April 2008 Archives

COLWYN BAY Rugby are set to clinch runners-up spot in Division Four North of the WRU National League after beating newly crowned champions Caernarfon 31-16 on Tuesday night.
After taking an 11-3 first half lead, they saw Caernarfon hit back to lead 16-11 before Colwyn Bay finished the game strongly and won with tries from Sean McDonagh, Mark Earl and Gaz Wynne, who also kicked a conversion and three penalties, while Ashley James added a drop goal.
Colwyn Bay play Nant Conwy in the semi-final of the ScottishPower North Wales Cup on bank holiay Monday (May 5).
Llandudno lost 26-0 at home to Ruthin on Tuesday.

COLWYN BAY have sprung an end-of-season bombshell by sacking manager Gary Finley.
The decision was made at an emergency board meeting after Saturday's final game against Spalding United.
Managing director Darren Cartwright said the club would be making an official statement later in the week but admitted he and the board had been bitterly disappointed that the team had failed to win promotion after agreeing a working budget with the manager.
"We said at the start of the season it was very important for us to get out of this division and we haven't done it. There are a number of things we have not been happy with, but we will be making a full statement in due course," he said.
The club are likely to advertise the position, although it is understood the board do have people in mind they would like to talk to.
"We need somebody who knows the Unibond, has a proven record of getting clubs promoted and can build a team that will achieve that," added Mr Cartwright.

Gary Finley made a huge impact when he first took over the club at the back end of 2006/7 season, taking the team on a tremendous run that saw them into the play-offs before losing unluckily to Cammell Laird.
The team started this season in the same encouraging form and optimism was high, but dreadful luck with injuries, postponments which led to an horrendous pile-up of fixtures in the last two weeks, and players being unavailable due to work commitments led to inconsistent performances on the field.
Finley, however, is now the fifth manager to have come and gone since the Bryn Jones era and his departure means another new start and another newlook team at a time when some may feel the club needed a period of stability.

COLWYN BAY ended their season on a winning note to finish seventh in Unibond Divison One South after a 4-2 victory in their final game against bottom-of-the-table Spalding, who had to play for over an hour with 10 men after their keeper was sent off.
Simon Ward was given a straight red card for handling the ball inches outside his area after a fumble under pressure from Anthony Wright, and substitute James Doughty's first action after replacing him in goal was to pick the ball out of the net as John Lawless scored from the resulting free kick on 28 minutes.
Earlier Colwyn Bay keeper Jamie Speare had saved a Luke Forbes penalty after a Matt Murphy shot struck Chris Taylor on the arm, but Speare was beaten on 32 minutes by Ben Garrick's clever chip to level the scores.
Two minutes later, however, Lawless crossed for Anthony Wright to head the Seagulls back in front, and that lead could have been doubled before half-time with Mark Quayle firing a great chance over the bar, after earlier spectacularly hitting the bar with a 35-yard volley.
Speare made a fine save to deny Matt Murphy at the other end, but five minutes into the second half Adam Wade scored a third goal for Colwyn Bay from 25 yards, and on 69 minutes Quayle headed a fourth from a cross by substitute Neil Black.
Murphy got a second goal back from close range on 75 minutes before Doughty made a fine save to turn a Lawless penalty round the post after Wade had been upended in the box.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, P Williams, Walker, Taylor, Wade, Fowler, Hoolicken (Wynne 70), Wright (Black 61), Quayle, Lawless. Sub not used: Finley.

It was good end to the season for the Bay with the match played in a carnival atmosphere after the club's campaign around local schools during the week produced an excellent end-of-season crowd of over 500, made up mainly of family groups.

LLANDUDNO'S disappointing end to their league season in the Cymru Alliance ended with a 0-0 home draw against Penrhyncoch.

LLANDUDNO JUNCTION moved off the bottom of the Welsh Alliance table with a 3-2 win over Rhyl Reserves, which gives Llanrwst United a great chance to finish third if they win their final game at Amlwch next Saturday.

