, and he’ll continue to be monitored in the coming days, with confirmation of his potential availability to be confirmed later in the week.
Rhodri Jones
Rhodri unfortunately dislocated a shoulder and he’ll have a scan and meet with a specialist in the early part of this week. We’ll be in a better position to discuss his prognosis later in the week when we’re reviewed all the information.
Match Report – Caernarfon v Carmarthen Town (5 January 2019)
Caernarfon (3) Carmarthen Town (1)
Any expectation, or even hope, that Carmarthen’s stunning display of attacking football in their last match against Llanelli would herald a welcome and dramatic improvement in their performances over the rest of this season were, sadly, soon dispelled by their largely disappointing play in this match – for having taken the lead through a Liam Thomas penalty midway during the first-half, they were soon overwhelmed by Caernarfon’s fast, incisive movement on and off the ball coupled with some clinical finishing.
Town fielded much the same starting line-up as appeared in that last match although notable absences were Dave Vincent (suspended) and Jordan Knott (injured), both of whom have been key performers in the defensive back-line this season.
In the opening stages the match was quite evenly balanced and confined essentially to midfield exchanges – both sides managed occasional bursts forward that tested, but failed to penetrate, the opposition defence in any meaningful way and neither goal-keeper was called into serious action.
For the Old Gold the well-established midfield trio of Mael Davies, Ceri Morgan and Greg Walters worked tirelessly to provide an additional valuable defensive shield just ahead of the back-line while, whenever possible, enthusiastically breaking quickly forward to initiate counter-attacks for principal strikers Liam Thomas and Luke Bowen to exploit – adventurous full-back Luke Cummings eagerly provided a further attacking outlet.
It was not until the 23rdminute that the first significant scoring opportunity arose. Caernarfon’s Darren Thomas produced a swift break through the centre before sliding the ball across to Nathan Craig on the edge of the penalty area – he dispatched a powerful drive that Lee Surman blocked but the ball rebounded straight back to Craig who from 15 yards instantly fired another smart shot that went just wide of the post.
As the pace of the game began to quicken the Old Gold at last managed a serious goal threat on 25 minutes when Walters sent a delightful pass through to Davies who raced forward and took the ball into the penalty area where he was promptly tripped by Ryan Williams – top scorer Thomas stepped up and confidently drove the spot-kick past ‘keeper Alex Ramsay and into the back of the net.
The home side immediately poured upfield in search of an early equaliser and they dominated this period of play. Yet they were simply unable to pierce the Town defence, which was being well-marshalled by the experienced Surman who was once again in commanding form.
Indeed it was the visitors, after 39 minutes, who created the next significant scoring chance from a rare counter-attack – Davies, who in his debut season has consistently been an impressive creative presence in Carmarthen’s midfield, threaded a neat pass through to Walters who took the ball forward to the edge of the penalty area then produced a promising curling shot that Ramsay, with a marvellous flying save, managed to turn narrowly beyond the post.
But in the 43rdminute Caernarfon’s sustained pressure was at last rewarded – Darren Thomas raced forward along the right flank, went past Craig Hanford and into the penalty area then drove the ball towards the goalmouth where Cai Jones slid it into the net.
After the interval the hosts straightaway put the Old Gold defence under renewed pressure. Yet while a number of decent scoring chances emerged, initially none succeeded due to a combination of some resolute (and sometimes desperate) defending and, on several occasions, secure handling from the experienced Idzi in dealing with both shots and crosses.
However at last, on 69 minutes, Caernarfon justifiably took the lead when Craig, from 25 yards, dispatched a fiercely driven free-kick beyond Idzi’s reach and into the back of the net.
Perhaps shaken by that setback, Town’s performance seemed to deteriorate over the latter stages of the match. Failings that appeared to have been eradicated with the remarkable victory over Llanelli on New Year’s Day sadly re-emerged – in particular, the ball was needlessly given away too often and too easily.
And in the 84thminute that led to the hosts putting the result beyond doubt with a third goal. Substitute Jordan Vickers, who had only been on the pitch a few minutes, lost possession deep inside his own half to Darren Thomas who then worked his way across the edge of the penalty area, with little resistance from other Town defenders, before releasing a stunning drive that flew past Idzi and into the corner of the net.
It was a long and miserable journey home from North Wales for the loyal group of supporters who had, on the basis of the Llanelli victory, hoped for a much better performance!
Only one fixture now remains for Carmarthen in the Welsh Premier League first-phase programme – they face Connah’s Quay, who have been at or close to the top of the League table all season, at Richmond Park next Saturday January 12thk/o 7.30pm.
