Newport County Find Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way To Goals!
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Newport County earned the result of the weekend amongst Welsh clubs but manager Graham Coughlan reckoned their 4-0 thrashing of Doncaster Rovers could have been even better.
Coughlan saw County earn their first win of the League Two season, inspired by two goals from former Cymru Premier star, Will Evans.
Seb Palmer-Houlden and an own goal from Richard Wood completed a good day’s work for Newport who are up to 10th in the early season table.
“No exaggeration but we could have come in five or six goals (ahead) in the first half, we were really, really good,” said Coughlan.
“Let’s put it in our back pocket and build on it. We didn’t have a nice feeling last Saturday (losing 3-0 at Accrington Stanley), albeit our performance was okay, but now we’ve got a really good feeling and that’s football I suppose.”
Wrexham were left with feelings of frustration as their hopes of a first win in League Two were denied them by a late AFC Wimbledon equaliser.
Elliot Lee had put Wrexham ahead at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, but the home side levelled through a James Tilley penalty after Wrexham keeper Ben Foster had already saved one from the spot to deny Ali Al-Hamadi.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was left unhappy with the decision to award the spot kick and accused referee Darren Drysdale of inconsistency.
“If everyone looks at the penalties against us, in terms of what had been going on in both boxes throughout the game, to pick those moments out and give penalties for the first and second one is incredible,” said Parkinson.
“It’s a difficult place to come, they’re very direct. We dealt with it well, in the main, probably towards the end of the game we should have won it.
“But we’ll take a first point of the season and get back on the road for Tuesday night.”
The Bluebirds went down to a 2-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers, with Sinclair Armstrong and Kenneth Paal putting Rangers 2-0 ahead.
Ike Ugbo pulled a goal back for Cardiff, but manager Erol Bulut has told his players they have to be able to deal with stage fright when the spotlight falls on them.
It may have been their first time in front of their fans in the league and a home debut for star signing Aaron Ramsey, but Bulut said: “Many players were nervous – I don’t understand why.
“Maybe it is the first game in front of our fans. But that is not a reason to be nervous. We created enough to at least score a second goal and get a point. But two individual mistakes cost us.”
Swansea City are also still looking for their first league win of the season after losing 3-2 at West Bromwich Albion.
The Baggies looked in control at 3-0 up following Semi Ajayi’s 18th-minute volley, an own goal by Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth early in the second half and John Swift’s penalty.
However, the Swans mounted a late rally with headers from defenders Harry Darling and Nathan Wood to set up a tense final 10 minutes.
Swansea head coach Michael Duff said: “It was frustrating because we waited until we were 3-0 down before we started playing with any purpose.
“We went 3-0 down and it kicked us into life.
“If I thought we were useless and deserved to get beaten 3-0 or 4-0 I would say so, but the first half-hour and the last half-hour, it’s night and day.”
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Swansea City Hope Their New Hero Can Be Charlie Patino
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Swansea City are excited about the impact new loan signing Charlie Patino could have for the club – starting on Saturday at West Bromwich Albion.
The 19-year-old has already been training with the Swans and now the details of his move from Arsenal have been finalised, he is set to figure in the squad at The Hawthorns.
Patino spent last season on loan at Blackpool, so knows all about the rigours of the Championship, according to Swans head coach Michael Duff.
“His pedigree speaks for itself with the football club he’s at,” said Duff.
“He’s a young player but he’s played 40-odd games in the Championship which is a tough ask for anybody his age.
“I know he got relegated with Blackpool, but he’ll be much better for all of the experiences he’s had and hopefully we can benefit from that.”
Swansea drew their opening match, 1-1, at home to Birmingham City last weekend, but were encouraged by the 3-0 thumping they dished out to Northampton midweek in the Carabao Cup.
Those goals included two for star striker Joel Piroe, who looks likely to stay at the club despite a summer of intense transfer speculation.
The Swans remain keen to sign a central defender, one who can also operate at left-back, and Chelsea’s Bashir Humphreys is close to joining on another loan arrangement.
Cardiff City are also looking for their first Championship victory of the season, when they host QPR at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The Bluebirds gave away a two-goal lead at Leeds United on the opening day and then did the same at home to Colchester in the Carabao Cup, before going through on penalties.