In the Clwyd League, Penmaenmawr Phoenix beat Abergele Rovers 4-3 with a hat-trick from Ritchie Roberts at the top of the Premier Division, but Prestatyn Town Reserves have now got their first team big guns available to help them stitch up the title, and Cymru Alliance top scorer Steve Bowes scored four goals in a 9-0 win at Halkyn Reserves.
An Adam Jones hat-trick helped Glan Conwy Reserves beat Caerwys 4-0 in Division One, and and Rhos United won 6-1 at Llannefydd with five different scorers in Division Two, where Connahs Quay Reserves are set to snatch the title away from Llandudno Reserves after a 4-1 win at Penrhyn United.

TWO goals from Anthony Wright weren't enough to give Colwyn Bay the win on Thursday night that would have kept them still in with a mathematical chance of the play-offs going into Saturday's final game.
They led 2-1 against Belper Town, but conceded an equaliser 11 minutes from the end in a 2-2 draw which has finally ended their challenge.
Belper took the lead after only seven minutes when Ross Hannah ran on to a long ball over the top of the Colwyn Bay defence to chip over the advancing Jamie Speare.
Only a point blank save by Speare prevented Andy Rushbury heading a second as Belper had the better of the opeing half hour.
Belper keeper Paul Pettigrew made a good save to deny Mark Quayle, but Colwyn Bay did get level on 39 minutes when Anthony Wright was put clear on the left to score with an angled shot across the keeper into the far corner of the net.
Two minutes into the second half Wright was played in by Joe Fowler to sidestep the keeper and score his second, but Belper put the home side under sustained pressure after that and equalised on 79 minutes when a deflected shot from Rushbury looped over Speare into the net.
Belper, after having two goals disallowed for offside, almost snatched victory in added time when Lee Stevenson hit the bar from a free kick.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, P Williams, Walker, Taylor, R Williams, Fowler (Wade 84), Hoolickin, Wright, Quayle (Black 87), Lawless. Sub not used: Wynne.

COLWYN BAY'S play-off hopes were all but extinguished with a 2-0 home defeat against nine-man Goole on Tuesday night.
The game was marred by a mass brawl just before half-time which saw three players dismissed.
Colwyn Bay's Chris Taylor and Goole's Ian McLean both go straight red cards and Goole's Nigel Danby got a second yellow.
Only a brilliant point blank save by Bay keeper Jamie Speare, to keep out Danby's header, had prevented Goole being in front at half-time and even when they were down to nine men for the whole of the second half, they always looked to have the edge against a Colwyn Bay side clearly running on empty after playing five games in 10 days,
The Seagulls got in 12 shots at goal in the second half as they tried to make the extra man countf, but most of them were way off target and the only save of note Goole keeper Adam Mitchell had to make was to dive to his right to turn a Paul Williams effort round the post.
Goole passed the ball much better when they attacked on the break and after taking the lead on 55 minutes with a header from James McDaid, they sealed the points two minutes from the end when Andrew Jackson set up a tap-in goal for substitute Chris Tate.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Wynne (Black 58), Callaghan, Rowland, Taylor, R Williams, Wade, Fowler, Quayle, P Williams, Lawless. Sub not used: Finley.

Manager Gary Finley has called for a rethink by the club if they are to ever achieve their ambitions of reaching the Conference North.
See his comments in this week's Weekly News.

COLWYN BAY may have to win all of their last three games to make the play-offs after a controversial end to a 1-0 defeat at Gresley Rovers today (Saturday).
Referee Richard Smith blew for time as a header from goalkeeper Jamie Speare, who had come up for a corner in the dying seconds, was on the way into the net for what would have been a priceless equaliser.
The Seagulls were furious that the referee added only two extra minutes despite a lengthy stoppage for an injury to the Gresley keeper, five substitutions and some blatant time wasting tactics by the home side.
Colwyn Bay were on top for much of the first half but missed the presence up front of top scorer Neil Black, who was kept on the bench until the 86th minute because of a hamstring injury.
Anthony Wright turned well in the box but shot wide of the target and Mark Quayle volleyed inches wide from a Joe Fowler cross before Gresley keeper Dave Clarke produced a top class save to keep out an acrobatic bicycle kick by Chris Taylor from a corner.
Gresley came more into the game in the second half with Dave Blenkinsop looking a threat up front, and he gained them a penalty on 67 minutes when Paul Williams was adjudged to have fouled him in the box.
Tom Groves saw his spot kick hit the bar and scrambled clear by the Bay, but Gresley took the lead four minutes later with a glancing header by centre half Dan Douglas when the Bay were caught out by a short corner.
Colwyn Bay laid siege to the Gresley goal after that with Quayle and Fowler both having shots well saved by the keeper and then in the 31st minute a free kick by Lee Hoolickin was finger-tipped onto the bar and over by the keeper.
Everybody piled forward for the corner but when the ball was played in, the referee blew for time as Speare jumped to head into the net.
Colwyn Bay:Speare, Wynne, (Black 86), P Williams, Callaghan, Taylor, R Williams, Fowler, Hoolickin, Wright, Quayle, Lawless (Wade 63). Sub not used: Rowland.
Although Goole and Sheffield both lost, Belper, Nantwich and Stocksbridge all won and Grantham got a point in a 1-1 draw at Cammell Laird.
The Bay are six points behind fifth-placed Grantham with two games in hand and a superior goal difference.