Team:
Lee Idzi; Luke Cummings (sub Jordan Vickers 81); Lewis Baldwin; Lee Surman; Craig Hanford (sub Declan Carroll 72); Mael Davies; Ceri Morgan; Greg Walters; Liam Thomas; Luke Bowen; Sean Hanbury (sub Aidan O’Kelly 62);
New research to ensure more Welsh livestock farmers could benefit from longer lasting, disease resistant red clovers is being undertaken at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS).
The three-year Welsh Government (WG) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded project is looking at ways to improve protein production and utilisation on farms in Wales through improved forage crops.
Professor Leif Skot, head of forage plant breeding at IBERS, is leading the project, whose partners are WG, ERDF, Germinal Holdings, HCC and Farming Connect.
As part of the project, Professor Skot and his team are looking at how red clover production and persistency can be improved, helping farmers to improve their silage crop value. In turn, this could go some way in helping farmers reduce the need to buy-in as many expensive concentrates.
Historically, some producers have been drawn away from red clover due to a tendency for yields to drop off after a couple of years. To solve that problem, scientists developed varieties which focused on improved yields and better persistence so they yield well into their fourth and fifth harvest.
However, prolonging the productive life of the plant increases the risk of another problem red clover faces, which is where this new project is currently focused.
Professor Skot explains: “One of the biggest issues is that red clover is susceptible to trampling, and if the plants get damaged then they are susceptible to disease. White clover is stoloniferous, which means it grows by stolons [small roots] which spread across the soil surface and allows the plant to fill in any gaps in the sward. Red clover plants, on the other hand, grow from a single growing point, the crown. That means that once the crown is damaged and the plant succumbs to disease, the remaining plants aren’t able to compensate and fill in the gaps, leading to a loss in yields.”
In a bid to counter this, Professor Skot and his team are developing resistance to the two major diseases responsible for red clover loss: Stem Nematode and Crown Rot (Sclerotinia).
They hope that by developing disease-resistant plants, they can create a more robust, productive plant.
“Stem Nematode and Sclerotinia are soil-borne pathogens for which we have no recognised chemical control. The current solution is to take a long gap in the rotation to minimise the potential risk of the problem,” adds Paul Billings of Germinal. “This research project is looking at whether we can select material which is more resistant to each of these diseases, and then combine them to create varieties resistant to both pathogens.”
Professor Skot says he and his team have carried out several generations of selection for Stem Nematode and Sclerotinia. They are now at the stage where they will combine the resistance to one population so it can be tested in the field.
While it is high-yielding and produces high-quality forage from the first year, red clover does need to be managed in a way which will improve its resistance, Professor Skot adds.
“The crown of the plant is susceptible to damage, so we are looking at improving its structure.. Our research shows that if they have compact crowns then they are more resilient to damage from machinery and compaction from animals or grazing. The major management technique is not cutting below 5cm and not overgrazing so that the crown isn’t damaged.”
With the correct management, red clover can yield between 22 and 25 tonnes of dry matter per hectare per annum when sown with grass, with clover content able to reach as high as 20 tonnes of dry matter in the first year.
“It’s high-yielding and high-quality from the first year, which is one of the great things about the crop. By minimising the problem areas, we can hopefully give Welsh farmers a way to produce more of their own protein on-farm,” he says.
This project aims to help deliver on the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations Act, one objective of which is to drive sustainable growth. It also contributes to its Economic Action Plan which encourages greater R&D and innovation.E
Beef and Sheep Red Clover Case Study:
The Cowcher family from Penrhiw, Ceredigion, a Farming Connect Focus site, has seen the advantages of growing red clover on their farm for over a decade, but the introduction of long-lasting varieties would boost the benefits of the crop even further.
“We’ve been using red clover for more than ten years, since we converted to organic production,” says Phil Cowcher, who farms beef and sheep with his parents across 500 acres (202ha) of part-owned, part-rented and part share-farmed organic farmland.
“It gives us high yields of good-quality forage, which can be difficult in organic systems, and it suppresses weeds because it’s very vigorous – if we get creeping thistles it smothers and gets rid of them,” he says. “Red clover is also important for fixing nitrogen. Cereals following red clover systems seem to yield very well, and it has deep tap roots so it breaks up the compaction.”
Phil believes planting with a cereal reduces competition from weeds during establishment, as the cereal acts as a nurse crop.