Manager Erol Bulut says: “We gave away two soft goals, and those were down to two individual mistakes.
“For this, we have to work a little bit individually to make sure the opponent does not get past us. We have to work on, and correct these individual mistakes.”
Bulut still wants to bring in more players in this transfer window, but the club cannot pay fees at present because of their current transfer ban.
“We are working hard on it. It’s not easy to get free players, because we have the ban,” says Bulut.
“But still, we are working on it, so it may be in the coming days, maybe next week, that we can finalise two or three other players. We are looking in Europe, not just the UK.”
In League Two, both Newport County and Wrexham, are looking to bounce back after opening day defeats.
County are at home to Doncaster Rovers with manager Graham Coughlan still eager to add to his squad following Sam Bowen’s loan switch to Wealdstone.
Wrexham are on the road for the first time in League Two, at AFC Wimbledon, hoping to make amends for their opening day 5-3 defeat at home to MK Dons.
Star striker Paul Mullin is still recovering from a punctured lung, so will not be available, but manager Phil Parkinson believes he has adequate options to cover the absence of last season’s top scorer.
“We have got a competitive squad and it is about when you get a chance, that they prove they want to stay in the team,” said Parkinson.
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Welsh Fire Ignite After Sensational Shabnim Tells Her Skipper: I'VE GOT THIS!
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Some cricketers can get edgy when a match goes down to the wire, but not Welsh Fire bowler Shabnim Ismail.
As the Women’s Hundred clash against Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston ticked down to its climax on Thursday, she told her captain, “Don’t’ worry, I’ve got this.”
And she had, too.
With the last three balls of the match, Ismail took a hat-trick of wickets to claim an incredible victory for Welsh Fire, who currently top the table with three wins from their opening four games.
Those three balls prevented the home side scoring any of the four runs they needed to win as the South African star finished with 3 for 31. Phoenix, chasing 138, ended on 134 for 4 to suffer a heartbreaking defeat.
“I was aiming to go yorker length and just try to bowl dot balls,” Ismail said.
“The yorkers didn’t really come out today but it always does damage to take wickets so it worked out well.
“I had been in that position before so it was just a case of staying calm.
“There were no nerves from me. I had to stay calm and I even told the captain to just stay calm. I said to her, ‘we’re going to win this game, don’t worry – I’ve got this’.”
Beaumont’s stylish 59 from 40 balls lifted Fire to 137 for 7 but Phoenix looked in command of the chase as Tess Flintoff, with 55 off 45, and Amy Jones, who was unbeaten on 48 off 34, added 93 in 67 balls.
But Ismail’s brilliant hat-trick leaves the Birmingham side with a lot of work to do to climb into the qualification race.
Welsh Fire men are also enjoying a superb start to the season and lay third in the table after their victory over Birmingham Phoenix by six wickets.
After two disappointing seasons, it looks as if Fire could finally blaze a trail this campaign, right through to the knockout stages.
Phoenix chose to bat but mustered only 112 for 7, never shedding the shackles of a focused and fired up Fire attack.
David Payne led the way with excellent sets early and late on to finish with 2 for 11, while strong support was lent by Roelof van der Merwe with 2 for 16 and Haris Rauf’s 2 for 20.
Phoenix’s limp effort with the bat left them needing something dynamic with the ball but Fire blazed to 116 for 4 from 85 balls after Stephen Eskinazi launched their reply with a ferocious 18-ball 43.
They charged to 50 without loss in 21 balls and never looked back.
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Taine Game . . . Plumtree Will Have Fans Watching Across The World When He Takes On England
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Taine Plumtree will have eyes trained on him from both hemispheres when he makes his first start for Wales against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
In the north, Welsh fans will be anxious to see whether Plumtree can fill the gap at No.8 should the highly influential Taulupe Faletau fail to make it for the opening game of the World Cup against Fiji because of a calf injury.
In the southern hemisphere, they will be equally curious about Plumtree as the 23-year-old was raised in New Zealand and spent some years in South Africa, even though he was born in Swansea.
He has “Scarlets” in brackets after his name on the team sheet, but the truth is he is yet to play for them, having only stepped off the plane from New Zealand when the squad were training in Switzerland.