LLANDUDNO appeared to raise the white flag in the race for runners-up spot in the Cymru Alliance with a feeble first half performance in a 3-0 defeat at struggling Buckley Town.
And that on a day when rivals Bala dropped two points in a 1-1 draw at Llandrynog!
Victory for Llandudno would have put them back on level points, but without four regular first teamers, too many the side played as though they had already thrown in the towel after last week's controversial defeat at Guilslfield and they were 2-0 down at half-time to a well taken goal from Allen Dawson and a gift of goal for Matthew Phillips after a mix-up between Llandudno keeper Sean Pearson and his defence,
Llandudno improved in the second half, but it was 71 minutes before home keeper Lewis Machin had a shot to save and he was never extended.
Buckley added a third goal from Phillips following a corner on 72 minutes to sew up what must have been three of the easiest points they have gained all season.

THE two keepers were the stars as Colwyn Bay drew 0-0 with fellow play-off contenders Sheffield FC on Thursday.
Both made a series of fine saves to ensure each side took a point, and that was good enough to move Colwyn Bay up to seventh place in the table - three points behind Stocksbridge from the same number of games and five behind Grantham with two games in hand.
Sheffield played the ball around well early on, but Colwyn Bay came closest to scoring when Chris Taylor thudded a header against the bar from a Joe Fowler corner and then Neil Black broke clear only to see his rasping shot brilliantly tipped over the bar by Sheffield keeper Martin Kearney.
Kearney also dived to his right turn another Black shot round the post, while at the other end Jamie Speare made a flying save to tip a Steve Hawes shot for a corner.
The second half of an enthralling match saw chances at both ends with Speare making two fine saves from the dangerous Vil Powell and then producing a stunning save to turn a full-blooded drive from Daryll Winter round the post.
Colwyn Bay suffered a huge blow when they lost top scorer Neil Black through injury after he was clattered from behind by defender Gavin Smith - and the sight of him limping painfully to the dressing room was a worrying one with such a key week coming up.
Substitute Anthony Wright missed a great chance to break the deadlock when he sidefooted wide of the target from six yards out, but the Bay rarely threatened after Black's departure and it needed another outstanding save by Speare from substitute Gary Townsend, and a glaring miss by Winter, to ensure Bay held out for a hard-fought point.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, P Williams, Rowland, Taylor, R Williams, Fowler, Hoolickin, Black (Wright 68mins), Quayle, Wade. Subs not used: Wynne and Finley.

A HAT-TRICK by Mark Quayle gave Colwyn Bay an outstanding 3-1 victory at Brigg Town on Tuesday night (April 15).
The team were held up by a serious accident on the M62, delaying the kick off by half-an hour, and Chris Taylor, who was travelling independtly after being unable to get off work in time to catch the bus, got caught even deeper in the traffic jam and didn't arrive until half-time.
Despite the disruption, Colwyn Bay led 1-0 at half-time with Quayle netting after Brigg keeper Damien Steer could only parry a Neil Black shot.
Jamie Speare made a couple of fine saves to keep the Bay in front, and they were the better side in the second half with Anton Lally and Robbie Williams playing well in the middle and John Walker and Steve Rowland commanding in defence.
Quayle sidefooted a second goal from a Paul Williams cross after 57 minutes, and two minutes later Black put in a good run down the right before crossing for Quayle to volley a shot into the top corner of the net from 15 yards.
Robbie Williams then shaved the post with a diving header and the keeper made a fine save from Black.
Brigg got a goal back from an 85th minute penalty for a foul by Paul Williams, but the Seagulls easily saw out the game and might even have scored a fourth but for a tremendous save by Steer to deny Joe Fowler.
Colwyn Bay go above Belper, who lost 4-1 to Sheffield, on goal difference, but remain four points behind Stocksbridge who beat Nantwich 3-2.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, P Williams, Rowland, Walker, R Williams, Fowler (Wade 72), Lally, Black, Wright, Quayle. Subs not used: Taylor, Wynne.

