June 2007 Archives

MICKEY THOMAS will captain a Celebrity X1 which includes former Liverpool stars Ian Rush and Alan Kennedy in a charity football match at Eirias Park on Sunday to raise money for the Ty Gobaith children's hospice in the Conwy Valley.
The star line-up, to play a Weekly News/Daily Post XI, also includes former Liverpool players Lee Jones and John Durnin, ex-Manchester United striker Deiniol Graham and Welsh rugby international Robin McBryde along with ex-Coronation Street actor Bruce Jones and Darren Wharton from Thin Lizzy and Dare.
The match is to be played on Sunday (July 1) at the Colwyn arena at Colwyn Leisure Centre in Colwyn Bay with a 3pm kick. The match has had to be switched from the original venue at Colwyn Bay Football Club because upgrading work is still going on at the ground following a delay in the arrival of new seating.
More details on the match and all the personalities involved can be found in this week's Weekly News, along with a comprehensive round-up of the local cricket, golf and bowls scene, with reports, results and tables, and news of national success for kitesurfer Johara Sykes-Davies from Llandudno and Great Britain triathlon ace Rhian Davies of Rhos-on-Sea.
The junior sports page features pictures of cup winning sides Conwy Borough Under-10s and Conwy United Under-9s, plus Ysgol Pen-Bryn tag rugby team and the Llandudno representative junior fotball team which retained the Royal Artillery Cup with victory in France against twin town Wormhout.

THE chances of Colwyn Bay playing the FAW Premier Cup in the future were enhanced this week with the club receiving a £6,000 donation from Colwyn Bay town council towards upgrading their floodlights.
Club chairman Geoff Cartwright, who received the cheque for Colwyn mayor Laurette Danson, says that is now a priority, especially with the news of a broadband TV deal between the Unibond League and cable TV company Invision limited.
The new agreement, which will see NPL TV linked to clubs' websites and opening up the service to 200,000 potential users, will feature highlights of one UniBond league match every week, in addition with up to two midweek games shown 'live' each month for a subscription fee of £3.95 per match.
Invision also plan to begin broadcasting to pubs and clubs around six UniBond clubs by the start of next season and to increase that figure by up to five clubs a month over the next two years.
"The TV deal is very important news and provides a big commercial opportunity to sell advertising boards around the ground which could be exposed to TV coverage," said the chairman.
"Consequently we need to upgrade our lights to 250 Lux as soon as possible so that we can accommodate the TV cameras for evening games."
That will also open the door for participation in the FAW Premier Cup if they can qualify ahead of Newport or Merthyr Tydfil, as their previous inclusion in the competition has been prohibited by BBC Wales because their lights were not strong enough.
The council's donation will help to correct that and the chairman adds: "We are very grateful to the council for their continued support of the club. It is important we give something back to the community in return and we fully intend to do that."
More on this and other football stories are in this week's Weekly News, along with a full report and pictures of the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open golf tournament at Conwy and a round-up of all the local cricket, bowls, darts and pool reports.
The junior sports page features pictures of Mochdre Panthers Under-13s girls football team, Conwy Borough JCT Under-8s team and the Colwyn Bay and Llanrwst Under-11 cricket teams.

CARL MASON of England got four birdies in the last nine holes to win the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open in front of huge galleries at Conwy with a six under par three round total of 210.
He was four shots off the lead after eight holes of Sunday's final round but was one of four contenders with Costantino Rocco, Ross Drummond and overnight leader Juan Quiros of Spain going into the tough closing three holes, where all his rivals dropped shots while he crucially birdied the 16th.
"That felt like an eagle because it was so important," he said later after picking up the £75,000 first prize.
It was his 15th European Seniors victory in four years.
Only seven players finished under par as Conwy proved a challenging test for the players.
Final leading scores: Carl Mason (England) -6 (73, 69, 68), Ross Drummond (Scotland) -4 (73, 70, 69), Juan Quiros (Spain) -4 (75, 64, 73), Costantino Rocco (Italy) -3 (70, 71, 72), Des Smyth (Ireland) -3 (71, 75, 67), Bob Cameron (England) -2 (75, 69, 70).
More reaction and pictures from the event will appear in this week's Weekly News.

