gair rhydd - issue 1004

gair rhydd Monday April 29th 2013 | freeword - Est. 1972 | Issue 1004

They may have won the rugby

...but we retained the Shield Swansea win at the Millennium Stadium in front of 14,000 students, but Cardiff prove they are still Varsity champions after dominating the rest of the sporting fixtures.

Full Varsity coverage inside

2 / Editor’s Note

gr News 4–7 Opinion 9–11 Politics 14–15 Science 16–17 Societies 19 Taf-Od 20–21 Puzzles 22 Listings 23 Sport 25–32

EDITOR Chris Williams

Coming Soon

CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luke Slade SUB-EDITOR Tom Parry-Jones NEWS Kendal Archer Tom Eden Anna Hickman Bethan Jones OPINION Alice Briggs Nick Evans Alex Greig COLUMNIST Liam McNeilly

As we move into the last term with exams, essay deadlines and dissertations, we’ll still be printing gair rhydd and need people to write articles for us! If you’d like to get involved, come to one of our meetings below or send a message to editor@gairrhydd.com.

April 29th, 5:10pm, SU fourth floor May 7th, 5:10pm, SU fourth floor May 13th, 5:10pm, SU fourth floor

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POLITICS Thom Hollick Rachel Lewis SCIENCE Rhiannon Davies Alexey Underwood SOCIETIES Beth Lyons

Got a keen eye for grammar?

Or just enjoy free pizza on Thursday nights?

Come up to the office every Thursday for free pizza

LISTINGS Beth Gregory TAF-OD Tomos Lewis SPORT Ross Martinovic James Shapland

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and proofing. gair rhydd would like to thank the following for their articles and help in making this issue: Contributors Ashley Bebbington Hannah Cook Ed Lecorgne Beth Gregory Meryon Roderick Emma Kate Marsden Susie Miskin Asuka Jones Isaac Spencer Gareth Evans

David Mason Sophie Howells Felicity Holmes-Mackie Anna George Angharad Hywel Bethan Jones-Arthur Dom Booth Arthur Russell Greg Landon Rhian Fuller Joanna Lucas Brenna McInerney Wai Lim David Deacon Victoria Farrant

Proofreaders Anne Porter Jacob Dirnhuber Sum Sze Tam

We would also like to thank Gair Rhys for his riddles.

A note from the editor...

V

arsity is always that welcome break which falls at just the right time. Just before exams come and suckerpunch you and only a few weeks before dissertation deadlines, it’s always nice to have an excuse to not be working.

I’d never been to the days events before.

I never really understood the point in the days events – I tended to just wait until the rugby was about to kick off and head into town then, covered in red and support Cardiff.

But this year was different.

For weeks now, there’s been a buzz in student media as Xpress and CUTV furiously planned when and where they were going to be – putting together the best broadcast possible.

And they managed it.

The guys pulled off another stellar event and managed to cover pretty much every event they possibly could. The organisation was unreal and the day went off pretty much without a hitch.

Of course, the main event was the evening and, although we didn’t win, I for one had an amazing night.

It’s odd, though, many of you will have left the Millennium Stadium downhearted, but, for yet another year we won the Varsity Shield – smashing Swansea in 20 events.

3

Monday April 29th 2013 | @mediacsu

News in brief

Cipriani tackles a bus Words by Bethan Jones

New Hilsborough inquest planned for next year

Rugby player Danny Cipriani was hit by a double decker bus in Leeds last week. It is understood that Cipriani, whilst on a bar crawl with some of his Sale Sharks team, ran across the road, misjudging the bus’s speed.

Cipriani’s team mate, number eight Andy Powell, tweeted: “Danny Cipriani has been double deckered #hisbesttackleoftheseasonyet.”

He was discharged from hospital the following day with bruising and concussion.

A fresh inquest into the deaths of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster will take place in early 2014, a coroner has confirmed.

He told families: “Anne Williams’ death is a powerful reminder, if one were needed, that there is an urgency attached to the commencement of the inquest hearings as well as a need for that investigation to be as full as possible.”

One pound house Thirty-five rundown houses are going on sale for £1 each in Stoke-on-Trent. This is part of a new plan by the city council to sell the empty council-run buildings to try and regenerate the city.

So far, at least 600 people have shown an interest in buying the buildings. The houses will mainly be two bedroom terraces. Eligible residents are being encouraged to fill in application forms, then the properties will be randomly allocated to the 35 successful applicants.

McDonalds burger proves its longevity

Virgin Media fine dead man A broadband bill has gone viral online after a man was charged an extra £10, despite being dead.

Jim Boyden posted a photograph of his late father-in-law’s Virgin Media bill on Facebook.

The image was accompanied by a message apologising for his father-in-law’s “unheard of nerve to be dead and therefore being unable to pay you.”

The picture, posted on Monday, has now been shared by more than 84,000 times.

An American man has kept a McDonald’s hamburger for 14 years and discovered it has stayed preserved for the whole time.

David Whipple, 63, initially set out to educate people on how enzymes worked, by keeping the burger for a month. But he decided to keep it after finding it two years later, unchanged.

It turned out the burger had remained preserved in good condition for 14 years, with one of the only casualties being a disintegrated pickle.

Mr Whipple plans to use the hamburger as a way to encourage his grandchildren to not eat fast food.

In this week’s issue...

Opinion weigh up the pros and cons University sabbatical officers p9

Cardiff professors selected as Society of Biology Fellows

p17

News report on a risk assessment tool determining online safety p7

People and Planet bring down Adidas p14

Sports Varsity coverage p25

4

Varsity 2013 Review Cardiff green with envy

Tom Parry-Jones Sub-editor

CARDIFF...........................13 Try: Arthur Ellis Conversion: Charlie Simpson Penalties: Charlie Simpson (2) SWANSEA.........................21 Tries: Sam Soul, Connor Lloyd Conversions: Ianto Griffiths Penalties: Ianto Griffiths (3) Swansea lived up to their billing as favourites in the Welsh Varsity rugby match on Wednesday night as they came from behind to record an eight-point victory over Cardiff. Tries from outside centre Sam Soul and replacement scrum-half Connor Lloyd cancelled out Arthur Ellis’ first-half effort, and Ianto Griffiths added a further 11 points with the boot.

The stadium was a veritable cauldron of noise as the players emerged from the tunnel, and both sets of fans were in full voice for the Welsh national anthem (or at least as many of them as knew the words).

Cardiff kicked the game off, but was soon among the errors as a kick from fly-half Jack Neville went straight into touch, giving Swansea the lineout on halfway.

However, Swansea was unable

to make the advantage count and gave away the first penalty when one of their players did not release the ball in a ruck.

Cardiff carried the ball strongly into contact and only a tap tackle from Swansea wing Josh Bartlett prevented Cardiff number 14 Jack Phillips from racing to the line.

Cardiff were awarded a penalty in the seventh minute when Swansea were caught offside at a ruck, but Charlie Simpson pushed it wide from out on the right wing.

Cardiff fans were on the edge of their seats moments later, when scrum-half Bryn Phillips made a break for the line, only to be found wanting for pace.

Inside centre Max Woodward almost found his way over moments later, but was turned at the bottom of the ruck and the chance was lost.

Cardiff finally got the first points of the game in the 15th minute, Simpson slotting a kick from 30 yards after Swansea were caught killing the ball at the ruck.

With a quarter of the game gone, Swansea started to buckle as Cardiff began to make their pressure count, and the Green Machine’s task was made all the

more difficult when number 8 Reuben Tucker was sin-binned for mountaineering at a breakdown.

Cardiff capitalised immediately, as they kicked to touch and used their numerical advantage to drive Swansea back over their own line. Ospreys flanker Arthur Ellis was then presented with a simple finish for the first try of the game on 23 minutes, with Simpson duly adding the extras.

Swansea might have been reduced to 13 men shortly after when Bryn Phillips was taken out in mid-air while fielding a high ball, but the referee opted to keep his cards in his pocket on this occasion.

Imbued with the confidence of an extra man, Cardiff’s skill began to show as hooker Rhys Price and then Simpson danced through poor Swansea tackling.

The Cardiff fans were sure that Jack Phillips had scored another try for their team, but Simpson had knocked on in the build-up.

On the far wing, Simpson and Rhys Howells combined to make a break for the line, only for Howells to knock on in the process of offloading to lock Nic Huntley in what proved to be the last meaningful act of the first half, leaving

the score at 10–0 to Cardiff.

Swansea emerged after the half-time interval with renewed vigour, forcing Cardiff to play on their terms.

After a Cardiff kick was charged down in their own 22, Swansea were able to take possession and Sam Soul carried two Cardiff defenders over the line with him for Swansea’s first points with just two minutes of the half played, but Ianto Griffiths missed the conversion wide to the right.

Flanker Arthur Ellis was presented with a simple finish for the first try of the game on 23 minutes Griffiths then replicated that effort from the opposite side of the field after Swansea were awarded a penalty, leaving them still five points in arrears. Simpson made that error count in Cardiff’s favour moments later with a penalty from 45 yards, only for Griffiths to make up for his earlier errant kicking by banging one over from almost on the halfway line.

The match devolved into a series of errors with around 10 minutes played in the second half, culminating in Cardiff conceding a penalty near the halfway line towards the Swansea right wing.

Griffiths elected to go for goal, but his kick came up well short and Cardiff were able to clear their lines.

A series of infringements in the contact area saw Cardiff loose-head prop James Pearce give away another penalty in an identical position. Swansea went for touch, and from the resulting lineout, Pearce was found to have infringed again.

The referee deemed this to be one foul too many and Pearce was given 10 minutes in the sin bin. However, unlike Cardiff, Swansea could not take advantage of their extra man and their attack fizzled out, ending with a Cardiff penalty.

This was not to be the case for long, though, as Swansea’s Dion Jones hacked through for Connor Lloyd to touch down after a cheeky grubber kick down the right touchline. Griffiths then converted the try to give Swansea a two-point lead with just over 15 minutes to play.

As Cardiff went in search of

Sport 26–32

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

5

Varsity 2013 Review Fowler magnanimous in defeat Streaker reveals himself Cardiff head coach Martyn Fowler was fairly philosophical about his side’s defeat in the showpiece Varsity rugby match, denying that going into the match as holders put any extra pressure on the players.

“We want to win every game we play. It’s always important to retain a trophy, but we didn’t place any great emphasis on it.

“The focus was just to do the best we could. We genuinely felt that if we played to the best of our ability, we were in with a shout.”

He was also full of praise for the Swansea team’s second-half performance.

“I thought they were great.

They wore us down, we were tired. We probably didn’t have the same strength in depth as them on the bench, and I really believe that was the contributing factor. I couldn’t ask any more of the starting XV.” He was equally supportive of his own players, reserving specific praise for fullback Charlie Simpson and his half-back pairing of Bryn Phillips and Jack Neville.

“Charlie, for me, could have

gone on to bigger and better things, probably being a bona fide Premiership player, if not a regional player.

“Charlie’s going to France as a pro next year, so I’m sure he’ll get better and better.

“One of the contributing factors to the loss was losing Bryn; I thought he controlled the game really well and he was a real threat – I think he made three line breaks in the first half.

“It’s the first Varsity for both of them, so it stands us in great stead. Jack looked unfazed.

“I’ll be honest, half-backs were a bit of a worry for me going into the game, but after that performance, they won’t be again.”

Fowler also defended openside flanker Arthur Ellis, who came in for criticism from the Swansea media after his performance dropped in the second half.

“There are lots of unseen things that Arthur does – off-theball running, little blocks, hands in on the floor. Sometimes an openside’s play is not to the forefront.

“Arthur will probably be disappointed with his last 20, but I thought he contributed throughout.”

Looking ahead to the future, Fowler was optimistic about the

players who just missed out on the starting XV, and explained his reasoning for leaving them on the bench.

“The game always dictates how much time the replacements get. When you’re playing well, you want to keep the players who are playing well on. The more replacements you make, you break the flow of the game up.

“There’s going to be a lot of players disappointed they didn’t get as much game time as they wanted.

“George [Lee] is in his second year, so he’ll get next year.

Joe Franchi’s a fresher, Mark O’Connor and Ben Egan are in their second year, so their time will come.

“You’ve got to earn a Varsity appearance. I’m certainly not going to put players on the field unless they can contribute and make the side as strong, if not stronger.”

Cardiff captain James Thomas spoke about what he thought was the deciding factor between the two sides.

“In the first half, I don’t think they came into our half at all and we just didn’t finish some of our chances.

“It came back to haunt us in the end.”

a score to give them back the lead, they put together a decent number of phases, first going left then back right across the field.

However, Swansea’s defence was resolute and replacement scrumhalf Needham found himself going down a cul-de-sac and was pinged for not releasing in the resulting ruck.

But Cardiff received the ball straight back and were provided with much-needed impetus by the direct running of Simpson and Neville.

But indiscipline proved to be Cardiff’s undoing with just five minutes left in the game as yet another infringement at the breakdown led to another penalty for Swansea’s Griffiths, leaving Cardiff needing a try to salvage the match.

