Division One
Saundersfoot Sports 1 Neyland 5
Saundersfoot played quite well in the first half and competed throughout the match. In fact, Sports took the lead after 10 minutes when Jamie Morgan got in between two defenders to pick up a pass from Danny Caine to score. Neyland equalised through Jason Phillips and then took the lead when Paul Hannon scored the first of his three goals. In the second half, the Neyland midfield players gradually gained the upper hand and the visitors scored two quick goals following strikes by Paul Hannon and Craig Power. Later, Paul Hannon completed a fine hat-trick. For Saundersfoot, Danny Caine held the ball and battled well up front, while Steve Smith was solid in defence. Camrose 1 Carew 2
Carew had much the better of this match, but failed to make the most of scoring opportunities following some disappointing finishing. The midfield quartet of Paul Bullock, Kieran Stone, Huw Neale and Richard Bullock were all in outstanding form and as a result the Carew defence had little to do throughout the match. Martin Scourfield came close to giving Carew an early lead, but his header was saved by the Camrose 'keeper. Carew continued to attack constantly and 10 minutes later Richard Bullock gave the visitors the lead with a far post header after a corner taken by Huw Neale. Before the interval, Kieran Stone had extended the Carew lead with a peach of a free-kick which curled around the Camrose 'keeper into the back of the net. James Buckle and Carl Wainwright had chances to increase the lead, but Buckle's shot was saved and Wainwright's shot shaved the posts. In the second half, Carew lost a bit of rhythm as it became increasingly difficult to control the ball when the pitch cut up. Carl Wainwright created another good opportunity to score and although his shot beat the goalkeeper it was cleared off the line. Camrose came back into the match through a goal from Chris Owen. It was scored when Carew were awarded a throw-in which was taken by Adam Chandler. The ball was thrown to 'keeper Ben Evans, but Evans slipped on the slithery surface in going to pick up the ball and Owen took the opportunity to nip in to score. The goal spurred Camrose into action, but Carew continued to create chances, with Carl Wainwright going close to adding to the Carew tally on two occasions.
Merlins Bridge 2 Kilgetty 1
Kilgetty travelled to Merlins Bridge and played quite well during the first half and were a little unlucky to concede a goal just before the interval when Bret Shakir benefited from a deflection to score. After 10 minutes of the second half, Sean Jones increased the lead for the Bridge and later Kilgetty were handicapped when Russell Evans left the field after receiving a facial injury. He was replaced by Lee James, who recently made a welcome return to the Kilgetty club. In the later stages of the game, Kilgetty came into their own and got a goal back when a cross by Mike Beynon was deflected into the back of the net by a Bridge player. The visitors kept the Bridge under pressure during the closing stages, although as ever the Bridge looked dangerous on the break. Kilgetty defended well throughout the game. Goalkeeper Christian Phillips was in tip-top form and pulled off three tremendous saves. There were other good performances by sweeper Ollie Griffiths, plus Grant James and Jason Bridges in midfield.
Narberth 4 St. Ishmaels 1
The Bluebirds maintained their winning sequence to win this important six-pointer against championship rivals St. Ishmaels. Nevertheless, the Bluebirds were below par during the first half and after 30 minutes Adam Davies used his pace to beat three defenders when he ran onto a long ball out of defence to give Tish the lead. Following the goal, Narberth tightened up, but the remaining stages of the first half were fairly even, with both teams creating chances. In the second half, it was a different story and the Bluebirds completely outplayed the visitors. Wayne Howells equalised after 49 minutes. The move had been started by Richard Nash who pushed the ball wide to Raff Barnett who beat the fullback before crossing to Howells. The finish was a first time effort by the Narberth player. Within minutes, the lead had been extended through striker David Gillard, who used his pace to run on to a through ball from Raff Barnett and beat the covering defence. From this moment, Narberth took complete control of the game. The Bluebirds were much fitter and worked harder. In the closing stages, Gillard completed an excellent hat-trick. His second goal came after good work by Wayne Howells with a clever flick on to Gillard when the ball was cleared from the Narberth defence. Gillard completed an excellent afternoon when substitute Craig Hurst took a well-directed quick throw and Gillard chipped the Tish 'keeper. For the Bluebirds, Raff Barnett was outstanding in midfield and David Gillard had a huge game up front.
Tenby 0 Pennar Robins 2
Tenby lost this mid-table battle at home to Pennar Robins and conceded an early goal when James Stuart ran on to a long ball over the top to put the Robins in front. Daniel Scourfield increased the lead before half-time. Tenby reserved their worst performance of the season for this match and were completely outplayed by the Robins. It is difficult to recall a clear-cut scoring opportunity created by Tenby and the only saving grace was that the Seasiders kept out the Robins in the second half, with the Lewis Hurlow pulling off some good saves to prevent the visitors from scoring. James Thomas tried to keep spirits up with a fine captain's performance in midfield.