JUAN QUIROS of Spain carded a breathtaking 64 and will take a two shot lead into the final round of the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open at Conwy on Sunday (June 17).
He had seven birdies and an eagle on his Saturday card and had the chance to set a new course record on the 18th, but his 15 foot putt didn't turn as anticipated and finished two inches outside the hole.
He is five under par going into the final day with Italy's Costantino Rocco on three under after a 71 on Saturday, with Argentina's Horacio Carbonetti and England's Carl Mason both on two under.
Other highlights of Saturday's play was a hole in one by South African Bobby Lincoln at the 156 yard second hole, and a round of 65 by Argentine Adan Sowa, which featured five birdies and an eagle and was 10 shots better than his round on Friday.
Leadiers after 36 holes: Juan Quiros (Spain) -5 (75, 64), Costantino Rocco (Italy) -3 (70, 71), Horacio Carbonetti (Argentina) -2 (72, 70), Carl Mason (England) -2 (73, 69), Maurice Bembridge (England) -1 (70, 73), Ross Drummond (Scotland) -1 (73, 70), Bob Cameron (England) par (75, 69), Luis Carbonetti (Argentina) par (71, 73), Eamonn Darcy (Ireland) par (71, 73), Martin Gray (Scotland) par (73, 71), Ian Mosey (England) par (71, 73), Noel Ratcliffe (Australia) par (74, 70), Adan Sowa (Argentina) par (79, 65).
The leaders are last to tee off at 12.30pm on Sunday.

GUILLERMO ENCINA from Chile goes into the second day of the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open at Conwy with a one shot lead after shooting a three-under par round of 69 on Friday (June 15).
But six players who have made a total of 16 appearances in the Ryder Cup are within three shots of him after a rain-affected opening day.
Play started over two hours late after heavy rain left standing water on parts of the course and Encina then led the way in difficult windy conditions.
Highlight of his round was an eagle at the 511 yard 12th hole where he pushed his four iron approach shot right but saw the ball take a big kick left and roll to within four feet of the hole.
Italian Costantino Rocco is one shot behind him after almost holing in one at the 15th where his tee shot finished just a couple of inches from the hole.
Sam Torrance struggled on the back nine, but holed a bunker shot at the 18th to finish with a two over 74.
Welshman Craig Defoy carded a 76.
First round leaders: Guillermo Encina (Chile) -3, Tony Allen (England) -2, Maurice Bembridge (England) -2, Costantino Rocco (Italy) -2, Luis Carbonetti (Argentina) -1, Ray Carrasco (USA) -1, Eamon Darcy (Ireland) -1, Ian Mosey (England) -1, Des Smyth (Ireland) -1, Gordon Brand Jnr (England) par, Jerry Bruner (USA) par, Horacio Carbonetti (Argentian) par, Tommy Horton (England) par, Bob Larratt (England) par, Mike Miller (Scotland) par.
Saturday's selected tee times: 10.40am: Rhodes, Torrance and Johnstone; 11.50am: Miller, Horton and Brand; 12.00: H Carbonetti, Larratt and Bruner; 12.10: Mosey, Smyth and L Carbonetti; 12.20pm: Carrasco, Darcy and Bembridge; 12.30pm: Allen, Rocco and Encina.

THE new five-man management team who have joined the board of directors at Colwyn Bay say there have no intention of ever returning to Welsh football.
Although the club will face major difficulties next season after being placed in the southern section of the newly restructured Unibond Division One, with many of their away games involving trips to Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, the Cartwright family are totally committed to making progress in the English pyramid.
But new chairman Geoff Cartwright, managing director of the family-run water technologies company PreCom, says it is imperative that the community get fully involved in the club to help reach their target of Conference football within five years.
And the most pressing need is for more volunteers to join the working parties who are battling to meet their ground grading deadline in two weeks time.
Around a dozen or so fans have been working flat out in recent weeks on the ground, but more labour is needed if everything is to be completed in time for the FA ground grading inspection at the end of June.
Work involves putting in new pitch barriers, inserting 400 new seats in the covered spectator area along the far side of the pitch, completing the covered terrace area at the town end of the ground and building new dug outs.
"It is vital we get the work done before the inspection is made at the end of the month and we need more volunteers to help with labouring work between now and then to be sure we meet the target," says the vice-chairman Andy Owens. "The more people who turn up the quicker we can get the work done."
Anyone who can go along on Sunday, June 17, from, 10.30am will be very welcome.
There are also working parties on Tuesdays and Thursday.
The new five-man management team who join the club's board of directors last Tuesday are already drawing up plans to set up links with local schools and community groups to try and get the town involved with helping the club progress.
"A successful football team can benefit the whole area and we are committed to making progress up the English pyramid system and for the community to reap the benefits that can bring with national publicity and more visiting fans coming to the town," added the chairman.
More details of the new five-man management team and other club news is in this week's North Wales Weekly News.
There is also a full round-up of the local cricket scene, including news of a first ever hat-trick for Conwy's Ioan Williams, plus a preview of this Saturday's local derby between Llandudno and Mochdre.
Jeff Pearson won 21-1 to help Rhos-on-Sea extend their lead in Section C of the Colwyn and Llandudno Bowling League and there is a comprehensive round-up of results and league tables around the bowls scene, plus darts, golf, dominoes and junior sports results and all the other local sports news.