Cardiff stepped up the pressure going into the closing stages, and Neville made yet another break in search of that elusive score. In a fit of desperation, he attempted to offload to his supporting runner, but instead found fresh air, allowing Swansea to clear their lines and relieve the pressure again.

In an attempt to pin Cardiff back in their own half, Swansea went for touch deep in the Car-

diff half. Cardiff mishandled the lineout and in the confusion that ensued, Swansea were able to force a penalty, which Griffiths converted as time expired to give Swansea a 21–13 victory.

As he went up to receive the trophy, Swansea captain Jonathan Vaughan was also named as man of the match.

After the game, Cardiff coach Martyn Fowler denied that complacency was the cause of his team’s capitulation in the second half. “They had a great bench, with three Under-20 players.

“I think the yellow card hurt us, and allied with the yellow card, they brought that quality of player on,” he said.

Captain James Thomas was appreciative of the amount of support from the 14,000-strong crowd at the Millennium Stadium, although he did recognise the complications it presented to communication between the players.

“All the lineouts were off triggers from me speaking to the hooker,” he explained, “and if he can’t hear me, sometimes it gets a bit difficult. The noise was really, really good, but it sometimes messed things up. But we really enjoyed it – it was good.”

CARDIFF: Charlie Simpson; Jack Phillips, Elliot Jones, Max Woodward, Rhys Howells; Jack Neville, Bryn Phillips; James Pearse, Rhys Price, Bradley Thyer; Nic Huntley, Matt Sinderberry; James Sawyer, Arthur Ellis, James Thomas (c) Subs: Mark O’Connor, Joe Franchi, Aled Rees, Ben Egan, George Lee, Rhodri Needham, Jack Flower, Will Jones, Sion Jones, Adam Field Sin bin: Pearse (60)

Tom Parry-Jones Sub-editor

SWANSEA: Elliott Jones; Andrew Claypole, Sam Soul, Steff Hughes, Josh Bartlett; Ianto Griffiths, George Hardy; Chris Francis, Greg George, Steffan Jones; Jon Barley, Lewis Rawlins; Jonathan Vaughan (c), Jack Perkins, Reuben Tucker Subs: Luke Myatt, Nicky Thomas, Tom Ball, Adam Scanlon, James McWilliamsGray, Connor Lloyd, Josh Hammett, Ben Mitchell, Dion Jones, Ben Thomas Sin bin: Thorne (21) Referee: Ian Davies (Porthcawl) Attendance: 14,103

gair rhydd talks to second-year Engineering student Iain ‘Patches’ Hoolahan, who streaked on the Varsity pitch.

Why did you do it?

Well, it started off as a joke, but we ended up making a bet. Everyone started chipping in money and I ended up having to do it.

Why was it you?

Because I reckon I was the only one with the balls to do it.

How much were you supposed to get paid?

About £100. The 10 people sitting around said they’d pay £10 each.

We decided to do it while we were at the game, but I haven’t had the money yet.

How did you do it?

Well, I started getting naked in the crowd, but apparently one of the stewards saw me and started getting ready to stop me. So I just sort of sprinted at him, handed him off and carried on. I had to hurdle over three sets of chairs.

Did it hurt when they tackled you?

No, not at all. Because I was holding onto my phone, when I got tackle, my phone actually broke. I thought I’d broken my finger too, but at the time, because of the adrenaline, I didn’t feel it.

What happened when they took you away?

The stewards took me behind

into a room with the sprinklers and asked me some questions – they were just laughing about it, really. The policemen asked me a few questions and took down my details, so I might get a fine, but I don’t know at the moment.

I started getting naked in the crowd but one of the stewards saw me and tried to stop me

If you were going to get fined, how much could it be?

Apparently, it can be quite a lot. If it had been a real game, it might have been up to £1,000. £1,000!?

Well, not for Varsity. I doubt there’ll be anything that much.

Did you have fun?

It was hilarious.

Do you regret it?

Not at all.

Would you do it again?

There’s no need to – I don’t think I need to do it twice. Someone else might though.

Have there been any repercussions from the University at all?

No, not really. No one’s said anything.

Any final last words?

Probably not the stupidest idea I’ve ever had.

STATISTICS 0(6)

Scrums won (total)

0(6)

3(12)

Lineouts won (total)

4(12)

4

Knock-ons

6

1

Forward passes

2

1

Free kicks conceded

0

14

Penalties conceded

11

Statistics provided by Ross Martinovic

6 / News

The ugly side of Varsity Chris Williams Editor

Although it will be regarded as an overall success, the 2013 Welsh Varsity was marred by sporadic outbreaks of violence. Whilst isolated, the incidents varied in their severity, with the most serious being a brawl that broke out at the Women’s Football.

The fiery history between Swansea and Cardiff fans continued on Wednesday evening, as one Swansea supporter was detained for burning a Cardiff tshirt within the Millennium Stadium. He was released later that night.

Elsewhere in the stadium, a Cardiff fan managed to break through the crowd in order to streak on the pitch, but his moment of glory was cut short by a steward, who brought him down

with what was perhaps one of the best tackles of the night.

The controversy continued with offensive chants being hurled back and forth between the two sets of supporters. The Cardiff fans were accused of chanting about Swansea students having measles, in relation to recent deaths following the outbreak in Swansea.

Violence between fans marred a few of the events at Varsity After the controversy of last year – with brawls in the crowd – the Men’s football event was ticketed with no alcohol being allowed into the venue. However, this had little effect, as the police were required to intervene at one

point before the violence got out of control. Also at the football, the stewards reportedly confiscated a rucksack full of fireworks from a Swansea fan.

“It’s always a shame when these isolated incidences happen, but they were just that - isolated. On the whole I feel that Cardiff fans were well behaved”, said Athletic Union President and President Elect Cari Davies.

Red smoke bombs were set off during the IMG Football, the men's football and Fresher's rugby. Freshers rugby also began with two firworks being set off by the side of the crowd.

One of the Cardiff fans watching Ladies football ended up with a bloody lip after being punched by an angry Swansea fan. Aside from these few events, the day and night of Varsity went well with no other reported incidents.

Mumps outbreak in Cardiff Kendal Archer News Editor

Following the recent outbreak of measles in Swansea - there have been 620 officially reported cases - there has been a concern that the illness will spread to Cardiff.

As such, emergency clinics have been set up in the Vale and Cardiff in order to provide emergency vaccinations and booster jabs to prevent the spread of MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella). The nearest clinic is at Cardiff Royal Infirmary and at the children’s centre at Llandough Hospital. The clinics are open from 10am till 4pm on Saturdays and it is not necessary to make an appointment.

Serious concern was raised after 25 year old Gareth ColferWilliams died in his home in

Swansea on Thursday 18th April, the cause of which was suspected to be measles; a post-mortem has since been carried out to confirm that this was the case.

Health Officials have stated

Early symptoms may include fever, headache, a dry mouth and a sore face that there have been no reported cases yet in the Vale and Cardiff, but it has come to our attention that a third year Cardiff student has contracted the viral disease, mumps. It is thought that two fellow students, who were also exposed to the virus, are now ill.

Doctors have suggested that the third year student contracted

the illness over the Easter period, and as the incubation period is generally a period of two weeks - although this can vary slightly - the disease has only just started to show its symptoms.

The student in question has said, “It’s not great, but people should make sure they’ve had their jabs. Also, I’d warn students that the MMR jab is only ninetyfive per cent effective, so make sure you get you’ve been vaccinated and even if you have, it might be an idea to get a booster.

Or at least be aware of the risk, as I have had the jab but still contracted the illness.”

Because of the highly infectious nature of the virus, Health Officials are advising people living in the Vale and Cardiff to visit the emergency clinics that have been set up and to check that

they have had the jab or to have a booster jab.

Symptoms of mumps include painful swelling of the salivary glands, and painful testicular swelling may also occur in men.

Early symptoms may also include fever, headache, a dry mouth, a sore face, and occasional can result in the loss of the voice.

The illness will generally run its course as there is little specific medication that can be employed against it other than pain killers.

Students should also be aware

that the virus is very easily spread and in roughly twenty per cent of cases, symptoms do not show. So an individual can carry and spread the virus and yet be unaware of this.

Measles is similarly infectious, which is why the spread has been so rapid in Swansea.

Following the outbreak and reports of mumps in Cardiff, the gair rhydd advises students to make sure they have had their jabs and be aware of any symptoms that might arise.

7

News 4–5

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddnews

Student’s project protects Facebook privacy and employment prospects Ashley Bebbington News Writer

Thomas Owen, a Cardiff University student, has created a web app that analyses Facebook profiles to determine how much personal information is publicly available, and whether this could have detrimental effects on our lives outside Facebook.

The application, Data Limiter, assesses the risks to users’ personal safety, identity, future employment prospects, and risks of social stigmatisation; it then provides a tailor-made guide on how to alter privacy settings to alleviate these risks.

It is well known that Facebook harbours a lot of information about its users and in creating Data Limiter, Thomas was eager to keep this information away from prying eyes. Every photograph, comment, and event is stored on the site and if privacy settings are not kept in check,

these can be viewed by anyone with an Internet connection.

Thomas, a Third Year student at the Cardiff School of Computer Science and Informatics, said that the idea for Data Limiter came to him when he heard about Liam Stacey, a student who was arrested for tweeting racist remarks about footballer Fabrice Muamba. He said: “It got me thinking about what other risks social media could pose to someone. I then sought out a solution for this problem which is why I came up with Data Limiter.”

After typing in your Facebook page’s URL, the application accesses your Facebook account as if it were a non-friend, so only public information is available.

The program then analyses this information to gauge whether or not it puts you at risk.

For students, the most relevant aspect of the app is its risks to future employment feature; employers frequently reject candi-

dates based on their Facebook profile, especially those who post inappropriate photographs or host content advocating alcohol or drug use. Data Limiter analyses educational and work history, interests, hobbies, statuses and photos to determine whether or not your profile would be deemed inappropriate by a prospective employer.

It then ranks your future employment risk out of 10, and if there is any kind of risk, it provides steps you can take through Facebook’s privacy settings towards minimising them. For students, this is especially important; chances are most people have an embarrassing drunken photo or two that they weren’t aware of.

The app also judges risk to personal safety, gauging how easy it would be for a non-friend to discover your physical location. The most frequent reason this occurs is due to timeline and photo up-

dates; a stranger viewing these may be able to very quickly figure out your location.

Data Limiter shows how open you are to the risk of identity theft, by looking for any information on Facebook that could be used by someone who intends to steal your identity; date of birth, address and use of your full name being three of the attributes that provide the most risk.

It also judges whether the information you provide leaves you open to social stigmatisation based upon personal issues such as religious views, political views, sexual orientation, status updates and likes.

In matters regarding religion, politics and sexuality, emotions can run very high, and displaying an opinion on any of these on your page could lead to stigmatisation; declaring oneself to be a supporter of UKIP, for example, could lead to certain discrimination.

Not only is the app a truly eye opening experience but it also provides steps towards making your profile more private, especially important for students who are moving ever closer towards the world of work. In addition

to the advice given on the app, Thomas recommends narrowing your friends list down to the people you actually trust with your information, being careful when posting content online, and to frequently review your photos to make sure they portray you in the best light.

Thomas, who is studying Information Systems, says: “admittedly Facebook will have access to all this information … But it’s a different matter when it comes to strangers knowing my information, who knows for what means they could use it”. He went on to advise against the use of the ‘friend of a friend’ privacy filter, pointing out that it completely opens your Facebook profile up to anybody with whom you share a friend.

Social media is becoming an increasingly ubiquitous part of our daily lives, but for many users there is a lingering sense of anxiety about online privacy, especially amongst users of the social networking giant Facebook.

If you’re worried about how private your Facebook profile really is, give Data Limiter a try, the URL is printed below. http://fuzionsoft.com/Data-

Xpress playlist for exclusive clubnight Hannah Cook News Writer

Jose Cuervo Tequila and Spotify have teamed up with Cardiff University’s Students’ Union and Xpress Radio to search for the best University music playlist in the UK. Battling University radio stations have uploaded their best music playlists to Spotify and now it’s down to the number of votes to establish the best playlists of tracks. Xpress Radio has created a strong list of 40 tracks that includes songs you’ll know and love, including material from the best Welsh artists.

Listeners vote online for the Xpress Radio playlist, and if they get the most votes, the Union will win a legendary night with DJ sets from The Maccabees and Hot Chip. It promises to be a night to remember with free entry for students on Thursday 16th May. Vote now on voteforourplaylist.com – you can vote more than once!

Facebook.com /xpressradio will be giving you the chance to win bottles of Jose Cuervo throughout the campaign. Voting will also put you in with a chance of winning some great prizes such as Microsoft Surface

tablets, fashion clothes vouchers and festival tickets.

More facts about responsible drinking can be found online at

www.drinkaware.co.uk

9

Opinion 9–12

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

For & Against

Are sabbs worth the cash?