But although his rugby education came in the Super Rugby competition, Plumtree was born during his father John’s four-year stint coaching Swansea RFC in the late 90s.
He was eligible for the All Blacks, Wales, and the Springboks, as his mother was born in South Africa.
He made an impressive debut off the replacements’ bench last weekend and is already viewed as a player with an outstanding chance of making Gatland’s final 33-strong World Cup squad.
“He has been very good, he is a talent and an athlete,” said Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins.
“He understands the game, and he played pretty well when he went on on Saturday. We will see if he gets another opportunity in the coming weeks, but he is a good asset to the squad as a player and a person.
“He said to most of the guys that he was pretty nervous before coming out in Switzerland and not knowing anyone. He has certainly found his feet and he gets on with the guys.”
Aaron Wainwright wore the No.8 shirt in Wales’ World Cup warm-up opener – last week’s impressive 20-9 victory over England – with Plumtree now to fill that role as Faletau continues his recovery from injury.
Plumtree played only six times for the Blues in Auckland, including two appearances off the bench this season, in three years.
On Saturday he will have his chance to claim a place in the squad for the World Cup, where he will face a head-to-head against Billy Vunipola.
The Lions back row forward is set to make his first appearance for England under coach Steve Borthwick.
Wales have selected a new-look side for the second of back-to-back warm-up fixtures between the two nations, with hooker Dewi Lake set to lead his country for the first time.
Ellis Genge is poised to win his 50th cap for England if he comes on from the bench.
“We are very much looking forward to our return to Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, and the opportunity to play in front of our supporters again,” said Borthwick.
“England versus Wales is always a special fixture, and we are pleased to be playing the visitors again so soon.
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Female Tennis Players : Inspiring The Next Generation
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Figures released by Tennis Wales from the LTA Sports Tracker for Wales showed that more than 50,000 women played tennis in Wales at one point in the last 12 months, up from 36,000 in 2019 when the current ‘opening tennis up’ strategy began.
Elsewhere, the Sports Wales School Sports Survey found that 33% of girls played tennis in the last academic year, compared to 38% of boys and 34% of pupils identifying in the ‘other’ category.
Meanwhile, Tennis Wales has provided £6000 in bursaries to support women to access coach education and in 2023 43% of Level-1 candidates have been women. In addition, the percentage of female accredited coaches stands at 24% up from a start point of 19%, with a target 30%.
Female participation and involvement in coaching in Wales is heading very much in the right direction, but there is always more that can be done, which is why the Prime Video LTA Youth Girls programme, launched towards the end of last year, is so important.
The programme, is designed to inspire the next generation of girls into tennis by recruiting new or lapsed girls on to a six-week, high-standard girl-only group coaching course.
The initiative, which is 100% funded by the reinvestment of Prime Video’s US Open broadcast fees from the historic 2021 final and is supported by Emma Raducanu, has been a huge success in Wales, with 226 girls across 10 venues taking part at last count.
We spoke to three of the Welsh coaches involved in the programme, Kate Merrick in Wrexham, Mark Thomas in Bridgend, and Rob Cunningham in Penarth and Barry, to get the lowdown on why the programme is so special, and successful.
Before any participants were recruited onto the scheme the coaches received training.
Mark commented: “The training day at Bristol gave a perspective of how girls could react to tasks and drills differently to boys. It gave us several ideas about approaching the girl only sessions and areas to focus on.”
Kate said: “The training Day in Nottingham was very useful”, adding that the support afterwards was also excellent with a Facebook group where she could ask questions about anything she was unsure of.
Following training the coaches reached out to the community using a variety of tools, including social media, flyers, and contacting local schools, brownies and rainbow groups, as well as family friends of club members. The result saw the three coaches recruit 117 girls onto the programme between them.
The positive impact of the initiative is there for all to see.
Mark said: “To see over 50 new girls take up tennis has been amazing. We are so pleased to see over 80% of them continue playing through the follow-on course and Team challenge event.
“Friday Night is Girls Night” @BridgendTennisClub is our tagline. We only have girls coaching groups on Fridays.”
