A wet and windy Bridge Meadow was the venue recently when the 'Boys in Blue' from North Pembrokeshire competed against their colleagues from the South for the handsome 'Jonathen Davies Memorial Cup.' The match was organised to raise funds for the Ty Bryngwyn Palliative Day Care Centre, Llanelli, where Jonathan, a popular and dedicated officer, received treatment before losing his long battle against illness.
The keenly fought match was played in front of over 200 spectators who were enthralled by the intricate footballing skills displayed by both teams.
Starting the game as firm favourites, the North applied early pressure, with Marcus Taylor showing his class in creating a number of goal scoring opportunities. These were either spurned by his teammates or broken up by a back four superbly marshalled by veteran skipper Phil Jones.
After 25 minutes, and completely against the run of play, the South took the lead when Kelvin Lewis volleyed home a spectacular goal from 18 yards past the bemused Craig Templeton before he had time to move.
This setback saw the North stepping up a gear in their attempt to score an equaliser before the interval, with Sam Picton-Evans and Chris Helps working tirelessly in midfield. The unflappable Steve Merrix, who probably played his finest game in a lengthy and distinguished career, nonchalantly plucked a string of teasing crosses from the air.
With the wind at their backs, the second half saw the North applying even more pressure on the South's goal and it needed all the experience and guile of Richard 'Butch' Wilkins and Dai 'Sammy' Lee to break up their penetrating attacks. Merrix was repeatedly called upon to repeat his first half heroics and pulled off a number of fine saves that brought the large number of excited spectators to their feet.
With less than 15 minutes remaining, the North scored the equaliser that they richly deserved, with Dai Mallin leaping majestically to find the net with a powerful header from a cross provided by Taylor.
Both sides had opportunities to score the winner, but their defences held firm until referee Steve Lee, who had an excellent match, blew the final whistle.
The trophy was donated by and presented to the respective skippers by Jonathan's mother, Mrs. Gwendoline Davies, who thanked everyone in helping make the afternoon such a memorable one.
During the after-match celebrations, Steve Merrix was presented with the 'Player of the Match' award by Julie, Jonathan's widow, and donated football memorabilia was auctioned by auctioneer Nigel 'Nasty' Jones.
Whilst there was no clear-cut winner on the pitch, the real winner was Ty Bryngwyn who will shortly receive a cheque for approximately £2,000.
A word of thanks to Richard Thomas and Helen Williams for their hard work in organising the event, to the businesses and individuals for their support and very special thanks to Haverfordwest Football Club for the use of their pitch and superb facilities.