With our seven sabbatical officers each costing up to £20,000 a year, Opinion Writers Meryon Roderick and Susie Miskin discuss whether or not these elected individuals are worth their money

T

For

he average first year, Cardiff Student’s Union seems a wondrous place offering invaluable supplies such as text books and stationary, good food and drink, a radio station, a cheap hairdressers and far more importantly: exceptionally cheap vodka and energy drinks.

Ask almost any question in the first few months at Cardiff university and the answer will invariably be “haven’t you heard? There’s one in the union”. The governance and management of such a well organised one stop shop for all student needs goes completely un-contemplated until the student elections take place.

Then it dawns on you that an establishment such as the union can’t possibly be run by a group of students, popping in to make decisions affecting thousands of other students between lectures.

The responsibility of such a role is huge and deserves the dedication of a full time member of staff.

One can only imagine the state of affairs with a volunteer, part-time team entirely running the union.

Efficiency would be bound to be reduced, especially if the President of the Union needed to revise for an exam.

Some feel however that more money is invested in these sabbatical officers than is necessary and some question their necessity at all. When considering the salary of those that run our union,

it is important to remember that they possess graduate skills which are being diverted back into helping the university but are paid less than the average graduate salary despite being arguably as important as any member of staff employed by the university.

To any university the union is an invaluable institution that contributes hugely to student life but to Cardiff in particular, the strength of our union is a unique selling point so surely a professional management team is a prudent investment? It’s also important to remember that competitive salaries attract much higher calibre applicants which are what is required to run such a large organisation. As all of the management team are either past or current Cardiff students, they understand the needs of the student population better than anyone else and are in the best position to provide services tailored accordingly. This was at the heart of the debate recently held as to whether the NUS should have more say in how our union is run with many deciding that having officers employed by Cardiff University catering to our needs specifically was a much better system than being part of a much larger organisation.

Why would we want full-time, well paid sabbatical officers? A better question is why wouldn’t we? They are integral to how our union is run and our union is integral to student life. MR

S

“

Why would we want full time, well paid sabbatical officers? A better question is why wouldn’t we? They are integral to how our union is run

Against

tudent union elections at Cardiff University are like a popularity contest. Students vote for their favourite candidate based on a short manifesto, a silly costume and who gives out the best sweets. It seems vastly flawed to elect someone to a £20,000-a-year job based on presentation rather than skill and ability.

Sabbatical officers are not representative of the student population whose priorities include drinking, eating and working towards a degree. In reality students aren’t concerned about the running of the Union.

The relevance of the positions can therefore be questioned, bringing the rather nice pay package to attention - should a job which is so potentially out of touch with students earn so much?

More than this, many students don’t even know what the sabbatical officers do, or even who they are. Some appear more important than others (an idea clearly reflected in the fact that the Union recently reshuffled the sabbatical team down to seven people rather than eight) and some seem needless altogether.

For instance, should we not have an Activites Officer rather than a Societies Officer and an AU Officer? Many universities already work on this basis.

Considering the amount of work which people do for a salary of far less than £20,000, I think that

this combination of jobs would be good. Whilst I am by no means saying that they don’t do enough work at the moment, I don’t think that it would be unmanageable.

Would a selection process be better way of ensuring the candidates be worth the £20,000 they are paid? They should follow a more traditional approach, in the form of structured interviews, serious manifestos and a lack of fancy dress.

On minimum wage a member of the public would earn roughly £12,500 a year. Sabbatical Officers are paid far more than this for positions that require only a few weeks of training.

A wage is normally used to encompass adult living whereas Sabbatical Officers get to live as students for an extra year.

My friend has just got a job in central London on the South Bank, on a yearly salary of around £14,000. This is a nine to five job in the most expensive city in Britain. This demonstrates just how well sabbatical officers at Cardiff University are paid.

SM

m n? .co o i d in yd op rrh an gai ot @ G on i in p o

10 / Opinion The alarming overemphasis on Western news Ed Lecorgne discusses the impact of cultural parallels on what is and isn’t discussed on social media and geographical proximity as a gatekeeper of news

I

t’s 00:37am on Tuesday morning, and I’m sitting in bed refreshing my Twitter page.

Approximately 4 hours ago, two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. At this time, two people have been killed, and over a hundred injured. A horrific tragedy.

I found out the news on Twitter, which quickly became flooded with messages of sympathy, of love, of prayer and hope, reaching out to the runners and crowds.

The hashtag #prayforboston is the top trend at the moment.

People from every city on Earth, from every background, denomination, religious or secular organization, are tweeting their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions about the disaster.

The wave of grief and the outpouring of compassion is thankfully the overriding message, yet it doesn’t stop there - there is a lot of shock and anger coming from the hundreds of tweeters. Scrolling through my personal newsfeed, I can see

people I know mentioning it, friends in Cardiff echoing the anger and grief of so many others.

Others haven’t mentioned it.

Iraq is also trending on Twitter, currently the 5th in the UK. Today, 37 people were killed, and 140 injured. So far in 2013, there have been 893 civilian deaths in Iraq from violence. Nearly 900 people, in only 3 and half months.

I am not constantly glued to a news screen, or reading online blogs at every opportunity, but I consider myself fairly up to date with most important stories - following political and international news as well as UK based reports. Yet, I cannot tell you anything about the events that lead to so many Iraqi deaths.

A few hours ago, I was transfixed watching the BBC breaking news bulletin of the Boston bombings, and my housemate turned to me and said ‘Do you think this will be one of those times where you remember where you heard the news?’ I remember where I was when I heard about 9/11, even at my fairly young age, my

mum rushing to ring my uncle in America.

I can remember the news of the 7/7 bombings in London. But I couldn’t tell you a single fact about the 893 people that died over the last three months in violent attacks in Iraq. What are the reasons for this?

Well, it’s far more shocking – especially when described as an official ‘act of terror’. The USA is ‘safer’ than Iraq, and therefore it is far more distressing and alarming when it does come under attack.

However, saying this, regardless of its truth, gives me an uneasy sense of amorality. Do I only care about the loss of human life because of its shock factor? Will I remember where I was mainly because of its unexpected nature, rather than solely on the lives lost? The same can be said for it being ‘closer to home’ – ‘closer to being something that could happen to us’ – Do I only care about tragedy when it’s on my personal horizon? Am I morally bankrupt, or is that just human nature? I don’t know.

The reason that Iraq is the fifth

most trending thing in the UK seems to be people reminding other that Iraq has also had a bombing tragedy today. One tweeter uses the words ‘Before everyone jumps on the Boston bandwagon…’

The tweeters moaning that Iraq is not being mentioned seem desperate to make it clear that the death toll was higher here than in Boston, rather than speaking with the compassion and sympathy given to the marathon runners.

Here I feel torn. Publicity for tragedy, wherever it is, is surely good, but how much of an effect will it have?

If I tweet about the Boston tragedy, after doing nothing, not even knowing, about hundreds of other deaths, does that make me a hypocrite, or just morally selfcentered (or ‘Western-centered’ if you will)? If so, is everyone I follow, my friends of Facebook, the people I have talked to about it just as lacking in compassion for humanity? If I tweet about Iraq, am I jumping on the same ‘bandwagon’ as everyone else?

Or is this all just be my

cynicism talking? While it is being treated as more and more important as social media gains power, Twitter is only 140 words of someone’s views. On a not completely unrelated side note, the 8 th top trend as I type is ‘#madeinchelsea’ Please don’t take this article as an attempt to take anything away from the tragedy that has happened.

The most retweeted comment from the #prayforboston hashtag was from the NBC Sports Network (@ NBCSN). It said: “Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims #prayforboston” I cannot even begin to imagine the horror that is an exploding bomb. To come through that after running 26 miles and to continue running, towards the hospital in order to give blood, is a reminder that we are capable of unbelievable feats of humanity, and in the face of tragic loss, this is what we must hold on to.

Are there ethical limits to getting the news?

Beth Gregory Opinion Writer

LSE have criticised the BBC for using international politics PHD students as ‘human shields’ in order to go undercover, as students went on a trip to North Korea. LSE have claimed that students were not fully informed and were put at risk. This incident has called into question whether the BBC were right to go to such lengths to go undercover, and on the potential dangers for others involved when it comes to investigative journalism.

However, what LSE are avoiding, is the fact that these students were consenting adults, who claimed that they had ‘decided to proceed with the trip’.

By claiming that these students were not in a position to give informed consent, it suggests that the adult students are incapable of understanding the BBC’s position, and incapable of giving consent. In actual fact, the

students were given the option to proceed with the trip, in the knowledge a BBC journalist would join them. Only one student decided to stay at home instead.

When this story first came to light, it appeared that the BBC had put the students in a really dangerous position, and that yes, they had gone too far. But now it’s clear that the majority of the students had no qualms with the reporter joining them on their trip, one even helping gather footage on their mobile phone, it makes the story entirely different. In my eyes, it makes it acceptable. Some might argue that this is a sign of investigative journalism going too far. I argue that it is investigative journalism at its finest.

In our post phone-hackingscandal era, investigative journalism conjures up less images of forward thinking journalists on a mission to give insight to the truth and make the

world a better place, and more images of journalists as sneaky, untrustworthy individuals who partake in illicit activity, and will stop at nothing, even that which is illegal and immoral, to get the ‘facts’, even if those facts are a total invasion of privacy.

John Sweeney going in to North Korea as a ‘student’ is refreshing - it is a sign of what investigative journalism is meant to be about.

In light of recent events, the goings-on within this secretive state is of great public interest, and as the BBC is publicly funded (and therefore exists for the public) it makes sense to stop at nothing to report on this. Having a BBC journalist take enormous risks in order to report on the actual facts is surely better than simply sitting and speculating about whats going on in North Korea.

When this episode of Panorama aired on BBC, it gave a great insight in to the North Korea that no-one really

knows about. All that most of the public have seen is what the leaders of the state want us to see. Sweeney highlighted how the majority of North Koreans live in abject poverty, without food or power. That which could not be filmed or accessed only acted to further highlight how secretive, mysterious, corrupt, and dangerous the state is. How odd it was that there were no patients at the hospitals, and how eager the tour guides were that there were no cameras

when driving through the more local, poverty ridden areas - how most North Koreans live. The goings on within North Korea are of public interest and while going undercover with a load of students isn’t the ideal way to do it, what is? In reality, there weren’t many other options.

There is a reason journalists aren’t allowed to visit North Korea, and that is all the more reason for journalists to find a way in.

Opinion 9–12

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddop

11

Sins of the Father Education minister Gove undervalues educators Meryon Roderick Opinion Writer

George Osborne’s Tears

Opinion Writer I stand here, teetering on the precipice, on the very brink of calamity. I peer over the edge and stare down at deep, sagging eyes, blackened with remorse and self-loathing.

I look dead ahead and see the reflection of both myself and my creator in the bathroom mirror, we are a sight to behold. There are parallels to be drawn between us and the mothers we denied welfare, babies we deprived of food.

He considers all his wrongdoings, all the people he has hurt, the elderly, the young, students, parents, the disabled, a rainbow spectrum turned greyscale through poverty and

deprivation.

I fall, I cascade, coursing over deep wrinkles, etched in by months of guilt, through a proverbial wilderness of stubble, grown from weeks of regret.

My owner makes deadly eye contact with himself, his own eyes burning deep into his soul as his right hand pumps furiously away in fervent masturbation, his only release from a life lived so wrong.

I trickle off his chin and plummet downwards, further lubricating his pleasure. He eventually finds his release and his entire body shudders. The feelings of masochism subside and he is once again able to don his veneer as master of the coin and return to his sordid life.

Education Secretary Michael Gove proposed last week that school holidays be reduced and school days lengthened. He suggested that, compared to nations such as China, the UK’s relatively long school holidays create difficulties in matching global education standards. He has also stated that the current school day was designed for the nineteenth century and that a longer school day would benefit the modern working parent as

school and work would finish at the same time.

However, he seems to have ignored countries such as the USA and France, which both have 3 month summer holidays and also both consistently rank much higher than us in global education rankings. Critics have also suggested that investment in improving after school facilities would provide a much richer experience for children than simply putting more lessons in the school day.

Combined with his suggested reforms to the curriculum which some have branded traditionalist and the fact that Gove himself was privately educated, along with the majority of the cabinet, these proposals have called into question the relevance to state education of a man with absolutely no experience of the system.

The Independent School Teachers Review has been asked to review the 1265 hours a year that teachers are contractually obliged to work, which has been taken as a suggestion, that these hours accurately represent the

time spent working by teachers.

In reality the 3.30 ‘knock off’ time for a teacher is highly inaccurate with most teachers rarely able to leave school until at least an hour later than this. The 8.45 start is also a myth with most teachers present in school by 8 o’clock.

Combine this with the fact that many teachers use parts of weekends and school holidays to plan lessons and fill out an ocean of paperwork and the 1265 mandatory hours quickly increases. This too has led to the growing feeling that the education secretary is out of touch with the system he is supposed to govern and represent.

From the perspective of the son of a head teacher, the memories of being stuck in mum’s office for hours after school whilst she patiently disregarded her contractual working hours leads me to believe that an increased time in school would benefit nobody. Rather than trying to keep people in school for longer, giving them more to do when they aren’t in school might be a more popular course to take.