Mark added that an additional, unexpected, highlight of the scheme is that a number of the parents have signed up to our adult coaching programme following the completion of the Prime Girls courses, adding: “To see the whole family engaged in tennis is fantastic.”
Kate commented: “The most satisfying part of this whole course is just seeing so many girls on court at once having fun and smiling.
“I have played tennis since I was five-years-old and I was always playing with boys. It’s just so lovely to see all the girls coming together and playing and having fun and seeing all the parents interacting.
“It was great on the first day leading the girls, none of whom had ever been in Wrexham Tennis Centre down to the courts. Seeing all the girls in their kit all looking the same was brilliant as well.
“The only way I can sum this up is the initiative has been so worth, having 35 girls who have never played before enjoying the sport.
Like Mark, Kate noted great parent interaction, adding: “A real highlight was the last session of the introduction when I got parents and the council on court and involved with the kids playing games. The kids enjoyed it so much and were smiling the whole time.”
Rob echoed Kate’s thoughts, saying how it was brilliant to see how much the girls were enjoying themselves. He said: “It’s been great running a range of girl only sessions for different ages. They all love it and are making friends along the way.”
Asked why they thought the programme is worth its weight in gold,Mark noted it creates a place where the girls can feel comfortable playing.
He said: “For me, the Prime Video LTA Youth Girls initiative is more important for the 11-18 year olds. Girls of this age are far more conscious and nervous when playing sport. To have the girls only sessions helps to create a far more relaxed environment for them to start their journey.
“It creates an environment specific to girls. It’s their time!!!”
Rob also emphasised the particular value of the programme for girls aged 11 and older. He said: “What is good is that this initiative is attracting older girls into the game, not just the younger ones. I think it is really important to give new opportunities to teens and pre-teens as that is the age where many kids drop out of sport.”
He added: “I think it’s important to create a judgement-free environment for girls to come and play sport.
“We are currently midway through the follow-on sessions and improvement seen by all of the players is massive.”
Kate, meanwhile, believes the message the scheme sends is important. She said: “It says girls are allowed to play tennis. I think a lot of girls don’t think this because its boy dominated. We have had some girls with different disabilities taking part and it shows tennis is for anyone and everyone.”
The proof of any initiative is its sustainability and Prime Video LTA Youth Girls has more than proved its worth. In Wrexham 31 of the 35 girls who took part have signed up for the follow-on programme, while in Penarth and Barry the number was 20 from 30, and in Bridgend 45 of 52 have signed up.
Tennis Wales Board member Hannah Ward said: “The Prime Video LTA Youth Girls programme is an amazing initiative. Tennis has always had a near equal split of female and male players, and we are proud of the number of women and girls playing the sport in Wales.
“However, we can never rest on our laurels and this scheme helps bring new girls into tennis who have not played the game before and tailors the approach to address gaps identified. It does so as well in a fun and safe environment and allows them to benefit from all the physical and mental benefits that we know playing sport brings.
The programme has been an amazing success and, with it due to continue into 2024, many more girls in Wales are set to be introduced to tennis.
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New Mum Elinor Barker Stands On Top Of The World With Sister Megan And Welsh Teammate Anna Morris
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
CYCLING
Elinor Barker provided an inspirational moment for all new mums when she became a Welsh world champion at the weekend.
The Cardiff cyclist, an Olympic silver medalist, struck gold for Great Britain at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow alongside sister Megan and a third Welsh teammate, Anna Morris.
Barker was appearing at her first global track event since she became a mother after the last Olympics.
She was part of the GB women’s team pursuit who took a magnificent gold medal in a blistering time of 4:08.771, beating New Zealand by over four seconds for the world championship title.
“The chance to win at home is so special and I can’t believe we did it. I rode it with my sister Meg and Anna and I went to school together, so what are the chances of that!” said Barker.
“It just feels all very surreal – the chances of any one of us getting here is so slim and the fact that we’ve all known each other from childhood is just bizarre!
“When you win, it feels like the pain in your legs just disappears somehow. At the time, it was an absolute blur of pain and it was such a relief getting over the line.
“I think this is just such a rare opportunity – the last time we had a home worlds was London, and we missed out then and messed up in the qualifier.”
RALLYING
Also dreaming of becoming a Welsh world champion this year is rallying star Elfyn Evans.
