August 2007 Archives

COLWYN BAY manager Gary Finley is hoping to have an unchanged squad available for Saturday's FA Cup preliminary round tie at Llanelian Road against Congleton Town.
Neil Black suffered a back injury which forced him to come off at half-time in Monday's 1-1 draw at Stocksbridge, but the manager is hopeful he will be OK for Saturday.
"I spoke to Neil today (Wednesday) and he thinks he will be OK, but we'll see how he is in training," said the manager.
The Seagulls go into the game as the only side in the Unibond Division One South still boasting an unbeaten record, following Alsager Town's defeat at Shepshed on Monday, but with the club anxious to pick up some FA Cup prizemoney with a long overdue run this year, they will not want to slip up on Saturday.
The manager went to watch Congleton win 2-1 at Maine Road in the North West Counties League on Tuesday and gives his views ahead of Saturday's tie in this week's Weekly News.
There is a round-up of all the bank holiday cricket, with teams chasing championships and promotion, plus the usual comprehensive round-up of bowls, football, darts and golf.

COLWYN BAY beat Shepshed Dynamo 6-0 in another impressive home display to move into second place on their own in the Unibond Divison One South.
They and new leaders Alsager, who are two points ahead of them, are the only sides in the division still unbeaten after three games.
It is a long time since Colwyn Bay fans have seen such attacking flare from their side and manager Gary Finley said afterwards: "There is still more in us. We've got young players who are still learning and will get better.
" And we know there are goals in us. We scored six today and must have created at least 10 other good scoring chances. We were continually creating chances and that is very encouraging."
The Bay were 2-0 up after only 11 minutes with Anthony Murt heading the first on four minutes from a corner and then Shedshed's Andy Mottershead headed into his own net from a John Lawless free kick as the keeper came to try and punch clear.
Lawless (twice), Neil Black and Martin Crowder all had efforts at goal before half-time and Shepshed were then blown apart with two goals in two minutes from John Lawless early in the second half.
James Olsen's great crossfield pass found Lawless who ran to the edge of the area before sidestepping a defender to fire into the bottom corner, and then he picked up another long ball in to the area before beating a defender and rifling a left foot shot into the roof of the net.
Keeper Jamie Speare made two outstanding saves as Shepshed tried to hit back, but after Robbie Williams and Anthony Murt had both gone close, the Seagulls wrapped up the match with two more goals from substitute Mark Quayle in the last six minutes.
Anthony Murt's shot deflected off a defender into Quayle's path for him to score the first and then Lewis Callaghan's run from deep beat the offside trap and he raced into the area before squaring the ball for Quayle to get his second.
It was Bay's biggest win since they beat Gresley Rovers 6-0 in December 2005 and the manner of the win should give the whole squad a lift ahead of Monday's game at Stocksbridge.
The lively Lawless was named man of the match, but everybody played their part with Kyle Armstrong having a great game in centre of defence and Olsen excellent in the centre of midfield.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, Boardman, Armstrong, Swan (Brandreth 74mins), Williams, Crowder (Quayle 60mins), Olsen, Black (Roberts 80mins), Murt, Lawless.
Attendance: 384.

LLANDUDNO won 4-0 at Bodedern in the Cymru Alliance with goals from Leighton Griffiths, Jody Hamilton and Chris Johnson (2) - despite having Joe Morgan sent off in the first half for two yellow cards.

MELISSA REID, a 19-year-old from Derbyshire, won the 2007 Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Conwy Golf Club by one shot, following a final round of one-under-par 73 on Friday.
She finished with a six-under four round total of 209 after earlier rounds of 70, 72 and 75.
Florentyna Parker from Surrey, who won the French Under 21's in April this year, took second place for an English first and second, after finishing with a spectacular seven-under-par 67 - the best score of the three-day championship. She shot seven birdies, four of them back to back on the front nine, and a futher three on the back nine.
Spain’s Emma Cabrera, part of the winning 2007 European Vagliano team, fought back after a bad start in her final round to come back in one-under for the last nine holes with birdies on 13 and 14 for a total of 293 and take third play.
Best Welsh finisher was Hannah Jenkins of Cradoc in 10th place with a nine-over 305.

NEIL BLACK was outstanding as Colwyn Bay got their season up and running with a commanding 4-0 home victory over Warrington Town in front of a crowd of 372 on Tuesday night.
He scored two goals, was only denied a hat-trick by a fine save from Warrington keeper Danny Morton and linked up superbly with Anthony Murt, who got his first goal for the club with a great finish.
Robbie Williams worked hard in midfield and with solid performances at the back from Iain Swan, Kyle Armstrong and subsitute Tim Brandreth, there was plenty for manager Gary Finley to feel pleased about.
"You can't ask for much more than four goals and a clean sheet. I thought we played some really good football at times and dominated the game. Hopefully we can carry that on against Shepshed on Saturday," he said afterwards.
The Bay led 1-0 at half-time with a John Lawless penalty after a foul on Murt, before Black and Murt finished Warrington off in the second half.
Although Warrington didn't look as strong as when they beat the Seagulls three times last season, the size of the win will be a boost to Colwyn Bay's confidence and Murt's first goal will lift a big weight off his shoulders.
They struggled to turn periods of pressure in to clear cut chances in the first half, but in the second half they tore Warrington apart at times.
Consistency is going to be the key factor this season if the team are to have a real chance of promotion and it is important they take Tuesday night's performance into Saturday's game against Shepshed Dynamo.
The manager is expected to use the same squad of 14: Jamie Speare, Lewis Callaghan, John Boardman, Kyle Armstrong, Iain Swan, Robbie Williams, Martin Crowder, James Olsen, Neil Black, Anthony Murt, John Lawless, Mark Quayle, Paul Roberts, Tim Brandreth.
A more detailed report and more news on Gary Finley's bid to further strengthen the squad are in this week's North Wales Weekly News.
There's a round-up of all the other local football news, plus the usual comprehensive service of bowls news, results and tables, darts results, golf club scores and other local sports news.

