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Continued Success For Neyland Cricket Club

The First Xl are currently joint top of the Pembrokeshire County Division One with Five games left and hoping to retain the title we won in 2019.

The team play tonight in the semi final of the Harrison Allen Bowl having won the bowl last season.

This year the Club entered the Voneus Broadband National Village Cup for the First time and although we are a town we are allowed to enter due to the population size of Neyland .Over 350 teams entered this year.

We won through to the Dyfed area final and beat Cresselly to qualify for the National rounds where we faced long trips to Stafford to play Milford Hall and then near to Mansfield where we played Clipstone and after being just a couple of runs short of victory rain abandoned the match and we returned the week after for a replay in Neyland which was also abandoned after a few overs.

The rules state that the match must have a bowl off to get a winner every player must have one ball to try and hit the wickets Neyland won this 4 – 1 after Nine players from each side had bowled, the bowl off took place in the sports hall of the new Hub facility.

We then travelled to South Wingfield in Derbyshire for the Quarter final which our lads won convincingly to progress to a home semi final on the 8th of August against either Houghton Main ( Yorkshire) or Alvaney (Cheshire) and to top off a great day Andrew Miller was voted the Theakstone’s (sponsor) player of the round award. The match also live on LiveFM sport radio where Club Chairman Martin Jones and Team Manager Peter Davies gave some insight into the club and players. The radio station are hoping to be in Neyland for the semi final.

To compete in this competition has been very costly and local business people, former players and Neyland Town Council have all contributed to help with the expense for which the player’s and club are very grateful. The team also reached the quarter final of the Welsh Cup last Sunday with a convincing win over Clydach near Swansea and now face Welsh premier league side Newport (Gwent) at Neyland on a date to be confirmed. Many of the team also represent the Pembrokeshire County Team . Sean Hannon is the current Captain of Neyland and Pembrokeshire. The team are also currently Pembrokeshire and Welsh indoor League Champions.

The Second Xl are through to there Second Alec Colley cup final having won it in 2018 and sit mid table in the Pembrokeshire division Three the Team is Captained by Paul Miller.

The Third Xl are the breeding ground with many teenagers and young players taking part and enjoying cricket with a few old heads to help guide them last season saw the 3s win the Kenny Morris cup for the First time under Captain Sam Laugharne the team recently saw three Ladies play for them in one match.

The Ladies Xl goes from strength to strength under the Captaincy of Sarah Arran and recently got to a soft ball final at Laugharne and are enjoying a good season although many of the ladies are new to the game.

The Junior section keeps on thriving with record numbers of children taking part in All Stars and Dynamos cricket coaching plus strong numbers in our junior age groups. The club is led by a strong and positive committee with excellent groundstaff and coaches. We also thrive on the family aspect at the club with many wives partners and children attending games.

Take out of this want you want Simon I thought would cover all bases to give you some insight of what goes on at Neyland CC

Neyland Carnival 2022

‘For the Romans bread and circuses sufficed to keep the population happy. For Neyland folks I think the return of the annual carnival, and the centenary carnival at that, went a great way to meet the same public need. The sheer creativity of the entries, whether floats or walking characters were uniformly of a really high standard and the entries were widely considered the best for many years. Along the route and on the field thousands watched the annual spectacle bathed under a hot July sun. It was the perfect day for community celebration. Enormous thanks are due to the participants, sponsors and the hard-working carnival committee under the dedicated leadership of Malcom Hawkins. The day could not have been bettered.’

Skate Park

A large number of youngsters turned up to witness the opening of the new Neyland Skatepark on Brunel Quay this evening.  The Mayor, Councillor Simon Hancock declared the facility open. Funding came from the Welsh Government capital play fund, Pembrokeshire County Council and from Neyland Town Council itself. The total cost of the scheme is nearly £50,000.  The council are pleased to make this important play provision for children in the town and feel sure it will be well used for years to come.

Neyland Carnival Coming Back 

Due to Coronavirus there was no carnival in Neyland in 2020 and 2021 but with the relaxation of restrictions it is intended to hold the carnival in July 2022. 

A meeting of the committee is being held at the Viewing Gallery, the Community  Hub, Neyland on Friday 25 February at 7.30pm  to discuss arrangements. 
Members of the public who would like to attend and who would like to help organise the event are most welcome. 