He enjoyed a great weekend and reduced the deficit at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ standings from 55 to 25 points after winning Rally Finland.
The Dolgellau ace seized his chance when arch rival and Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanperä crash out – winning the event outright and also taking maximum bonus points for setting the fastest time on the closing Power Stage.
Evans also becomes only the third driver from outside Finland to win the event on multiple occasions as he and co-driver Scott Martin repeated their 2021 triumph.
“It’s been a great weekend for us and it feels pretty special to win this rally for the second time,” said Evans.
“It’s one of my favourites and a home rally for the team with the factory being based in Jyväskylä.
“It’s been fantastic to drive this car on these roads and it’s been a joy to be behind the wheel. We had a really nice feeling almost from the beginning.
“Things really clicked and the stage times came naturally. It’s a positive weekend in terms of the championship as well and we’re now a bit closer to Kalle than we were before.”
NETBALL
Wales finished their Netball World Cup campaign by claiming ninth place with a convincing win over Scotland.
Shooters Georgia Rowe and Phillipa Yarranton put in impressive displays as the Scots were beaten, 57-42 in Cape Town.
It means Wales return from South Africa with a place in the world’s top 10, an achievement skipper Nia Jones says they can be proud of.
Jones said: “Full credit to Scotland, we played them a few times over the last couple of years and it is always super competitive.
“We are two really evenly matched teams and it is about who performs better on the day to take it.
“I’m proud of how we turned the screw in that second half.”
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Jac Morgan Rolls Back The Years But Looks The Captain To Take Wales Into The Future
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Sometimes a rugby player produces one moment that echoes not just around a stadium, but back through the years gone by.
There was one at the Principality Stadium on Saturday night as Wales beat England 20-9 in the first of their World Cup warm-up matches.
Most rugby fans over the age of 30 can recall the Gavin Henson tackle on Matthew Tait back in 2005 during the Six Nations game against England.
Eighteen years on and new Wales captain Jac Morgan did something similar on opposite number Tom Pearson – lifting the man in white off the ground and dumping him backwards.
Morgan also showed composure and instinctive flair with ball in hand to set up the try for Gareth Davies that changed the course of the match.
George North scored the second try and there might well have been a third for Louis Rees-Zammit if the TMO had come to a different conclusion over a very tight call.
“Full credit to the boys it was a great game,” said Morgan.
“It was good after the training weeks to get that result and performance. The camps have been tough, but we worked hard and we’re pleased to get the results.
“We went in at half-time knowing we had more in the second half, we dug and came out firing.”
Leigh Halfpenny kicked 10 points on the day he earned his 100th cap in a team display that provided huge encouragement to Wales fans just a month out from the start of the World Cup in France.
The 34-year-old full back showed Warren Gatland he is ready for a third tournament if required.
“It was a pretty special day for myself and my family. Winning one cap for Wales was a dream come true but this is surreal and hasn’t really sunk in yet,” admitted Halfpenny
“I’ve got to give huge thanks to Warren Gatland for giving me my first cap and awarding me my 100th. I’d obviously love to carry on playing and the ambition is to keep going.
“I’d love to go to the World Cup in France but there is so much competition in the squad and in the back three. There is a lot of quality and I’m sure whoever is picked will do an outstanding job.”
Gatland is going to go for a 19-14 split between forwards and backs for France and that could mean Halfpenny misses out. With three scrum halves and three outside halves penciled in that leaves eight spaces for centres, wings and full back.
Rees-Zammit, who was denied what would have been a wonder try by referee Nic Berry on review after skinning Fredie Steward, is nailed on for a wing berth with Josh Adams, while George North is the leading centre and Liam Williams the top pick at full back.
That leaves the likes of Rio Dyer, Max Llewelyn, Mason Grady, Nick Tompkins and Halfpenny battling it out for the final four places.
Gatland is set to make wholesale changes for the return game against Steve Borthwick’s top England team at Twickenham this weekend, but was more than happy with what he saw from his players in their first outing since the Six Nations.
“We were fitter,” he said as he left the stadium. “I felt some of the English forwards were blowing a bit just before half-time.