Are Ex-Criminals entitled to the same Civil Liberties?

Writer’s name removed The last 2 years, during the investigating and reporting of the New International phone hacking scandal, has promoted a national outcry from many quarters of the public.

How dare the media, self-titled ‘crusaders for truth and justice’ and opposed to any immorality, use immoral and dishonest means to get to the ’truth’ at hand.

The irony and hypocrisy of this has been far too bitter a pill to swallow for much of the general public. Initial investigations as to the extent of the phone hacking were conducted in 2005-2007. At this time, it was concluded that only celebrities and those in the public eye had been targeted.

However, subsequent investigations revealed that, in fact, the phone hacking had also extended to families of deceased soldiers and victims of crime – including the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. This revelation prompted feelings of revulsion and outrage from the public and some press and, ultimately, led to the Leveson Inquiry being undertaken. During the Leveson Inquiry, lists of people who had been victims of phone hacking became known.

Many well-known celebrities on the list were awarded compensation, amounting to tens of thousands of pounds. In and

amongst all these names was another name. This name may not be as well known to some as, say, Hugh Grant, but to others the name is notorious and prompts equal and unparalleled levels of disgust as some of those outlined above. The name is Robert Thompson. For those that do not know, Robert Thompson was one of two 10 year old boys who abducted and brutally killed a 2-year-old boy named James Bulger in 1993. Details of the crime and what James had endured were so horrific that they were not released to the general public for almost 20 years.

Robert and his accomplice, Jon Venables, were tried in an adult court and sentenced to 15 years. This was later reduced to 8 years. They served just less than 7 years. Upon sentencing, the boy’s 2 identities were revealed.

Upon release, they were given new identities and anonymity for life, at a cost of approximately £2.5milion.

Surely he is profiting from his crime, as if he had never committed such a terrible crime, his phone would never have been targeted as no one would have been interested in him One of these boys, now a 30 year old man, has been sent back to prison, where he is currently

serving a 2 year sentence. The other is now attempting to claim up to £50,000 compensation from the News International group, due to his phone being hacked.

According to reports, neither man has ever shown full remorse for his crime.

According to reports, neither man has ever shown full remorse for his crime So, up until now, a violent killer who was released early has shown no remorse for his crime has had millions spent on his new identity and protection is in line for receiving a huge cash pay-out.

Is this right or just? I do not think so as I do not think this man ever paid his debt to society or to his victim’s family. Surely criminals committing murder and heinous crimes should not be eligible for phone-hacking compensation.

I understand that this may be seen as emotive reasoning.

In which case, let’s say that he should be treated the same as everyone else, that he has a right to privacy, regardless of his crime.

In that case, shouldn’t any monies awarded instead be donated to a charity? Otherwise surely he is profiting from his crime, as if he had never committed such a terrible crime, his phone would never have been targeted as no

one would have been interested in him.

There are horrific reports of the killers laughing as they committed this crime to a terrified 2 year old boy. It is incomprehensible how this must make James’ parents and family feel. Forever haunted. How would you ever get over something like that?

The boys laughed during the court-case and again during their detention. Now it would seem one of them will be laughing in James’ name once again- all the way to the bank. That is, unless the public takes a stand against this and against him, as they did 20 years ago. But will this generation care?

There is currently an online petition set up by James Bulger’s memorial trust to stop Thompson receiving a pay-out. The petition states that if he is awarded any monies it should go to a charity of James’ family’s choice- possibly the James Bulger Memorial Trust, set up in James’ name. But time is running out. The deadline is 4th May to receive 100,000 signatures. So far, almost 30,000 people have signed it.

So, it would seem, I am not alone in my thinking that not all victims of phone hacking should receive compensation. After all, let’s not forget who the real victims are here.

Details of the petition can be found at http:// epetitions.direct. gov.uk/petitions/33458

Everyone has an opinion. Email us your ideas at opinion@ gairrhydd.com

12 / Columnist

by Liam McNeilly

Government patronising the poor

W

e live in a society that is obsessed w i t h class and University is no different. Historical class definitions still provide the foundations for mockery, with the insults travelling in both directions You must have stayed away from Varsity and removed yourself from social media in the last week if you haven’t heard the ever-popular ‘Your dad works for my dad’ chant jested in the face of Swansea University students.

Perhaps some of your parents are big company bosses, but I know that my place at a Russell Group university is no signifier of my parents’ occupation. My dad is a police officer so if anything, to some extent, he works for all the Swansea students and their parents.

I’m not suggesting that these sorts of chants are born out of some sort of deep-seated class hatred, but the association between money and a successful education continues to be pretty

fair game when it comes to mocking others. It’s a stereotype that goes unchallenged.

However, it is no surprise to me that this is the case when chants like this are still rooted in truth. Shamefully it is still the case that the wealthy have the best access to education.

The much-criticised yet unyielding Education Minister, Michael Gove, has been thrust back in to the news this week with his criticism of teachers and the structure of our school terms this week. His suggestion that the current six-week summer holiday should be shortened along with the extension of the school day is the latest proposed policy to be met with stiff condemnation from teaching unions and the general public alike.

But further to this latest suggestion in Gove’s seemed attempt to send British education back to the 1980’s, it was also reported last week that the government plans to send a letter congratulating poorer students that achieve exceptional GCSE results.

On the surface, this may seem

“

Government policy seems intent on making things more difficult for those who are less well off

like a motivational and harmless “well done” for students from backgrounds that are statistically less likely to achieve high marks in exams. But when government policy after government policy seems intent on making things more difficult for those who are less well off, you can’t help but feel that this is an insincere, patronising attempt to display some sort of recognition of the poor.

Regardless of the motivations of such a scheme, it’s indicative of a system where the poor just aren’t expected to do well academically. But rather than congratulating these students on upsetting the odds with their good grades, government time would be better spent creating an environment where such a feat would be no more of an achievement than if a privately educated student had achieved it.

I’m no advocate of private education. I feel that the Tory rhetoric of wanting a meritocratic society and a nation of ‘strivers’ is significantly undermined by the existence of an education system where the wealth of somebody’s family gives them a head start.

The benefits of private education over state education, and vice versa, is a debate that needs more than the space afforded in this column to do justice. However, whilst I feel that attending a state comprehensive has many benfits, there is no doubt that private education provides the best stepping stone for a place at Britain’s top universities.

We are regularly made aware of how Oxbridge and other well renowned institutions are proving inaccessible to poorer students with accusations of discrimination being aired against them. However, giving preferential treatment to the poorer state school students is never going to provide a long term remedy for the problem that currently exists.

The only answer is radical education reform to establish a system where the opportunity to discriminate is eliminated. A system where neither money nor background entitle you to a better education than anyone else and as a result, the occupation of your father could never be considered a reason for your University place.

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14 / Politics Students force Adidas into humiliating climbdown Asuka Jones recounts Cardiff and Swansea students’ protest over Indonesian pay rights

C

ardiff students have been campaigning for the rights of 2, 700 Adidas factory workers who have been made redundant, yet received no redundancy pay.

Two years after the closure of the PT Kizone factory in Indonesia, Adidas have agreed to pay the 2,700 workers $1.8M in legally owed redundancy pay. The settlement comes after a sustained campaign by People and Planet, and United Students Against Sweatshops in the US. The campaign has included protests and boycotts, as well as letter and photo campaigns. The most recent of these was held on the 20th April in Cardiff, where students from Cardiff University’s People and Planet society were joined by their counterparts from Swansea to protest at Footlocker’s Queen Street branch.

They were asking Footlocker, Adidas’ largest retailer, to ‘give Adidas the boot’ over the dispute.

The PT Kizone factory was closed in April 2011 after the owner fled, leaving buyers with the legal responsibility to pay redundancy fees to the jilted workers. All other buyers, including Nike, paid their outstanding fees, but Adidas continually refused to pay, instead offering a food voucher worth just fifty-six dollars.

from holding a demonstration to circulating a national petition.

Further to this they were pushing for a union wide boycott of the brand through the Ministry of Change. Wendy Maden, new

Chair of Cardiff’s People and Planet, said, “This is a massive victory for the workers and for People and Planet; this shows you really can change things. I am overjoyed to have this victory

in trade justice”.

The situation was initially revealed by the Workers’ Rights Consortium, a garment industry watchdog to which the University signed up last year.

This is a massive victory for the workers and for People and Planet Now Adidas has agreed to pay the workers, following on from the precedent set in 2010, when Nike, after they were put under much pressure, paid severance to 1,800 Honduran workers.

Representatives of the workers met with Adidas to agree that the former workers will receive a substantial sum from Adidas.

Cardiff students’ involvement in the campaign ranged

The debate over abortion still rages

Politics writer Isaac Spencer responds to our recent article on the pro-life campaign in Cardiff

A

bortion is a controversial issue, both in this country and abroad.

As such it is only to be expected that anything one side does will be met by a counter-protest.

This was true here in Cardiff recently, where a peaceful prayer vigil run by pro-life Christians met with vocal opposition from a small group of protesters from the Socialist Workers’ Party and the Cardiff Feminist Network, campaigning for access to abortion. While those praying felt the need at times to request a police presence, it is worth remembering that this remained a peace-

able, if highly emotional event.

The pro-life group ‘40 Days for Life’ is all about praying, but they see abortion as a social rather than religious issue. For the group, the debate centres on how society protects the rights of mothers and their unborn babies, as opposed to pro-choice support for “reproductive rights”.

Since the US and the UK have gained abortion rights, the prolife ‘American Life League’ claim that there is on average one abortion every 26 seconds in America, and 520 abortions a day in the UK. This fits into an overall increase of around 1,200 per cent on the 15,000 of illegal abortions estimated to have occurred be-

fore 1967.

Recently abortion has received prominent news coverage as a result of the Savita Halappanavar case in Ireland, where abortion is currently illegal except in extreme medical circumstances.

Her tragic death was due to pregnancy complications and caused many activists to suggest that her life could have been saved if she had access to abortion. Although the correlation is unclear, it is worth noting that the maternal mortality rate is lower in Ireland than the UK. A high profile story in the US recently has been the case involving a doctor named Kermit Gosnell who allegedly ran an illegal abortion clinic. He stands accused of killing seven premature babies and one woman, among other crimes. His case seems to reveal some prevalence of illegal abortions in the US today, and this clinic has been named the ‘House of Horrors’ by the press.

However, it worth considering why so many women went to Gosnell’s clinic; the most common reason for termination is financial situation, and in the US 42 per cent of women who terminate live below the poverty line, and 27 per cent live close to it.

Even though abortion is such a controversial issue, there appears to be a lack of public awareness in the UK of procedures and laws, even though it can be accessed easily online. For instance, many

may not know the rates of foetal development (or perhaps remember Juno quotes like ‘it has fingernails!’) or methods, and laws such as abortion being legal up until birth if the foetus has Downs Syndrome, cleft palate or club foot.

The main implication of this is that women may not be educated with all the facts around planned and unplanned pregnancy, or potential psychological disorders such as post traumatic stress disorder. Also, in the eyes of the law, the image projected by an ultrasound is not defined as a human being because they are unborn.

Overall, there appears to be need for further public awareness of the laws, procedures and consequences in the UK and US.

“

There appears to be a lack of public awareness in the UK of procedures and laws

15

Politics 14–15

Monday 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddpol Monday April January 28th 2013 | @gairrhyddpol

How the Philpott case has been hijacked Despite the deaths of six young children, the trial of Mick Philpott has reopened debates about our welfare state. Gareth Evans argues that this is nothing more than a cynical hijacking of the issue by the right

I

t is a rare event, when a case appears so horrific that we question the very humanity of those at fault. Yet, when Mick and Mairead Philpott, alongside their accomplice Paul Mosley, were convicted of the manslaughter of their six children, many did just that.

The details of the case are difficult to comprehend. Mick Philpott’s mistress, Lisa Willis, had walked out on him, taking their children with her. He responded by devising a sickening plot: to set fire to the house, posing as a hero while he ‘rescued’ the children from within, before framing the lover who jilted him. Yet, the flames consumed the house at a frightening speed, and Jade, John, Jack, Jessie, Jayden and Duwayne all perished. “It wasn’t meant to end this way,” Philpott uttered after taking the lives of those who had yet to truly live.

Sadly, the tragic deaths of these six children have been cruelly overlooked. Not just overlooked in fact, but hijacked. Hijacked by those with an agenda, and those willing to sink to unfathomable lows in order to voice their distorted views.

This is epitomised by the deplorable front page of a recent Daily Mail issue (2nd April), which labelled Mick Philpott a “Vile Product of Welfare UK”.

Vile certainly, but labelling him as a ‘product of Welfare UK’ seems extreme hyperbole. This

is surely a step too far in relentless campaign against the welfare state by its opponents.

The truth is that this tragedy says nothing about the welfare system. To suggest, as they have done, that the benefit system is in some capacity responsible for the deaths of six innocent children is nothing short of a grotesque national insult.