Division Two
St. Clears 6 Broad Haven 1
The Saints were three goals up without reply after 20 minutes and were in command from the kick-off. Owen Edwards opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a goal in the bottom left corner, Alec Weston increased the lead with a left-footed shot from a corner and Sam Thomas netted the ball after an incisive run down the right. Broad Haven organised their defence better in the second half, but the Saints continued to create chances and would have reached double figures if all chances had been taken. In the end, they settled for two more goals scored by Ben Roderick following a cross by Eddie Wiggins and Paul Edwards, who completed the scoring with a shot from the edge of the box. There were good performances for St. Clears from Sam Thomas, Paul Edwards, Eddie Wiggins, Alec Weston and Owen Edwards.
Clarbeston Road 4 Pendine 3
Seven goals were scored in this Division Two encounter, with Clarbie clinching the game with a late winner through Mathew Freeman. Wesley Reynolds gave the Seagulls the lead after three minutes and it was later extended by Robert De Schoolmeester. Clarbie pulled one goal back before the interval when Micky Loveridge scored. In the second half, Wesley Reynolds picked up his second goal of the match to regain the two goals lead for the Seagulls. Unfortunately, the goal signalled a loss of form by the Pendine team who went to pieces, so that goals by Daniel Lewis, Daniel Rees and Matthew Freeman gave Clarbie the points. For Pendine, the consistent John Roberts had a good game in goal, striker Simon Evans caused problems throughout the afternoon and Robert De Schoolmeester had a commanding game in midfield.
Division Three
Larwenny 1 Hundleton 4
Although the match ended in defeat for Lawrenny, it was a much-improved performance by the team. Hundleton share second spot in the Division Three table with Manorbier United and are the only team in any division of the James Williams Pembrokeshire League not to have lost a match this season. Barry Palmer opened the scoring for the visitors with a tap-in and Ben Randall increased the lead with a brilliantly taken free-kick. Lawrenny fought back and Kim Harland reduced the deficit when he outpaced the covering defence to run on to a good long ball out of defence by Stuart Prosser. Nevertheless, before the interval, Hundleton scored again with another tap-in by Barry Palmer. In the second half, Lawrenny tightened-up their defence and only allowed Hundleton through on one occasion when Lee Burgin scored with a speculative shot from 30 yards. For Lawrenny, Stuart Prosser and Brian Gildare had excellent games in midfield and Kim Harland was a constant thorn in the flesh of the Hundleton defence with his darting runs.
St. Florence United 3 Manorbier United 7
This pulsating local derby produced a feast of goals after St. Florence took an early lead through Scott Smith. However, Manorbier responded with four goals in the first half. The first came from a free-kick by Austin John from 30 yards and the visitors went into the lead when player-coach Robert Thomas finished off a well-worked move. Skipper Ben Hall then took over the goal-scoring duties with a brace of goals, but Scott Smith pulled one back with a header just before half-time. Although Manorbier played with the benefit of the slope in the second half, it took 25 minutes for another goal to be scored. It came when Adam Thorne had a neat finish when he ran on to a through ball. Ian Cather came on as a substitute for Manorbier and made an immediate impact with a goal. With 10 minutes of the match remaining, the alert Scott Smith completed a fine hat-trick for the Saints when he made the most of a defensive slip-up. Finally, Bruce Tasker completed the scoring for the afternoon with one of his speciality tap-ins for Manorbier. For the visitors, skipper Ben Hall was outstanding in midfield.
Templeton 1 Lamphey 3
Templeton have lost a couple of players to other clubs through transfers in recent weeks and as a result are producing some inconsistent performances. Lamphey took an early lead through Gordon Skyrme and Skyrme scored again with a well-judged shot from the edge of the box. A defensive error allowed Lamphey to take the half-time break with the cushion of a lead of three goals after James Watkins found the back of the net. Templeton got the game together a bit more in the second half and Morgan Preece exuded class in midfield. Nicky Phillips scored for Templeton when he somehow got the ball into the back of the net from a goalmouth scramble. Templeton continued to press forward, but the Lamphey defence held firm. Ball control became more difficult for both teams as the pitch cut up torwards the end of the match.
Reserve Division One
Carew 1 Merlins Bridge 2
Merlins Bridge ended up eventual winners of a game which was fairly even. Although Carew did not play well enough to win, a draw might have been a fairer reflection of play in this match. The defeat meant the Carew's recent winning sequence came to an end, although the home team took the lead through a goal by Brian Hall. The ball had been played down the line to Phil Jones who squared it for Brian Hall to finish with the side of his foot. After the first 20 minutes, the Bridge came into the game more and equalised before the interval. Following a mix-up in the Carew defence, Mathew D'Ivory broke in to hit the ball on an angle into the back of the net. In the second half, both teams created chances, but only one more goal was scored. Jamie Jenkins hit a ball from 20 yards, which deceived Carew goalkeeper Mathew Phillips in flight. Although Carew applied constant pressure in the last 15 minutes, they were unable to finish scoring opportunities.