A FIRST half hat-trick by Lee Allen helped Llanrwst United to a 4-3 home win over Llanrug in the Welsh Alliance.

JAMIE SPEARE got off his sick bed to help Colwyn Bay get what manager Gary Finley believes could be a very important point in a 1-1 draw with runaway champions Retford United.
The manager reported: "Jamie sent me a text early this morning to say he had been up all night vomiting and wouldn't be able to play, but he is the only keeper we've got and I phoned him and said we needed him to give it a go.
"He was feeling rotten, but fair play to him he's gone out there and made some very important saves to help us get a point."
A 25th minute goal from Neil Back, his 30th of the season, put Colwyn Bay in front after Retford keeper Ross turned had blocked shots from him and Anthony Wright, and Retford were fortunate in the build up to their 72nd minute equaliser when the referee ignored a clear foul on Lee Hoolicken and then immediately afterwards gave Retford a free kick on the edge of the Bay penalty area.
Speare did well to keep out Ryan Ford's deflected shot, but from the resulting corner the ball deflected into the net off Anthony Wright's shoulder.
"Everybody in the ground saw we should have had a free kick in the build-up and the referee admitted to me afterwards he had made a mistake. It has cost us a goal and I've lost count of how often poor refereeing decisions have cost us points this season," reflected Finley.
"But it's no use moaning. We never really got going for the first 20 minutes of the second half . We took our foot off the gas and allowed them back into the game instead of taking the game to them as we had done in the first half," he added.
Colwyn Bay, who had Lewis Callaghan playing much of the game with his wrapped in bandages after receiving a gash above his eyebrow in a clash of heads, were unlucky when Anthony Wright's quickly taken free kick hit the foot of the post
with the keeper beaten. But Retford then finished the game strongly and had claims for a goal turned down in added time when a Ben Chambers header hit the underside of the bar and was cleared off the line.
"A point against Retford is not a bad result and in the end it could prove a very important point for us," added Finley.
With Belper and Goole both losing, Colwyn Bay are four ponts behind sixth-placed Goole with two games in hand and still in with a chance of the play-offs as they prepare for a hectic period of six games in 12 days.
Colwyn Bay: Speare, Callaghan, P Williams, Rowland, Taylor, Wade (Olsen 67mins), Fowler, Hoolickin, Black, Wright, Quayle. Subs not used: Walker, Wynne.

LLANDUDNO have lost second place in the Cymru Alliance after being beaten by an 89th minute goal from Tim Nunnerley in a 2-1 defeat at Guilsfield.
Danny Hughes put them level at 1-1 at half-time after conceding the opening goal after just six minutes.
Bala easily beat Buckley 4-1 to take over in second place and, and with Holyhead and Flint both dropping points, now have runners-up spot in their own hands with three games remaining.

BETHESDA increased their lead in the Welsh Alliance to five points with a 2-0 home win over Rhydymwyn, while second placed Glan Conwy had their home game against Nefyn postponed. Llandudno Junction lost 4-2 at Llanrug, who are now six points behind fourth-placed Conwy United with five games in hand.

Penmaenmawr Phoenix had their Premier Cup tie against Clwyd League title rivals Abergele Rovers postponed.

COLWYN BAY are hopeful that today's (Saturday) home match against newly crowned Unibond Divsion 1 South champions Retford United will go ahead (3pm kick off), despite the heavy showers of rain over the last 24 hours.
Volunteers have been working on the pitch and a club spokesman commented: "It is only the match referee who can call it off now, but we are hopeful the game will go ahead."