NATALIE HEAP has made quite an impact in the male dominated North Wales Cricket League after being introduced into Conwy Cricket Club's 2nd team this season.
Thought to be the only woman playing in the league, the 17-year-old has taken 12 wickets for 35 runs in the last four matches in which the Conwy team have netted 38 out of a possible 40 points to open a big lead at the top of Division Five.
In fact, teams in the Conwy borough lead three of the six divisions with three others in the top two. There is a full round-up of all the local cricket stories of the week in this week's Weekly News.
Rhos-on-Sea are the only team to make it eight wins out of eight in the Colwyn and Llandudno District Bowling League. Get up to date with all the North Wales bowls news, including another fine win for the Wales men's county team, plus all the local golf, darts and pool results and news of Colwyn Bay school teacher Rhian Davies who bravely fought off illness to win the Welsh Ladies Triathlon title.
Seventeen different sports are featured this week, and the junior sports page features Penrhyn Bay Reds Under-12s, who won the Colwyn and Aberconwy Junior Football League's Under-13s League Cup, Colwyn Bay Bullets Under-11s who were cup finalists in the North Wales Girls Football League, three members of the Llandudno Karate Association who have been successful at recent grading sessions, and news of eight North Wales youngsters picked to play for a European team at an international Under-16s Rugby League tournament in Serbia later this month.

COLWYN BAY Football Club will play in a new Undibond Division one South next season after the new North/South format got the two third majority vote needed from member clubs this week.
It means the Seagulls face several long trips to away games in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.
Club vice-chairman Andy Owens reported: "The vote in favour reached the required number to pass by three votes. The clubs then voted to further split the division into two groups of nine and play an additional eight games (four home and four away) to give a 42 game programme. These are intended to be based on geographical proximity (nobody could tell which eight clubs will be seen as the Bay's group). This was despite the obvious problems this format in terms of credibility, fairness and practicality which had meant this proposal was discounted by the league officials prior to the meeting as not viable. Stating the obvious imbalance in terms of certain teams having to play stronger teams than others, mitigating against a fair level playing field.
"We voted against the proposals on a business, financial and on the latter football credibility perspective. We were unable to convince enough others to see it our way. I cannot hide the fact I am disappointed with the way this has been handled; we will need to take stock and decide how we move on from this."
The Division will be made up of the following teams: Alsager Town, Belper Town, Brigg Town,
Cammell Laird, Carlton Town (Nottinghamshire), Colwyn Bay, Goole, Grantham Town (Lincolnshire), Gresley Rovers, Kidsgrove Athletic, Nantwich Town, Quorn (Leicestershire), Retford United (Nottinghamshire), Sheffield,
Shepshed Dynamo (Leicestershire), Spalding United (Lincolnshire), Stocksbridge PS and
Warrington Town.
Financially the new format looks very damaging to the Bay and the apparent lack of backing that the club get in England does prompt the question of whether or not they should consider returning to Welsh football. Personally I think that could damage the club's credability beyond repair and most fans on the club's website seem vehemently against such a move.
Should the Bay stay in England and strive to progress, or return to Wales? If you have a view on this please let us know.

EMILY WHITLOCK from Rhos-on-Sea brought home a gold medal from the European Junior Team Squash Championships in Hungary after helping England's Under-15 team become European champions.
The 13-year-old Ysgol Bryn Elian student won all her matches as England scored five successive victories to beat Turkey, Belgium and Scotland in their qualifying pool and then Hungary and Germany in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
More on this achievement is featured on the popular junior sports page in this week's (May 31) North Wales Weekly News along with pictures of Colwyn Bay Fliers, the newly crowned North Wales Girls Football League Under-15 champions, Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy Under-16s rugby team, St David's College Under-18s rugby squad and the Conwy County Under-16 badminton team which has just won the inaugural Welsh Inter-County Championship in Cardiff.

DEGANWY Ventilation are new leaders of the North Wales Coast Bowling League and there is usual full round-up of news, results and tables, from the local bowls, darts, golf and cricket scene.