Reserve Division Two
Manorbier United 4 Hubberston 5
Hubberston took the lead through two early goals after strikes by Liam Clark and Mathew Howells. Manorbier responded by levelling the scores before the interval. The first goal came from a James Hall penalty and then Paul Oeppen equalised with a close range shot. In the second half, Hubberston again got into the lead and followed up with two more goals. Mike Evans put the visitors in front and the lead was extended with a goal from Liam Clarke and another from Mike Evans. However, goals from Richard Scott with a well-taken strike and another from James Hall ensured that Hubberston did not have all their own way as Manorbier tried in vain for an equaliser. For Manorbier, Gavin Evans played well in midfield along with Ade Attwell.
Pendine 0 Milford United 4
Second placed Milford United proved a bit too strong for Pendine in this match and the Seagulls conceded four goals. Chris Thompson scored twice for the visitors, supplemented by goals from William Goodall and Jason Warlow.
Solva 0 Lawrenny 3
Although Solva had a lot of possession in the first half, the Lawrenny defence was solid and the visitors looked dangerous whenever they counter-attacked. After 30 minutes, Lawrenny took the lead through Mike Howe, who received the ball after a quick free-kick taken by Ian Jenkins. The ball was picked up by Howe, who swivelled and then beat the Solva 'keeper with a screamer. In the second half, Howe, the Lawrenny player of the moment, picked up his second goal of the match when he dribbled past a number of defenders and beat the 'keeper with a left-footed finish from the edge of the area. With 10 minutes of the match remaining, 16-year-old Tom Lewis, who was making his first start for Lawrenny having played recently as a substitute, cut in from the left and sent the 'keeper the wrong way to pick up the third goal for the visitors. For Lawrenny, Mike Howe was excellent in midfield and Tom Lewis was impressive with his running down the left.
Reserve Cup First Round
Kilgetty 3 St. Clears 1
The Saints took the lead in the first half when James Carnell was in position to score from a corner with a well-timed half-volley. Kilgetty equalised when Barry Lewis capitalised on a defensive error to score from a corner, although the visitors continued to create chances, with Simon Bancroft coming the closest to scoring. For Kilgetty, Barry Williams shaved the crossbar and Barry Lewis had a header cleared off the line. In second half, no goals were scored, although there were a couple of close shaves. For St. Clears, Simon Bancroft hit the crossbar, but Kilgetty had most of the ball without being able to find the back of the net. Jason Owen pulled off some good saves for the Saints. Anthony Bevan was a whisker away from scoring with a fine free-kick for Kilgetty and player-manager Andrew Cope had a shot saved. In the first period of extra-time, Kilgetty had most of the play and took the lead with two minutes of the period remaining when 16-year-old substitute Jack Bevan scored with a well-judged far post header. In the second period of extra-time, the visitors ran out of steam and Kilgetty dominated play. Another defensive error by the Saints allowed Shamsul Ali to score when he finished off a good move. It started with a break down the left by Jack Bevan taken on by Andrew Cope, who crossed the ball to Shamsul Ali to finish with a left-footed shot. All in all, it was an exciting cup tie which produced a good standard of football and Kilgetty ended up as deserved winners. For St. Clears, there were good performances by defenders Dai Nicholas and Ian Davies. For Kilgetty, midfielders Shamsul Ali and Lucas Gamble were energetic in midfield and Adam Hughes had an outstanding game in goal.
Monkton Swifts 4 Tenby 1
Tenby played out of their skins in this match with a depleted team. When the match started, Tenby only had nine players, a number which was later increased to 10. Amazingly under the circumstances, the visitors took the lead against the Swifts, who lie top of Reserve Division One, when Phil Spindlove ran on to a long ball out of defence. The visitors continued to defend steadfastly in the second half, but the Swifts eventually equalised with 25 minutes left, when Ian Rome scored from the penalty spot. By this stage of the match, the extra man made a difference for the Monkton team who went into the lead with a goal by Dai Stanley. With five minutes of the match remaining, Ian Rome increased the lead with a good shot which went in off the post and Ray Groves scored with a header from the last move of the match. It was a tremendous effort by every player in the Tenby team, who managed to create some isolated chances in the second half, despite being under pressure. There is a great team spirit in the Tenby side, who only need a couple of good results to start moving up the Reserve Division One table. Milford Athletic 4 Saundersfoot Sports 2
The Athletic team had the better of the first half and Saundersfoot found life rather difficult playing up the hill. A hat-trick by Robert Reed put the Milford team on top, but Saundersfoot struck back, with both Mathew Baxter and Ben Gray going close to scoring. The visitors suffered a setback just before the interval and were reduced to 10 players following an injury. In the second half, Sports created more scoring opportunities and reduced the Athletic lead when Rhys Howell made a run down the left before crossing into the box for Leo Branch to score. Saundersfoot pulled another goal back with an excellent finish by Mathew Baxter following good work by Leo Branch. Just when it looked as if Sports might get back into the game, a goal by Mathew Collins ended any hopes of cup glory for Saundersfoot this season. It was a good performance by the visitors in the second half, with Ben Gray outstanding up front and James Caine pulling off some good saves in goal.