It is an insult to pensioners, who are the recipients of 40 per cent of all welfare spending; it is an insult to the unemployed, to the disabled, to workers who claim tax credits, and to millions of parents who take child-benefits. By describing Philpott as a ‘product’ of this very system, you imply that the system produced the crime. And thus, you are devolving responsibility from the monster that ought to be held fully accountable.

Furthermore, it incites hatred against those who legitimately use the welfare state. It is simply an ugly example of a growing trend. That is, to demonise the unemployed, the disabled and others who rely on welfare through exploiting these extreme examples. Such exceptions are then passed off as representative of the majority, and a dangerous social stigma arises against the most vulnerable in our society.

It is a national disgrace.

However, it would be fair to suggest that this lazy and vitriolic journalism is nothing new. Yet it is not solely the tabloids that

have been exploiting this atrocity for political gain.

Showing a distinct lack of conscience, the Chancellor George Osborne commented in similar vein; suggesting that “there is a question for government and for society about the welfare state – and the taxpayers who pay for the welfare state – subsidising lifestyles like that”.

This is an abhorrent manipu-

Dhaka building disaster

lation of a tragedy. His motive?

To build popular support for the extensive welfare cuts that have been brought in this month. Understandably, the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls described Osbourne’s words as “the cynical act of a desperate chancellor. For the chancellor to link this wider debate to this shocking crime is nasty and divisive”.

Unsurprisingly, the Prime

Minister has openly supported Osborne’s position, and in doing so has displayed the depths that his party are willing to sink to.

It is sickening to think that the deaths of six young children remain side-lined, while the libertarian right treat this atrocity as little more than a tool for political gain.

It must not stand.

Philpott and his six innocent victims

Politics world Thom Hollick

France becomes the latest in a series of states to pass a law allowing same-sex marriage

At least 250 people working in cramped factory conditions have been killed in the subsequent collapse Obama threatens family tattoo France legalises equal marriage

US President Obama has threatened that if his two daughters get tattoos, he and Michelle will get identical ones

16 / Science

VLT captures spectacular nebula David Mason Science Writer

Captured by the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, this newly released image shows a burnt out star sur-

rounded by bubbles of glowing green gas.

Described by ESO scientists as “ghostly”, the view provides an astounding level of detail of the planetary nebula IC 1295, over 3,300 light years from Earth. At

the centre lies a bright, light blue spot: the core of the burnt out star. Officials at the ESO have speculated on the future of the star, stating: “The central star will become a very faint white dwarf and slowly cool down over

many billions of years”.

A large star will form a planetary nebula in the final stages of its life as it collapses in on itself, releasing vast amounts of gas into the atmosphere. Irradiated by the dying star, such gases

16 / Science

Iron Age gaming pieces uncovered in historic haul David Mason

Science Writer One of the largest ever collections of Iron Age metal artefacts has been uncovered by archaeologists at the University of Leicester following a dig at an Iron Age hillfort at Burrough Hill.

The project, now in its fourth year out of a planned five, has been the work of staff and students alike from the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History. It is a part of a long standing effort to gain a greater under-

standing of the people of Britain living almost 2,000 years ago, and has been a great success for the project.

These finds contrast sharply with artefacts found on other sites Findings totalled almost 100 metal artefacts, including both military equipment such as spearheads and parts of an Iron age shield, and domestic items such as knives, brooches and a reaping hook. Other non-metallic items discovered include dice and gaming pieces, allow-

ing further insight into the lives of those who used them. Project Director John Thomas stated: “These finds contrast sharply with artefacts found on other contemporary sites such as small farmsteads, suggesting differences in status and access to a wider range of material culture.”

Thomas also explained: “the three excavation seasons have produced a wide array of finds that have transformed our understanding of how the hillfort was used, the length of occupation and the contacts that its occupants had with other regions.”

A public open day is scheduled to be held on Sunday 30th June. After this, the project intends to excavate further into the interior of the hillfort for its fifth and final year.

appear to glow. In this case, the green gas bubbles are a result of ionised oxygen. Our local sun is expected to begin this process in approximately 4 billion years time.

Science 16–17

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddsci

17

InSight

Cardiff profs elected as Society of Biology Fellows Sophie Howells

Science Writer The MRI director at the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Professor Derek Jones, and Professor Tim Wess of The Cardiff School of Optometry and Vision Sciences have recently become Fellows of the Society of Biology. The two Cardiff University professors have been acknowledged for their contribution to the field of biological sciences.

Professor Jones (pictured below, left) believes that he and his team of colleagues at CUBRIC have been "asking real biological questions in the liv-

ing human brain non-invasively in a way that was not previously possible." The team have developed new methods of studying the brain by bringing together techniques from several disciplines to advance scientific understanding. The work of Professor Wess (pictured below, right) is also multidisciplinary, having focused on organic structures such as collagen, keratin and DNA. This has allowed him to develop projects on archaeological bones and proteins within the eye, among others.

Bone marrow turned into brain matter Sophie Howells Science Writer

A recent attempt to stimulate growth in bone marrow stem cells has resulted in a serendipitous discovery of synthetic brain cell production.

A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), California, originally worked to identify an antibody that would increase the growth of stem cells in bone marrow, which produces white blood cells. To their surprise, the anti-

The antibody transformed stem cells into neural progenitor cells

body transformed the cells into neural progenitor cells, similar to those found in a mature brain.

The team are not yet sure how the antibodies have produced these neural cells These findings have also confirmed antibodies as a safer and simpler alternative to previous methods of creating cells, which required lengthy processes of deprogramming and reprogramming stem cells. The team are not yet sure how the antibodies have produced these neural cells, however they plan to begin to test these newly discovered cells in animals in preparation for use in humans.

E. Coli bacteria used to synthesise diesel fuel David Mason

Science Writer A recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details the development of a new strain of the E. Coli bacteria (illustrated right) that may hold potential for use as a fuel. Scientists from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with energy giant Shell, have developed a strain of the bacteria able to convert sugar into diesel oil that is identical to conventional diesel fuel.

E. Coli produced oil is virtually indistinguishable from mined oil Whilst bio-oils created from corn oil, plants and algae are not a new development, all thus far have been held back by the requirement that they must be

mixed with conventional oil.

Rather, the E. Coli produced oil is virtually indistinguishable from mined oil and can, as John Love of the University of Exeter suggests, “be used in standard internal combustion engines”. Love goes on to state: “Rather than making a replacement fuel like some biofuels, we have made a substitute fossil fuel.”

10% of transport fuels should be comprised of bio fuel by 2020 E. Coli bacteria are a necessary part of this development due to their natural process of converting sugars into fat to build the membranes of their cells. This process, with modification, is being used in the production of biofuel.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to mass produce viable

quantities of biofuel necessary for mainstream use at present.

Current estimates suggest that it takes around 100 litres of E. Coli bacteria to produce a single teaspoon of fuel. As such, the team is working to increase fuel yield prior to any industrial mass production. Other options are also being explored, in the hopes that the bacteria may be able to produce other products, including human waste, into fuel, further increasing efficiency.

Following European Union targets that 10% of transport fuels should be comprised of bio fuel by 2020, this development is naturally an important and exciting one. It does not, however, completely negate the carbon footprint created from using conventional diesel, due to the need to grow and process crops for conversion. Regardless, the research team intends to ascertain

whether E. Coli created biofuel is viable for mass production within the next few years.

It takes around 100 litres of E. Coli bacteria to produce a teaspoon of fuel

These findings could prove to be a great advancement in repairing injuries and treating neurological diseases. Richard Lerner of TSRI explained: “There's been a lot of research activity where people would like to repair brain and spinal cord injuries”. He added: “With this method, you can go to a person's own stem cells and turn them into brain cells that can repair nerve injuries”.

These findings could prove to be a great advancement in repairing injuries

Societies 19

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddsoc

19

MACBETH

Felicity Holmes-Mackie reviews Act One’s performance of the widely admired Shakespeare Tragedy

S

urely one of Shakespeare’s most exciting plays is Macbeth due to its extremely macabre and gothic elements; it is also perhaps one of the most frequently performed, and thus is measured by high standards. Act One certainly took a bold move and a challenge not for the fainthearted in rehearsing and putting together the Tragedy in a week.

Cue gasps…

On arrival the audience was greeted with a stage draped in plastic paint protector sheets, complete with two buckets, a chair and ‘dead’ actors. While the tableau could either have represented the start of a grim dramatic Tragedy or indeed a house painting party gone horrifically wrong, it thankfully proved to be the former. The Spartan stage and costumes worked well with the unashamedly cruel atmosphere of the play, as the courtly audience (issued with golden crowns) somberly proceeded to watch the fatal sequence of events unfold.

The abridgement of the play showed great skill in what was retained and cut; it was barely noticeable that there was no interval. The director clearly knew what was wanted from the script and had obviously made an effort to highlight these elements

through the performance. Macbeth, in my opinion, excites most when worked hard with strong acting, and there was certainly considerable strength in this performance. I personally have the highest standards when it comes to the Macbeths themselves and the pair in this show proved to be very strong in the representation of their roles. In my interpretation, I felt the sensuality between the two could have been further explored to more colourful, bold possibilities. In a similar way I felt that Macbeth’s transformation from trepid, blundering man overpowered by his wife to heartless monster could have been more dynamic. Perhaps, however, it is difficult to show this in the abridged version, and the heartless monster was wellemphasised by the end.

The role of Lady Macbeth is arguably one of the most fascinating female dramatic roles of all time, and thus has seen a full spectrum of portrayals in her time. The Lady Macbeth onstage was a classic portrayal of the character, and her madness was approached with a conventional attitude, giving her own thrilling dimension to the play. However, this thrill was perhaps achieved more from her ‘out damn spot’ scene, as she bathed the exposed parts of her body in thick, gory stage blood. It was exceptionally

“

The scene was perfect, but for the techno dance music

fun to watch but demonstrated that conventional portrayals of madness aren’t always true to life or overly unsettling. The thrill of Lady Macbeth is, I believe, most evident in the rich and twisted lines Shakespeare gives her, the dissection and emphasis of which hold the key to an exceptional performance of her.

I was most excited by the production when the climax of the banquet scene was reached. Any thirst I had for blood and gore was quenched as the demonic ghost of Banquo drove Macbeth into a raving, horrified foetal position. The vision poured a full cup of blood down his chin and front and spat this on the murderer disgustedly upon storming offstage. Banquo was terrifying and showed a strong performance in this scene and throughout. Unfortunately, the scene was perfect but for the techno dance music.

This use of blood in the play was thought provoking and innovative in seeming to flow most abundantly in the Macbeths’ visions and moments of madness.

Shakespeare, whilst famous for the greatness of his plays, happens to write fantastic minor characters into them, and some of the best acting here came from these: we were indeed reminded ‘forget not the porter’. The porter in this production remained despite the abridgement much

to the director’s credit. A minor role he may be but his lines were utilized to their full extent and it was, I daresay, a performance verging on professional standards. Another minor character from an actor with obvious talent was Macduff’s wife. In the switch between scenes to that of her brutal murder the actor truly showed her versatility and created a performance more than deserving of a mention.

An exceptionally impressive element was added to this production in the many and complex stage fight scenes. They were, in short, fantastic and added an original, raw streak to the captivating show. I applaud all cast and crew for creating a well-interpreted, innovative and thrilling performance all in the space of a week. This kind of programme coupled with the intensity of a Shakespearean tragedy requires those involved to eat, sleep, and breathe the commitment they make. The production more than filled the brief of Macbeth: that of horror, gore, intense drama, and true impact for audience and cast. The Macbeth cast and crew certainly deserve more than one night’s round of applause for their successful performance.

20 / Taf-Od

Yn fyw ac ar y sgrin; Adolygiad o ddrama'r Theatr Genedlaethol, Y Bont Anna George Taf-od

O taf D

“Roeddem ni am greu stwr a herio”. Dyna a ddywedwyd gan un o brotestwyr pont Trefechan yngl n ag amcanion protest gyntaf Cymdeithas yr Iaith.

Cynhaliwyd y brotest ar Bont Trefechan a leolir ar gyrion Aberystwyth ar yr 2il o Chwefror 1963, bron flwyddyn wedi darlith arloesol Saunders Lewis, Tynged yr Iaith.

Ar yr 2il o Chwefror 2013, roedd hi’n hanner can mlwyddiant ers i 30 o fyfyrwyr ymgynnull ar Bont Trefechan i gynnal protest eistedd a fyddai’n cau’r brif ffordd i’r dre o gyfeiriad y de. Y bwriad oedd dangos dyhead angerddol. Dyhead i’r Gymraeg, iaith etifeddiaeth y Cymry fyw ac i ddangos yr angen am statws swyddogol i’r Gymraeg, statws a fyddai’n sicrhau ei pharhad.

Ym mhlith y protestwyr oedd rhai o fawrion y genedl heddiw gan gynnwys y newyddiadurwr Meic Stephens a’r bardd Aled Gwynn. Yn sicr, er mai protest dawel oedd hi i raddau nid oes

amheuaeth dros ei harwyddocad.