“I was a little bit apprehensive in the morning because I wasn’t quite sure how things were going to go. I knew the players had been working hard and so I was looking for a performance.
“It was a good start, and we’ll take a lot of confidence moving forward from this game. There will probably be a lot of changes for Twickenham and if we had to pick our best XV tomorrow there are only about three names nailed on.”
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No Wins For The Welsh Clubs, But Erol Bulut Believes Cardiff City Have Something To Build On
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut was left frustrated, even though his team produced by far the best performance among the Welsh clubs on the opening weekend of the season.
None of the Football League foursome of Cardiff, Swansea City, Newport County and Wrexham managed to gain a victory, with Cardiff and the Swans earning draws and both the League Two clubs losing.
Bulut probably gained the most satisfaction as his club earned a 2-2 draw away at Leeds United.
“I think the draw was a fair result for us,” said Bulut after his first Championship match in charge.
“We managed the pressure in the second half really well, but when you concede a goal just after half-time and then one at 90+5, you’re never going to like it, and I don’t like it.
“We played against a really good Leeds team. Individually they are very, very good, and they did put us under a lot of pressure in that second half. The result, though, with the way it was at one point, we have to be happy.”
It was Crysencio Summerville who struck the dramatic 95th-minute leveller to earn a point.
Debutant Josh Bowler put the Bluebirds in front with a composed finish after 23 minutes and Ike Ugbo doubled the advantage before the break after Aaron Ramsey’s shot had been deflected into his path.
Leeds captain Liam Cooper leapt to divert a corner in and halve the deficit shortly after the restart and following incessant attacking that followed, the Whites finally got their reward.
Carl Ashworth had a debut to remember in goal For Swansea as they were held at home to a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City.
The on-loan goalkeeper from Brighton was at fault for Birmingham’s opening goal. Keshi Anderson was alert to pounce on Rushworth’s loose pass to Ben Cabango before teeing up Siriki Dembele.
But Rushworth produced a sublime one-handed save to keep out Ivan Sunjic’s late strike after £2.5m summer signing Jerry Yates had drawn Swansea level with his first goal for the club.
Duff was left encouraged by his team’s recovery after falling a goal behind, but frustrated by their poor start.
He added: “I’ve got mixed emotions, really. Birmingham started probably a bit better than us but I thought we finished the first half really well, so I’m really disappointed to give away a poor goal.
“I think we were pretty dominant in the second half and they were trying to shut up shop.
“The players stuck to their task, I thought we looked really fit – we were still going in the 97th minute.
“That’s the frustration. They’ve not had to do a lot to score and we’ve had to do a lot to score our goal. They are things we need to learn.”
Welcome to Wrexham was the football TV series of last season, but Welcome To League Two proved less profitable.
In an entertaining game, the Dragons were beaten 5-3 at home by MK Dons and manager Phil Parkinson admitted: “It wasn’t the day we wanted.
“Everyone’s talking about ourselves as favourites and sometimes you need a day like this, like a reality check to reassess things.”
“It’s one to review but not to get too down as a group. We just looked like our decision making in all areas, on the ball and off the ball, were a long way off where it needs to be.”
Newport didn’t even have a goal to celebrate as they lost their League Two opener, 3-0, at Accrington Stanley.
County manager Graham Coughlan admitted: “We gave away three soft goals and couldn’t hit the back of the net ourselves, so I’m very frustrated and very annoyed.
“But I thought there was a lot of good stuff from us today. Tidy up at the back, defend the back stick better and take your chances, and that’s the story of the game really.”
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Geraint Thomas Poised To Take On The World In Glasgow
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
CYCLING
Geraint Thomas could carry the hopes of Wales as well as Great Britain if he competes in the elite men’s road race at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow on Sunday.
Thomas has been competing in Poland in the Tour de Pologne and it has yet to confirmed if he will race the road race or time trial in Glasgow.
Wales’ former Tour de France winner warmed up nicely for the World Championships with a strong performance to come third in the 16 kilometre time trial on the penultimate day of the Tour de Pologne.
Already celebrating with some silverware in Glasgow is rising Welsh star Emma Finucane.
The Carmarthen-based rider was part of a Great Britain team that recorded a best major women’s team sprint result in 12 years with silver at the Championships.