OLYMPIC bronze medal swimmer Steve Parry will be the guest celebrity at the 2007 Conwy County borough Sports Awards at Venue Cymru on November 9.
He won bronze in the 200 metres butterfly at the Athens Olympics in 2004, after winning gold at the 2002 European Championships and silver and bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
His appearance at the awards comes as the finishing touches are made to the new championship swimming pool in Llandudno, due to open in the New Year.
Nominations for the 12 categories at the Sports Awards are now invited. Nomination forms can be downloaded from ww.conwy.gov.uk/leisure, or telephone 01492 575566 or email hamdden.lesiure@conwy.gov.uk
A full list of categories can also be found in this week's Weekly News.

COLWYN BAY have completed the signing of former Morecambe and Leigh RMI central defender Iain Swan from Lancaster City, and international clearance has been obtained to allow him to play in Saturday's opening Unibond League game at Belper Town on Saturday (Aig 18).
Manager Gary Finley gives his thoughts at the start of the new season in this week's Weekly News.
There is also a round-up of news from all the other local football teams who kick off the new season on Saturday.
New Colwyn Bay Athletic Club chairman Lee Garner discusses his plans to revitalise the club and there is the usual round-up of reports, results and tables from cricket, bowls, darts and pool.
The Junior sports page features more medal success for Llandudno Amateur Swimming Club, podium success in Belgium for Llysfaen kart race Luke Hughes Wales selection for badminton champion Stephanie Marti Jones.

COLWYN BAY players got a rocket from manager Gary Finley, despite scoring a late equaliser to draw 1-1 in their final pre-season friendly against Unibond Premier Division side Marine.
He kept the players in the dressing room for a lengthy post mortem and said afterwards: "It would be easy to pat ourselves on the back and say a draw against Premier Division opposition was a good result, but we all know we can play a lot better than that and will have to if we are to get a result at Belper next Saturday.
"We lacked quality at times and played in the wrong areas."
But the manager added: "It shows how far we have progressed that we can be that critical of ourselves after what on paper was an acceptable result.
"The important thing was that we stuck at it and were rewarded with a goal right at the end.
"Overall, apart from Formby, in our pre-season programme we have played five games against teams in higher divisions than us and have only lost once, so that is encouraging going into the new season."
John Lawless hit the bar in the first half before Marine took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Kevin Towey lobbed the ball over keeper Jamie Speare.
Speare made a couple of good saves against a strong looking Marine side in that first half, but was only tested once in the second half when Colwyn Bay had the better of things and equalised on 87 minutes when Robbie Williams lifted the ball over keeper Andy Banks for the late equaliser.
Colwyn Bay are expecting to complete the signing of an experienced central defender before Saturday's opening league game at Belper - see Thursday's Weekly News for more details.

INJURY-HIT Glamorgan drew their LV County Championship match against Northants at Colwyn Bay after Jason Brown took 5 for 47 to dismiss the Welsh County for 197 in their second innings on the final day.
That left the visitors an unlikely victory target of 276 in a minimum of 38 overs, and they had reached 131 for 2 when stumps were drawn.
For the second morning in a row Glamorgan received a blow before play started as Andrew Davies was struck on his right elbow in the nets and needed hospital treatment. But both he and Simon Jones, who sustained a calf strain the previous day, came out to bat through the pain barrier to help Glamorgan recover from a precarious 71 for 6 and steer them to safety.
Alex Wharf and Robert Croft also put on a 50 stand for the seventh wicket and Wharf then took both Northants wickets in their second innings before the captains shook hands on a drawn match.

GLAMORGAN lead Northants by 138 with six second innings wickets in hand going into the final day of the LV County Championship match at Colwyn Bay.
That was after a double century from David Scales saw Northants recover from their overnight score of 115 for six to reach 387 - reducing Glamorgan's first innings lead to just 78.
Scales scored a memorable 219, including three huge sixes in one over, to take his season's aggregate to 988 and he put on 145 with Graeme White for the eighth wicket after Glamorgan had lost Simon Jones with a calf strain that will prevent him playing any further part in the game.
Glamorgan then struggled to 60 for four in their second innings by the close of play and the game is wide open going into the final day on Saturday.

GLAMORGAN are in a strong position after an excellent second day in their LV County Championship fixture against Northants at Colwyn Bay.
Resuming on 294 for 7, Alex Wharp went on to score a battling 111 not out as the Welsh county progressed their score to 465 - their highest total of the season in the competition - and then Ryan Watkins took four wickets to have the visitors struggling at 115 for six by the close.
Wharp and Andrew Davies added 77 for the ninth wicket before Davies was unluckily run out when Graeme White deflected a firm drive off his bowling into the stumps.
Last man Simon Jones joined Wharf to add a further 79 runs before holing out at mid-on for 39.
Ryan Watkins then took three wickets, including South African dangerman Lance Klusener, for eight runs in the space of 12 balls to make major inroads into the Northants reply.
He had earlier had Iain Sutcliffe, playing his first match after moving on loan from Lancashire, caught behind by Mark Wallace off an inside edge.
Northants finished the day still trailing by 350 runs and with much to do to avoid the follow-on.