The 45 acres (18ha) of red clover is used by both the farm’s beef and sheep enterprises. The calves – produced by the 60-head, mainly Stabiliser suckler herd – tend to be fed the second and third cuts, as part of the growing and finishing rations.
The first cut, which usually has a higher grass content and metabolisable energy, is usually fed to pregnant ewes late in their pregnancy. Towards the end of the growing season, the red clover leys are rotationally grazed by lambs.
Phil adds: “For the calves I like to feed two-thirds red clover with a third barley and peas for fibre. If it’s alone then it’s a bit rich, but by combining it with barley and peas it seems to complement the clover well.
“We make sure lambs are introduced gradually to the red clover when they first graze it. Once they’ve adjusted to the diet, growth rates are good and they usually finish well – we start selling in June at around 19kg and the last ones go by October.”
Phil believes management is fairly simple, but stresses the importance of sowing in a fine seed bed when soils are over 10℃. If there’s a cold spring then cereals are planted first and the red clover ley is sown on top with a grass harrow/air seeder, into the growing crop, once soil temperature is high enough.
“When we cut it we have to make sure we don’t cut it too low, and we have to be careful not to overgraze it and damage the crown too. But for us red clover’s a high-quality, high yielding crop and we’ll definitely carrying on growing it,” Phil concludes.
Photos: Phil Cowcher in clover / Red clover breeding at IBERS / Sclerotinia resistant red clover being grown at IBERS for polycrossing.
The Ospreys team to play Cardiff Blues at Liberty Stadium on Saturday 5th January 2019, KO 3.00pm, is as follows:
15 Dan Evans 14 George North 13 Cory Allen 12 Scott Williams 11 Luke Morgan 10 Sam Davies 9 Aled Davies 1 Rhodri Jones 2 Scott Baldwin 3 Tom Botha 4 Adam Beard 5 Alun Wyn Jones 6 Olly Cracknell 7 Justin Tipuric (Capt) 8 Sam Cross.
REPLACEMENTS – 16 Scott Otten 17 Gareth Thomas 18 Alex Jeffries 19 Lloyd Ashley 20 James King 21 Tom Habberfield 22 Luke Price 23 Owen Watkin
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury:
Dan Baker – Knee; Bradley Davies – Knee; Ma’afu Fia – Achilles; Lesley Klim – Hamstring; Dan Lydiate – Elbow; Nicky Smith – Ankle; Kieran Williams – Groin
Ospreys Head Coach, Allen Clarke, said:
“There’s been a positive reaction from the whole squad in training this week; it’s now essential we carry that into the match at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
“Our execution needs to be better and we must be more clinical to finish off the opportunities we are creating. We dominated many aspects of the game versus the Dragons but we need to translate that dominance onto the scoreboard.
“We know that we are going to have to be at our best against a Cardiff side who are confident on the back of two wins over the Christmas period. The boys are really looking forward to the challenge and to playing at home again in front of our supporters who created a brilliant atmosphere when we were last at home against the Scarlets. Their support really energises the team and is truly appreciated ”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 12 Jan – 3.00pm – Ospreys v Worcester Warriors – Liberty Stadium
Sat 19 Jan – 2.00pm (Local) – Pau v Ospreys – Stade Municipal de Hameau
Fri 24 Jan – 7.35pm – Glasgow v Ospreys – Scotstoun
Age Cymru Sir Gar have launched a new Free Home Energy Check Service – ‘Helping Older People Stay Warm and Well this Winter’
Are you aged 50 or over?
Is your home cold and draughty? Or, are you worried about the cost of heating your home?
If yes, you may be eligible for a Free Home Energy Check!
Age Cymru Sir Gâr volunteers can help make your home warmer or reduce your energy bills by carrying out a free home energy check.
What happens during an energy check:
1) our handyperson volunteers will install simple energy efficiency equipment such as; draught excluder around doors and windows, fit new light bulbs and use remote control plug sockets and radiator panels which reflect heat back into the room and not into the wall.
2) Our volunteer will also give you some key tips and advice providing you with guides on how to keep warm and save energy.
3) Provide information on other support services provided by the charity, such as information on welfare benefits you might be entitled to and how to check what benefits these might be.
The free home energy check takes about 60-90 minutes and is carried out by our volunteer handyman.
Bethan Davies, Information Officer for Age Cymru Sir Gar said –
“We’ve had a number of people having an energy check go on to claim a benefit which they didn’t know they could have. A welfare benefit can mean the difference between choosing to heat or eat. “