Lauren Bell, Sophie Capewell and Finucane recorded a time fast enough to break the world record at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome, but Germany went even faster to take gold in a time of 45.848 seconds.
It marks another step towards world class for 20-year-old Finucane, who won two bronze medals on the track at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
NETBALL
Wales are set to conclude their Netball World Cup campaign this weekend – with a chance to finish ninth at the tournament.
Wales coach Emily Handyside has urged her team to back-up their victory over Trinidad and Tobago and claim that place within the world’s top 10.
The Welsh Feathers earned their second victory of the tournament with a convincing 70-55 win on Friday that sets up a final game shoot-out against Scotland on Saturday to decide ninth and 10th places.
“It felt so good to win today, and win well,” said Handyside.
“We’ve been building towards that performance. Now we have to back it up on Saturday for our last game against Scotland.”
RUGBY LEAGUE
The inaugural Wales Rugby League Wheelchair Invitational League kicks off this Sunday with a mouth-watering couple of fixtures at the Cardiff City House of Sport, starting at noon.
First up, newcomers Cardiff Blue Dragons have a baptism of fire against the experienced North Wales Crusaders in what will be the hosts’ first-ever game. Argonauts of Kent then face Hereford Harriers at 2pm. The fifth side for the 2023 season is Torfaen Tigers.
However, as the ethos around this new league is for the growth and development of the sport, only one elite player per side is allowed to be on the pitch at any one time – an elite player is one who plays in any competition at Wheelchair Super League level or is part of a wheelchair international side’s training squad.
The emphasis here is wheelchair as some members of the Wales Physical Disability RL squad may also give this version of the game a try.
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This Is Your Wales Captain Speaking: Stay Fit And Enjoy The Ride
Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist
The Rugby World Cup gets real this weekend.
It doesn’t start for a further five weeks, but the warm-up matches begin on Saturday and for any player who picks up a significant injury, the warm-ups will leave them with a cold fear.
Not that anyone on the field at the Principality Stadium on Saturday can hold back when Wales take on England.
They must go full throttle to earn selection and hope they are not bumped off course.
There is much that will seem unfamiliar about Wales, including a new captain.
Jac Morgan has the job, with the 23-yearold already being compared by head coach Warren Gatland to former skipper Sam Warburton.
“He’s humble,” Gatland said of Morgan.
“He’s a good man. He’s really well respected in the squad. He doesn’t say a lot, a bit like Sam. He does his talking out there and leads by example.
“That’s a huge positive about him. We went to Turkey last week and took a referee out there with us to do some live stuff.
“One of the comments from him was that some of the interaction from Jac was really impressive. He was asking good, positive questions without being aggressive.
“That was probably an indication we’d made the right call.”
Wales’ training squad experienced punishing training camps in Switzerland and Turkey during the past month and Gatland will parade three news caps – Max Llewellyn, Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti – among the starting line-up.
“I have got to say that I am incredibly impressed with this group of players in the last eight weeks,” Gatland added.
“They are in great shape physically. I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“They have been to the well and had to dig deep with everything we’ve put them through. They have been absolutely brilliant.
“We’ve had tough sessions, but come out the other side. The hardest thing is naming the 33 (final World Cup squad). There will be some real tough calls.”
It’s not just the Welsh players who will be slightly edgy about picking up injuries.
England scrum-half Danny Care is now 36, but injuries and selection snubs mean he has played just one World Cup match – against Uruguay in 2015 – among his 84 Test appearances for England.
But Care says: “One thing you can’t do going onto a rugby field is think about staying fit and no one will be doing that.
“It is the nature of the beast – you’re not playing tiddlywinks. It’s a tough old sport and you can get injured at any point, in any training session.
“It’s the way it is, there is a bit of luck involved sometimes. You try and not think about it, just crack on and put your head 100 per cent into everything and then hope for the best.
This is how the teams line-up:
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 Christ Tshiunza, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Corey Domachowski
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Ben Carter, 20 Taine Plumtree, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Mason Grady
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Guy Porter, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Alex Dombrandt, 7 Tom Pearson, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 George Martin, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Ellis Genge (c)
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Tom Willis, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 George Ford, 23 Henry Slade