The Mayor of Neyland Councillor Simon Hancock  said ‘ Nowhere does a carnival like Neyland. There is such expectation of this year’s event and the effort and artistry of the entries  if usually of  an astonishingly high standard.  I would invite anyone to attend who would like to be actively involved and assist the committee chair, Mr Malcolm Hawkins and his committee. Mr Hawkins and the RAOB have worked so hard over years to make the carnival a reality and they cannot be credited enough. This year is especially auspicious since it is the 100th anniversary of the annual Neyland Carnival, first organised by the British Legion in 1922. There have been gaps over the years of course but the event is now an established tradition and we want to make this year’s spectacle the best ever. ‘ 



Skatepark

The skatepark equipment will cost £37,000 plus VAT and the resurfacing of the land cost £11,975.00 plus VAT and is being funded by joint funding from Welsh Govt Capital Funding and PCC Supporting Play Opportunities.  The resurfacing work has been completed and the equipment is due this month.  Work has to be completed by 31st March to comply with funding criteria.   The size of the park is 279 sq metres and there will be several different pieces of equipment similar to those in the illustration attached. We are leasing the grassed area from PCC as part of their Community Asset Transfer policy.

NEYLAND LADIES CHOIR

The photograph shows outgoing Chairlady Carol Scale and incoming Chairlady Trisha Campodonic.

After a long break of 18 months from singing because of Covid restrictions Neyland Ladies Choir were able to reconvene in September for the AGM.  There was a change of rehearsal venue, a necessary change in how rehearsals are conducted and a change of committee.

The choir made the move for weekly rehearsals to the schoolroom at Bethesda Chapel in Neyland.  The schoolroom is bigger than the previous rehearsal room enabling the ladies to be socially distanced from each other and everyone is currently wearing a visor or a mask whilst rehearsing.  Big thanks to the Pastor at Bethesda for helping with these new arrangements.   

The new committee were elected and the photograph shows the outgoing Chairlady, Carol Scale, being presented with the Waterford Bowl to mark her 2 years as Chairlady of the choir.  This bowl was specially made for the choir and presented to them on their visit to the Waterford Crystal factory in 1977 in honour of the choir’s 20th anniversary.  It is now presented to each outgoing Chairlady for safe keeping until it is time to pass it on.

The choir are now rehearsing items to be sung at the ordination of Robert Waygood as Pastor at Bethesda on 20th November and arrangements are taking place for the choir to share the stage with Barry Male Voice Choir on their planned visit to Pembrokeshire in April 2022.

Further information about the choir can be found on their website – neylandladieschoir.weebly.com or email –  neylandladieschoir@hotmail.com

Sports News

Cricket

After a disappointing couple of results that saw the First Team lose in the semi final of the national village cup and the quarter final of the Welsh Cup on consecutive Sunday’s we entered a massive last week of the Cricket season. 

This started with a home game against Lawrenny in the First Division league title decider at the Athletic club fields and we trailed Lawrenny by Nine points and Neyland had to win the game and ensure we did not give them to many bonus points in doing so. 

After a wet morning the game started on time thanks to the great work of ground staff, committee and players. Neyland batted first and scored 140 for 9 and bowled out Lawrenny for 118 to secure a third league title on the trot.

The following Saturday saw us travel to Cresselly and face Carew in the Harrision Allen Bowl Final in the First Carew innings we had Carew all out for 108 with some great bowling and fielding by our team. Neyland batted next scoring a massive 241 for 2 in our 22 overs a record score in the final breaking the other Two records set in the previous finals by us, Patrick Bellerby scored 134 not out Ross Hardy 49 not out and Nick Kooman 38.

In the Carew Second innings they scored 154 for 8 which left Neyland needing 23 when they batted which was passed comfortably to win the Bowl for the Tenth time and Second year on the trot and saw Captain Sean Hannon lift the Bowl in front of a massive Neyland support. Patrick Bellerby was named Man of the Match.On the Sunday captain Sean Hannon took the trophy to the houses of people who could not attend the final and have been stalwarts of the cricket club including Ann Phelan.

The Second Team finished mid table in Division Three and won the Alec Colley cup final at Pembroke beating Cresselly over Two innings with William Hughes winning the Man of the Match.

The Third Team also had a good season finishing in the top half of the season and narrowly going down in the semi final of the Ken Morris cup to a very good Narberth team.

The ladies also enjoyed a good season with numbers increasing and having a decent league season as well as getting to a couple of softball festivals.

The Junior section keeps going from strength to strength and this year saw fantastic numbers in our Dynamos and All Stars.

The community and business people have really got behind the club this season and was reflected by the numbers of supporters at games and Neyland Cricket Club are grateful for the support shown.

Rugby 

Yesterday saw our First team play for the time in 18 months with a thumping 58 -23 win at our rivals Llangwm under the leader ship of Captain George Williams and coaches Graham Richards and Steven Evans.

Today sees the Junior and mini section’s start there season. Wednesday night at the Athletic Club sees our newly formed Youth team under coach Colin Picton take to the pitch for the First time against Llangwm Youth it is great to see the youth team back in the club and we wish the well for the coming season

Picture Courtesy of the Pembrokeshire Herald