Llwyddodd i arddangos mai trwy ddulliau heddychlon y byddai’r gymdeithas yn ymgyrchu ond yn bennaf oll, llwyddodd i droi tudalen newydd yn hanes y genedl trwy ddangos parodrwydd pobl ifanc i frwydro ac ymgyrchu am hawliau i’r Gymraeg.

I ddathlu 50 mlynedd ers protest Pont Trefechan, ar y 3ydd o Chwefror llwyfannodd Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru ddrama unigryw yn y fan a’r lle y cynhaliwyd y brotest. Cafodd y brotest ei hailgreu trwy berfformiad gan fyfrwyr drama colegau Cymru gan gynnwys Morgannwg, Aberystwyth a’r Drindod a feddiannodd strydoedd Aberystwyth, ac wrth gwrs y man arwyddocaol hwnnw, y bont.

Cyfoesedd y cynhyrchiad oedd plethu theatr byw gyda ffilm, technoleg ddigidol a chyfryngau cymdeithasol. Mwynhaodd y gynulleidfa brofiad unigryw wrth iddynt gael eu hebrwng o fan cychwyn y sioe sef y Ganolfan Gelfeddydol i fflyd o fysiau hen ffasiwn a’u cludodd ar hyd strydoedd y dref i wylio’r perfformwyr yn ail greu’r brotest. Ail greu’r brotest drwy osod posteri slogan “defnyddiwch y Gymraeg” ar y waliu a chlywed atgofion y protestwyr gwreiddiol drwy’r clust-ffonau.

Diwedd y daith i’r gynulleidfa oedd cyrraedd y bont lle gwelwyd yr actorion yn dynwred gwrthsafiad y protestwyr gwreiddiol.

Mae’n deg dweud mai ymateb gymysg a gafodd y cynhyrchiad gan y gynulleidfa. Yn ôl adolygiad yr awdur Jon Gower ohono roedd yn gynhyrchiad teimladwy, rhyfeddol ac uchelgeisiol gyda hanes y brotest yn holl bresennol. Er hynny, nid oedd pawb am groesawu cynhyrchiad o’r fath â

dwylo agored. Dywedodd Robat Gruffudd, awdur a gymerodd ran ym mhrotest 1963 ei fod yn amau a fydd “gwibio pobol rownd Aberystwyth mewn hen Morris Minors er mwyn cael paneidiau mewn caffis” yn gwneud i bobol ddeall mwy am yr hyn ddigwyddodd ar Chwefror 2 1963.

Yn sicr mae cynhyrchiad aml haenog y theatr wedi codi proffil protest pont Trefechan ac ni ellid wedi amseru’r cynhyrchiad yn well. Yn dilyn canlyniadau siomedig cyfrifiad 2011, gellid dadlau fod cynhyrchiad y theatr o’r brotest bron mor arwyddocaol a’r brotest ei hun. Carfan o fyfyrwyr yn ymgynnull i actio dyhead myfyrwyr y gorffennol i fyw yn y Gymraeg. Mae’n bosib iawn nad oedd rhaid iddynt hwythau actio’r emosiynau dwfn hynny fel y cyfryw - cynhaliwyd rali Cymdeithas yr Iaith “Byw yn Gymraeg” y diwrnod cynt fel ymateb i ganlyniadau’r cyfrifiad a byddai’r myfyrwyr hynny a gymerodd ran yn y cynhyrchiad yn si r o fod yn bresennol gan fynegi eu dyhead hwythau i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg.

Ymlaen â mi felly at ddramaddogfen Y Bont a ddarlledwyd ar s4c ar y 7fed o Ebrill. Yn lwcus iawn i rai fel fi na fuodd ddigon lwcus i fwynhau’r perfformiad byw, cydweithiodd S4C a’r Theatr Genedlaethol gyda’i gilydd am y tro cyntaf.

Mae drama-ddogfen Y Bont a ddarlledwyd ar s4c wedi ei seilio ar ddigwyddiadau diwrnod arddangos y perfformiad.

Y prif gymeriadau yw Dwynwen, cyflwynydd a chynhyrchydd teledu a’i hangerdd dros yr iaith yn holl bresennol, a’i chyn gariad Kye sy’n Gymro o Ferthyr Tydfil a fagwyd ar aelwyd ddi-gymraeg.

Mae yntau’n teimlo ei fod wedi

ei alltudio o fyd y Cymry Cymraeg. Drwy gyplysu stori garu gyda olhrain hanes protest pont Trefechan llwyddir i bortreadu’r anhawsterau sy’n wynebu’r Gymraeg heddiw. Darlunir y tensiynau rhwng y Cymry digymraeg a’r Cymry Cymraeg yn effeithiol yn yr olygfa lle gwelir Kae yn cyfarfod â Chymro diGymraeg o’r Rhondda yn y dafarn. Yr eironi yw fod y g r yma wedi eistedd ar bont Trefechan yn 1963 ond hanner can mlynedd yn ddiweddarach mae’n parhau’n Gymro di-Gymraeg. Awduron y sgript yw Catrin Dafydd, Ceri Elen, Angharad Tomos ac Arwel Gruffydd .

Er nad yw’r ddeialog yn sylweddol, cyfleir y tyndra rhwng y Gymraeg a’r di-Gymraeg drwy gynildeb y dweud, newid golygfeydd yn sydyn, saethiadau camera trawiadol o’r môr a’r defnydd o sain.

Ar yr un pryd, llwyddir i gofnodi hanes y

brotest drwy ddarluniau o’r brotest gwreiddiol a phrotest ffug y theatr genedlaethol. Yn aml iawn mae lleisiau’r protestwyr gwreiddiol yn gefndirol i’r lluniau sy’n ychwanegu at y profiad.

Torri cwys newydd mae cynhyrchiad y Theatr Genedlaethol ac S4C o “Y Bont”. Os mai “herio”oedd bwriad y protestwyr gwreiddiol, “herio” hefyd wnaeth y cynhyrchiad aml-gyfrwng yma. Rhydd neges glir i Gymry heddiw - defnyddiwch y Gymraeg.

Straeon OD o bob rhan o’r byd... Wythnos yma, ysgol Lego'n agor yn Denmarc...

M

ae dyn oedd yn ymweld a Saudi A r a b i a yn honni ei fod wedi cael ei orfodi allan o'r wlad am fod yn rhy olygus.

Roedd Omar Al Gala, actor a ffotographydd o Dubai yn mwynau dathliadau gwyl Janadriyah pan cafodd ei orfodi o'r fan gan swyddogion oedd yn poeni bod y dyn mor olygus, y byddai'n cael effaith wael ar ferched yn yr wyl.

Er honiad y dyn, mae'n debyg bod gan y swyddogion resymau eraill, ond er mwyn ego Omar,

sa'n well i ni chwarae'n 'mlaen gyda'r stori.

Mae myfyriwr o brifysgol Leeds wedi ennill job y buasai y rhan fwyaf ohonnynt yn gysidro'n freuddwyd profi sleidiau dwr. Gyda tal Andy McClenaghan o £20,000 y flwyddyn, bydd Seb Smith yn teithio i Majorca, Twrci, Yr Aifft a Jamaica.

Ar ben y gwaith hwylys a'r tal rhagorol, bydd ei daith yn mynd

a Smith i wyliau saith noson ar ddiwedd y chwe mis o hedfan i lawr sleidiau ar hyd y byd. Roedd y profwrsleidiau diwethaf yn gweit h i o yn y rol ers 4 m ly n e d d ac mae'n siwr y bydd Smith ddigon bodlon i gael sbel ffafriol yn ei weithle(oedd) newydd.

Yn y cyfamser, mae Denmarc wedi cyhoeddi y bydd yr ysgol Lego gynta' erioed yn agor yn hwyrach blwyddyn yma. Bydd yr ysgol yn dysgu plant rhwng 3 a 16 mlwydd oed ac mae swyddogion yn barod wedi datgelu na fydd yr ysgol yn llawn hwyl a sbri, gyda ffocws ar y bacaloriaeth rhyngwladol a cwricwlwm Denmarc. Yn amlwg, mae gan Denmarc gynlluniau i adeiladu i'r dyfodol...

Taf-Od 22–23

Dydd Llun Ebrill 29ain 2013 | @taf_od

21

Galw i ddiweddaru polisi TAN 20 Angharad Hywel Taf-od

Mae Comisiynydd y Gymraeg, Meri Huws wedi galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ddiweddaru polisi TAN 20. Polisi yw hwn sydd yn galw ar awdurdod lleol i ystyried effaith cynlluniau datblygol ar yr iaith Gymraeg. Daw’r cyhoeddiad hwn gan y Comisiynydd wedi ymgyrch yn erbyn codi stad newydd o dai ger Rhydaman, yn Sir Gaerfyrddin, ddod i amlygrwydd.

Cyhoeddwyd polisi TAN 20 yn y flwyddyn 2000. Diben y polisi yn wreiddiol oedd gweithio ar y cyd efo’r Canllawiau Cynllunio a Pholisi Cynllunio awdurdodau lleol Cymru, i ystyried yr iaith Gymraeg wrth baratoi cynlluniau datblygu newydd.

Er enghraifft gall penderfyniad i leoli tai newydd mewn ardal benodol effeithio ar gymeriad yr ardal honno, megis effeithio cydbwysedd ieithyddol neu ar y gymuned Gymraeg yn uniongyrchol.

Amlygwyd ffaeleddau polisi TAN 20 yn ddiweddar yn dilyn ymgyrch yn erbyn cynlluniau i adeiladu bron i 300 o dai ym Mhenybanc ger Rhydaman; byddai cynllun o’r fath bron yn dyblu maint y pentref bach hwn.

Y prif reswm dros y gwrthwyn-

ebiad hwn ydy gan fod tebygolrwydd mawr byddai’r stad o dai yn sicr o gael effaith ar y gymuned a’r iaith Gymraeg.

Mewn ardal a sir lle mae niferoedd siaradwyr y Gymraeg wedi disgyn yn sylweddol yn ôl Cyfrifiad 2011, gan achosi’r iaith ddod yn iaith leiafrifol yn un o gyn cadarnleoedd y Gymraeg, mae’n bwysig iawn ystyried effaith cynlluniau newydd ar yr iaith. Mae’r ymgyrch hwn yn erbyn y cynllun hefyd yn cydfynd ag ymgyrch Cymdeithas yr Iaith yn Sir Gaerfyrddin ar hyn o bryd, sef “Dw i eisiau byw yn Gymraeg”, sydd yn ceisio tynnu amlygrwydd i frwydr dros achub yr iaith yn y sir ac yng ngweddill Cymru.

Dywedodd y Comisiynydd, mewn cyfweliad â BBC Newyddion 9 ar S4C, ei bod yn “siomedig a phryderus”, am y sefyllfa bresennol. Nid yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cryfhau’r canllawiau i awdurdodau lleol am sut i ddeilio â cheisiadau cynllunio a’u heffaith ar yr iaith ers cyflwyniad polisi TAN 20 yn y flwyddyn 2000.

Anogodd Meri Huws i’r Llywodraeth ail-edrych ar y canllawiau hyn, gan nad yw awdurdodau lleol yn ystyried TAN 20 digon wrth benderfynu ar ddatblygiadau adeiladau newydd. Nid

ydynt chwaith yn derbyn digon o anogaeth gan Lywodraeth Cymru i ddilyn canllawiau’r polisi hwn.

Dywedodd hefyd fod tueddiad wedi bod yn y gorffennol i beidio ystyried effaith yr economi na materion cynllunio ar yr iaith Gymraeg; nid oes digon o ymwybyddiaeth am yr hyn a all

effeithio’r iaith. Yn yr hinsawdd ieithyddol bresennol mae’n holl bwysig fod awdurdodau lleol, yn enwedig yng nghadarnleoedd traddodiadol y Gymraeg yn ystyried y Gymraeg wrth fynd ati gyda chynlluniau datblygu newydd.

Wrth ymateb i sylwadau Meri

Huws, datganodd Llywodraeth Cymru fod y Gweinidog Tai, Adfywio a Chynllunio, Carl Sargent, ynghanol ail-ymgynghori ar adolygiadau TAN 20, ond fod y “cynllun wedi tynnu at ei derfyn” ar hyn o bryd.

Hunllef: trafferthion myfyrwyr yn yr helfa am y ty perffaith Bethan Jones-Arthur Taf-od

Mae edrych am rhywle i fyw yn anodd ar unrhyw adeg. Mae angen cymryd popeth i mewn i ystyriaeth – arian, ystafelloedd, diogelwch ac yn y blaen. I Fyfyrwyr y Brifysgol, mae'r dasg cryn dipyn yn fwy o sialens. Ie, mae cwpl o fanteision – mae cymorth ar gael a does dim angen i fyfyrwyr dalu treth y pen, ond ar ol i mi dreulio misoedd ar fisoedd o fy mywyd yn chwilio am dy i fi a thri ffrind, ddyweda i wrthoch chi: nid yw mor hawdd a mae’n edrych.

Yn y ffilmiau, mae’n syml: mae’r ferch brydferth a’r bachgen perffaith yn mynd i weld ty prydferth, mae’n nhw’n hoffi’r ty, mae nhw’n symud i mewn i’r ty. Dim problem.

Mae'n debyg nad yw'r broses mor syml a hyn.

Yn gyntaf, gwelsom ni i dy lle oedd y llawr wedi’i clorio gyda tsips McDonalds. Wedi ei orchuddio gan hen sglodion brown – rodd y lle yn drewi o olew, halen a Carling a doedd unman i gamu heb sefyll ar rhyw eitem o fwyd.

Dwi'n credu mai dyma pryd wnes i sylweddoli – bydd hyn yn

sialens mwy na argoelir.

Roedd yr ail dy yn well. (Roedd y llawr yn lan, oedd yn cyfri o blaid y ty hyn yn barod.) Penderfynon ni i dalu'r blaendal – roedd pawb yn hoffi’r ty a roedd y pris yn rhesymol.

Agoron ni gyfrif banc.

Yno, caeon ni’r cyfrif – pum munud yn gynharach roedd criw arall wedi talu'r blaendal a dyna dechre ar y chwilio unwaith eto...

Ym mis Tachwedd, cerddon ni i fewn i ystafell i weld bachgen yn

ymlacio ar ei wely. “Gosh, we’re sorry!” ddywedodd y gwerthwr.

Yna, dyma ben arall godi o’r blanced ar waelod y gwely. “It’s okay – I love his room I do, it’s so nice!” Cariad y bachgen (Ni'n credu). Gadawon yn gyflym.

Yn Rhagfyr, gwelsom gegin gyda sosbenni wedi’u stacio i’r nenfwd, ystafell olchi ddu (roedd y tenantiaid yn chwarae rygbi a doedd dim cynnyrch glanhau yn y ty – o gwbl) a lolfa gyda wal o luniau o ‘Nuts’ a ‘Loaded’. Neis.

Daeth Ionawr a ddau brofiad dychrynllyd gyda Landlord: aethom ni i weld ty lle roedd y boeler wedi torri a roedd y landlord yn sgrechan nol ac ymlaen gyda’r bobl oedd yn byw yno – hoffwn i ysgrifennu beth oedd yn cael ei ddweud, ond dydy’r geiriau ddim yn hollol addas. Roedd yr ail brofiad wir wedi ein hofni ni. Cerddon ni yn y tywyllwch – a’r eira – i weld ty oedd ar fin cwympo’n ddarnau. Ar ol i ni ddweud (yn gwrtais iawn) fod angen i ni fynd gartre, teimlais llaw ddieithr ar waelod fy nghefn. “You can get in the car if you like. I can give you a ride home.” Y landlord.

Nawr, sai’n dweud fy mod i’n athletwraig, ond rhedais o'r ty mewn amser y buasai Usain Bolt ei hyn yn falch ohonno.

Chwefror, a roedd pawb wedi blino o edrych am rhywle i fyw.

Doedd unman yn agos, neu’n addas, neu’n ddigon rhad.

Aethom ni i weld ty gyda giat mor fawr a mor finiog yr oedd e’n edrych fel set ffilm arswyd (on i’n gallu gweld Freddy Kreuger yno’n barod) a clywson o asiant arall: “I would take you to our other house, but the health and safety people are in at the moment.”

Mae'n debyg fod y tenantiaid

ddim yn defnyddio biniau o gwbl – roeddent yn rhoi bwyd dros ben ar y llawr mewn gobaith o ryw anifeiliaid i ymddangos a bwyta'r gweddillion. On i wir yn teimlo fel ein bod ni’n byw mewn hunllef. Meddyliais am y posibiliadau – oedden ni'n mynd orffen i fynu mewn bocsys cardfwrdd? Efallai y dylem ni wneud hysbyseb du a gwyn, yn gofyn am gymorth o’r cyhoedd (ie, dwi’n gwybod – tipyn yn or-ddramatig).

Ond ar ol misoedd o chwilio, misoedd o edrych i mewn i ystafelloedd gwely ac ymolchi dieithrion, misoedd o banig llwyr, darganffyddon i dy. Y ty perffaith. Pris rhesymol, ystafelloedd neis, popeth sydd angen yn y gegin a lolfa lyfli.

Rhywle i fyw! Wir! A mae’n edrych yn gret! Yn dilyn yr hunllef o chwilio a chwilio, roedd teimlad o rhyddhad pur ymysg pawb.

Nawr gyd sydd angen gwneud yw rhoi blaendal, talu rhent, agor cyfrif banc, sortio’r ystafelloedd, cyfri cost y biliau, newid fy ngyfeiriad ar bob darn o waith papur...

Beth all fynd yn anghywir?!

22 / Puzzles

sudoku

kakuro

Each Sudoku has a uniqueEasy solution that can be reached Kakuro #1 15x15 Kakuro Puzzles by KrazyDad, Book 18 Fill in Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad, Volume 3, Book 1 the grid so that each run of squares adds up to the total in the logically. Enter numbers into the blank spaces so that each box above or to the left. Use only numbers 1–9 and never use a numrow, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. ber more than once per run (a number may recur in the same row, in

Sudoku #1 Easy

a separate run).

4 2 5 3 9

16

6 8

13

30

10 11

9

8 1

21

5

14

15 4

10 29

13

8

8 13

14 17

17

13

28

12

23

10

9

15

13 17

5 11 29

24 21

11 3

15

11 35

6

12 3

14

4

13

13

8

14

11 15

11

19 23

23 4

28

9

8

6

16

31

3

7 © 2012 KrazyDad.com

© 2012 KrazyDad.com

4

18

20

10

5 2 9

6

14

9

If you use logic you can solve the puzzle without guesswork.

12

4

18 11

7

8

6

16

24

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

11

34

Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles, Volume 3, Book 23

5

21

12 19

New systems generate new problems.

3 9 2 4 5 7 2 8 1 4 5 7 3 6 9 5 3 1 9 2 6 1 Sudoku #1 Intermediate

6 3

1

cess, the security guard tells you a number and you must reply with the correct number or you are banned for life. Steve and Clive hide near the club to overhear two members enter. #1 steps up and the security guard gives the sign: "6". #1 answers "3".The guard lets him pass. #2 steps up and the security guard gives the sign: "12". #2 answers "6".The guard also lets him pass.

Need some help? visit krazydad.com/kakuro

5 6 7 2 8 3 6 4 2 8 2 3 7 4 5 8 1 3 2 © 2012 KrazyDad.com

Clive, approaches the door and the guard says "10".

Clive, sure that he knows the answer says "5". Immediately, the bouncer throws him out. Steve approaches the door and the security guard says “4”.

What does Steve say to gain access to the club?

Last week's solution:

5

4 6 3

Trip 1 - Take swan, 2 - Come back, 3 - Take dragon, 4 - Bring back swan, 5 - Take bread, 6 - Come back, 7 – Take swan

7

Reason is the life of the law; nay the common law itself is nothing else but reason ... The law which is the perfection of reason.

-- Coke

puzzles are like a cross between a crossword and a Sudoku puzzle.

Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle. Kakuro Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit Use it to identify the next square you should solve. Or use the answers pagewill never repeat within a word.

If you add digits in a word, the sum will Steve and histhe friend Clive are trying to gain access be the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides if you really get stuck. secret club Cardiff city centre. To gain acof “across” words,to and a on the top and bottom sides in of “down” words.

Listings 23

Monday April 29th 2013 | @mediacsu

MUSIC

Hatebreed Moday 29th April at Solus. 7pm. Tickets £14 Arcane Roots Tuesday 30th April at Clwb Ifor Bach. 7.30pm. Tickets £16.50 The Story So Far Thursday 2nd May at Clwb Ifor Bach. 7pm.

Treatment presents Eats Everything Friday 3rd May at Solus. 9pm. Tickets £16.50.

THEATRE

The Woman in Black Monday 29th April - Saturday 4th May at the New Theatre. Tickets from £8.50 Bianco Wednesday 1st - Saturday 4th May at the Millenium Centre. Tickets from £18.

CLUBS

Bump n Grind Bank Holiday Special Sunday 5th May at Undertone. 10pm – 4am. Tickets £3.

The Lash Wednesday 1st May at Solus. 10pm – 3am. Tickets £3 in advance, £4 on the door.

Comeplay Saturday 4th May at Solus. 10pm - 3am. Tickets £5.

ART & CULTURE

Buffalo Boutique Monday 29th April at Buffalo from 7pm. Free Entry.

R U O N O H R LL. Nominations are open for

OUTSTANDING STUDENT OF THE YEAR Do you know a student who has enhanced the lives of others in the university or within the wider local, national or international community?

Nominate an exceptional student for the prestigious 'Honour Roll' Award Email welfareofficer@cardiff.ac.uk for more information or download a nomination pack at cardiffstudents.com

ENRICHING STUDENT LIFE AWARDS 2013

26 / Sport

Varsity 2013 Review Wong bows out on a win Wai Lim

Sport Writer CARDIFF MEN ..................... 7 SWANSEA MEN ..................... 1 CARDIFF LADIES ................ 3 SWANSEA LADIES ............... 5 Varsity badminton was marred by controversy, with the organisation being criticised after the games were played in an unsuitable venue due to a low ceiling.

Cardiff’s Athletic Union recognised this mistake and attempted to rectify it by relocating the fixtures. This proposal was rejected by their Swansea counterparts so the games went ahead as scheduled in the Jubilee Hall at the Welsh Institute of Sport.

The matches were played at a noticeably slow pace to try and avoid hitting the ceiling - an act that would incur a one-point penalty.

First up for the men was captain Dom Brown in the singles against Swansea’s McMullan.

Brown was victorious over two sets.

Nick Ward played Swansea Captain Sam Gorell, hoping to avenge his defeat in last year’s Welsh Uni Cup final. He did so emphatically, winning 21–10, 21–16 in straight games.

Meanwhile, in ladies’ games,

Ursula Szegnor managed to steal a game in the ladies’ singles giving them hope of a surprise draw.

Next up on court was the doubles Rosh Mann and Cerys smashing past their opposition, as last minute call up Georgie and Amoo lost to take the games to 2–2 for ladies at the half way stage.

Huw Bowen and Wai Lim played Barry Garnham and Sam Crossley. Despite Garnham playing in his 11th varsity, Bowen and Lim beat them comfortably with scores of 21–10, 21–12.

Darren Wong, playing his last ever Varsity, partnered inexperienced fresher Oliver Digby in his first Varsity match and they unfortunately lost out in three sets.

At the halfway stage it was 3–1 to Cardiff in the men’s and 2–2 in the ladies’ fixtures.

As the single games resumed, Cardiff needed Emma Davies to pull off the biggest game of her life and she very nearly did. She was unfortunate to lose 25–23 in the third game, giving Swansea the 4–2 lead.

In the men’s however, it was a different story. Nick Ward smashed past Swansea’s McMullan to take Cardiff to a 4–1 lead.

Lim and Bowen defeated Swansea’s double team 21–10, 21–14 to confirm Cardiff’s Varsity crown with games still to play.

Meanwhile, in the ladies’, Mann and Hickinbottom sealed the points they needed to make it 4–3 but the Swansea second pair were too much for Cardiff and unfortunately the girls lost by the narrow margin of 5–3.

Cardiff’s Dom Brown battled Swansea’s captain, going toe-totoe for what seemed like an age,

until eventually Brown sealed the point for Cardiff to take the overall score to 6–1.

Wong and Digby were up next

and with Wong’s final ever touch, he delivered the final blow to Swansea to clinch the men’s win at 7–1.

CARDIFF MEN: Yee Wai Lim, Huw Bowen, Dom Brown, Nick Ward, Oliver Digby, Darren Wong CARDIFF LADIES: Roshani Mann, Cerys Hickinbottom, Ursula Szegner, Anoo Ramjeeawon, Louise Carter, Emma Davies

Ultimate victory for Cardiff Kendal Archer News Editor

CARDIFF ............................. 15 SWANSEA ............................ 6 Ultimate Frisbee kick started the day of Varsity matches on Wednesday.

Led by Captain Kei Matsumoto, the team came out with a strong line and scored the first two points against Swansea. The first of which was scored by Eddie Foster, who went on to be named Man of the Match.

Swansea responded by bringing out a strong zone defence and managed to score two points, bringing the score to an even two all.

Gaining confidence, Swansea went on to score another two points, taking a 4–2 lead and continuing to threaten Cardiff’s de-

fence.

By this point in the match, however, a strong Cardiff sideline had begun to gather and the atmosphere spurred the team on.

After a quick team talk, Cardiff managed to score a successive three points, whilst conceding minimal turnovers.

Mike Walters, Harry Dunn and Kei Matsumoto all made exceptional defensive bids in order to maintain possession of the disk, with Derek Napier, Eddie Foster, Marcus Lewis and Hussain A AlGhafly making exceptional cuts and scoring many of Cardiff’s points.

Swansea made a strong effort to come back, making some impressive defensive bids and attempting to employ a zone defence. However, this was quickly overcome by the Cardiff side, who only conceded another three

points during the match.

With the side-line support and exceptional team work, it was impossible for Swansea to equalise and Cardiff scored a quick succession of points to win.

The final score of 15-6 to Cardiff reflected the commitment and skill of the team; the game did not run to full time, ending after only sixty minutes, as the cap was reached in this time.

Despite being three key players short due to illness, Cardiff dominated the match and, after a relatively slow start, comfortably beat Swansea.

CARDIFF: Harry Dunn, Mike Walters, Arron Stansbury, Marcus Lewis, Oliver Gray, Derek Neupauer, Edward Foster, Hussain A AlGhafly, Kei Matsumoto (c), Bon Leung, Jon Rowe

Sport 26–36

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

27

Varsity 2013 Review Xpress at the Millennium

James Shapland Sport Editor

The team at Cardiff’s Xpress Radio produced an exceptional range of Varsity coverage throughout the day before enjoy-

ing exclusive press access at the Millennium Stadium for the evening’s rugby.

Broadcasting from a makeshift marquee at the WIS, the team, led by Head of Sport Pete Robertson, ensured that listeners were

kept up to date with all the action. From shock results to crowd concerns, Xpress had it covered.

After a frantic relocation to the Millennium Stadium, the stage was set for Pete and deputy station manager Ed Lecorgne to

take to the mics and report on the biggest fixture on Cardiff University’s sporting calendar.

Supported by station manager Hannah Cook, tech expert Josh Edwards, and willing helpers Jo Southerd and Juliette Nicholls,

the commentary went ahead without a hitch.

Anchored by Chris Browning, the programme was a huge success and capped off a fantastic day for all those involved at Xpress.

Heavy blow for Swansea’s Taekwon-Do Brenna McInerney Sport Writer

CARDIFF ............................. 24 SWANSEA .............................. 3 The pressure was on Cardiff this year to retain their title of undefeated Varsity champions, having never lost to their Swansea rivals.

This year, both squads had a team of 16 competitors, matched up to battle it out in both patterns and sparring.

Both squad captains had been gearing their teams up all year for the clash, as it is one of the competitive highlights of the season.

The day kicked off with patterns, judged by an impartial panel. After an impressive display, Cardiff won this first round with a score of 9 wins to 3, with 4 draws.

However it was still all to play for when it came to the second round, which was the sparring.

This year, both team’s committees met up to decide which of their squad members were the best match-ups for each other, leading to both clubs having equal ground when it came to competing.

All fights this year were twominute rounds, with black belts

doing 2 rounds. After a pep-talk from the captain and our standin coach, Cardiff were pumped up and raring to go. As the day continued, Cardiff were on a role, not losing a single fight.

Nerves were high as Cardiff fought to keep up their winning streak, with the fights becoming increasingly challenging.

Highlights of the day included Oli Mathers’ head height back kick, Lewis Hill’s 2 fight win, Jess Phillips’ aggression and Brenna Mac’s ten second winning round.

Overall, Cardiff dominated Swansea, finishing with a 24–3 victory, their most comprehen-

sive win yet over the Swans.

Cardiff will hope to continue on their winning streak and with their upcoming competitions in mind, training will continue with their instructor Dean Matthews to ensure they are on top form.

CARDIFF: Oli Mather, Brenna Mac, Charlie McDermott, Jess Penny, Jess Phillips, Joe Finney, Ali Sadeq Al Arayedh, Sarah Nethercott, Emmanuel Puig, Lewis Hill, Marek Allen, Gareth Francis, Carlos Anziani, Nikki Williams, Ashley Pass, Rhian Ashley

28 / Sport

Varsity 2013 Review Cardiff blow the Swans away

Joanna Lucas Sport Writer

CARDIFF .............................. 6 SWANSEA ............................. 3 Cardiff sailors fought off tough competition from Swansea Sailing Team to win the annual Varsity grudge-match on Wednesday at Cardiff Bay. The winner was to be the first team to six race wins, and despite very tight racing between

the two teams, Cardiff came out victorious, beating Swansea 6–3.

The format of the racing was three Cardiff boats competing against three Swansea boats. The total of the finishing positions is added up and the team with the least points collectively wins.

Cardiff started well in the first race, with two Swansea boats receiving penalty turns before the start. Despite one Cardiff boat hitting the pin end of the start line, they managed to bring it

back to win with first, second and fifth positions.

The wind was variable, shifting in direction and steadily building in speed throughout the morning.

The tight racing provided great spectating for both Cardiff and Swansea fans who had come along to watch and support.

Swansea clawed back a win in the second race with 1,3,5 after one Cardiff boat was over the line and had to turn back and re-

cross.

In reply, Cardiff smashed the next two races with comfortable wins but then had a little wobble, with Swansea also winning two in a row. After six races the teams were tied three all and there was everything to play for.

Cardiff didn’t make their next few wins easy either, with several penalty turns and place changes keeping the racing exciting right to the line.

They managed to pull off three

more wins though and, as the first to six wins, were crowned victorious.

In celebration, at his first and last Varsity, long-serving team member Matt Holbourn swandived into the Bay. Sadly he couldn’t convince any of his team members to join him!

CARDIFF: Matt Holbourn, Georgie Andrew, Tom Firth, Dave Gilfedder, Jo Lucas, Andrew McClenaghan

Sharp shooting Cardiff clinch the netball Ross Martinovic Sport Editor

CARDIFF ............................. 34 SWANSEA ............................ 27 Cardiff stormed to victory over Swansea in the netball Varsity match after an enthralling contest at the Sport Wales National Centre.

The game was delicately poised for long periods, with just a single goal separating the sides at the halfway point.

But Cardiff’s superior fitness

told in the final two quarters as they gradually extended their lead, eventually running out comfortable winners.

Swansea began the contest the brighter of the two teams, with their dead-eyed goal shooter Lizzie Williams proving a handful in particular.

Their incisive passing and dangerous counterattack helped them establish a quick 3–1 advantage, although Cardiff improved towards the end of the first quarter to leave the score at 10–9 to the hosts.

Momentum proved to be key in the second quarter as Cardiff came storming out of the blocks and goal attack Elin Huws and goal shooter Alix Powell began to link up fluidly.

They held a four-goal lead at one stage at 14–10, but a flurry of strikes from Williams and Rebecca Steingass hauled Swansea back into contention and ensured that it remained a one-goal game with the score at 17–16.

The visitors, a level below the hosts in the BUCS league system, had fought bravely throughout

the match, offering little space to manoeuvre in attack and closing down effectively.

But Cardiff’s quality and overall height advantage began to tell in the third quarter, as accurate long passes enabled them to switch defence into attack quickly and establish a five-goal advantage at 27–22, with Huws especially potent.

And it proved to be an insurmountable margin for Swansea as they were kept at arm’s length by a clinical Cardiff outfit gelled superbly by Steph May in the

centre and spearheaded expertly by replacement goal shooter Elle Reynolds.

Swansea continued to toil and Steingrass and the tireless Williams persevered, but they were unable to overcome the deficit as Cardiff saw out the remainder of the match in relative comfort.

CARDIFF: Ellie Crowley, Jen Mckeon, Nicole Goddard, Ellie Hughes, Daisy Abbott, Steph May, Kirsten A’Bear, Emily Plank, Elin Huws, Alix Powell, Kat Scott, Elle Reynolds

Sport 26–36

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

29

Varsity 2013 Review Cardiff rowers tear up the Taff Rhian Fuller Sport Writer

CARDIFF ……………............... 4 SWANSEA ............................. 0 It was a whitewash win for Cardiff University Rowing Club (CURC) at the 8th Annual Welsh Varsity Boat Race on Saturday, April 20th.

The race, which began in 2006 with crews racing for the Tomos Watkin Challenge Trophy, starts at Penarth Road bridge and continues over approximately two kilometres, finishing at Cardiff Bay. For those not familiar with the competition, crews of eight rowers are guided down the course by their cox, who makes the ninth member of the team.

Rowing is an all-round demanding sport, with competitors needing a combination of strength, core balance, fitness and will power.

Basking in the sun, spectators gathered across the bridges and banking of the River Taff as each crew took to the water, eager to deliver a winning performance.

Cardiff dominated the event, with the Novice and Senior crews soaring over the finishing line lengths ahead of the Swansea opposition.

All the Swansea crews began strong and challenged Cardiff for the title, yet it was Cardiff who had the stamina and leg drive to push past Swansea round the second corner of the course and into the final stretch.

The traditional throwing of the winning coxes off the pontoon at Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre shortly followed after the final race between the Senior Men, and the landslide victory saw CURC President, Amy Hill, being launched into the waters of

the river.

The presentation of medals and trophies brought the boat race to an end. But the competition didn’t end here.

To celebrate the Boat Race, both universities ditched the Lycra kit for evening ball attire and headed to the Thistle Hotel in Cardiff. In the running up to the race, crews are put on drinking ban, so each rower was thirsty for a beverage after a hard day’s outing.

After Cardiff and Swansea were wined and dined, the night ended in Tiger Tiger for a celebratory party where no doubt endless boat races of a different kind took place. The next morning definitely saw some sore heads, unlucky for those who had training!

Ultimately, four wins out of four showcases Cardiff’s success.

It is the result of dedication and hard training and hopefully will be the start of more success as the racing season continues.

CARDIFF: Senior Women: Sarah Davison, Marie PiCard, Cari Davies, Amy Hill, Chloe Edwards, Chloe Salter, Hannah Mansfield, Kat Heine, Cath Field Novice Women: Kate Millar, Cath Lloyd, Alyssia Spaan, Giverny Barrett, Alicia Lee, Olivia Witt, Annalise Grieve, Yasmeen Mahmoud, Emerald Brook Senior Men: Sarah Davies, Robbie Hughes, Mike Ramselaar, Max Everett, Jack Nottley, Jacob Sanders, Matt Sherwen, James Stringfellow, Sam Vatvani Novice Men: Helen Illif, Sam Regan, Edd Dyer, Matt Smith, Joe Fish, Will Nigel Evans, Rob Berendt, Jake Lewis, Sam Orchard

Slam dunk for Cardiff basketball Tom Parry-Jones Sub-editor

CARDIFF MEN ................... 57 SWANSEA MEN ................. 50 The Cardiff men’s basketball team claimed their seventh consecutive Varsity title on Wednesday afternoon with a fourthquarter surge to victory.

The game was fairly level all the way up to the start of the final period, with the scores level at 39–39.

However, Cardiff began to pull away in the last few minutes, at one point building up an eightpoint lead.

Both teams were well supported throughout and the Swansea fans were particularly vocal in

putting off the Cardiff shooters from the free-throw line.

But Cardiff’s defence made up for the missed free throws by preventing Swansea from capitalising and closing the gap.

Both teams added points in the final few minutes, but Swansea were not able to reduce the gap to any less than six points and Cardiff came away with a 57–50

victory.

Cardiff’s George Margaritopoulos said after the game: “It’s magnificent. All the guys worked so hard in training the whole season long, they all wanted it so much.

“We have to dedicate [the win] to our captain, Tom Friend, and Hal Oreck, who are the oldest guys here – they really wanted it

badly, so it’s dedicated to them.”

CARDIFF: Christos Kaskouras, George Margaritopoulos, Charles Billington, Michael O’Keefe (c), Alvaro De Armas Elvira, Antonis Stylianou, Tom Friend, Maelien HiltonDavies, Constantine Ong, Hal Oreck, Liam Burr, Angelos Vontetsianos

30 / Sport

Varsity 2013 Review

Cardiff tennis serve up a storm Greg Landon Sport Writer

CARDIFF MEN .................... 4 SWANSEA MEN .................... 2 CARDIFF LADIES ............... 6 SWANSEA LADIES .............. 0 Quality performances and a vocal crowd made Varsity tennis an eventful day at Cardiff Lawn Tennis Club.

Expectations were high, as both the men’s and women’s teams won last year.

The hectic day, where all four courts were in continuous use, began perfectly for Cardiff in the doubles.

Rob Knight and Will Hardman broke serve on the first game of the day, and went on to take the first set 6–2 against Jamie Davis and Swansea’s captain Julian Page.

The other male doubles pairing, Alastair Masterton and Danny Hawker, also won their first set easily, losing just one game against Swansea’s Oliver Jackson

and Mike Thomas.

Over on the ladies’ courts, Cardiff enjoyed a similarly successful start. Jaz Whittaker and Emma Underhill strolled to a 6–2, 6–0 win, thanks in no small part to some powerful and well-placed serving, which Swansea’s Nicole Holland and Georgia Sharpe had little response to.

In the other ladies’ doubles match, the experienced pairing of Alicia Gordon and Lauren Clarke took a similarly comfortable 6–1, 6–2 victory over Swansea’s Georgia Wyman and Becky Hudson.

There was, however, a tense moment in the first set when Gordon released a fierce backhand that hit the side of partner Lauren’s head. Still, the pair composed themselves and continued in their ascendency, although they said afterwards that it was a “freak” incident that had “never happened before.”

Having both lost their first sets, the two Swansea men’s doubles teams mounted great

comebacks. Julian Page and Jamie Davis took both the second and third sets against Knight and Hardman. The long and tense encounter was capped off by a marathon third set, which ended 2–6, 6–3, 7–5 to the Swansea boys.

Cardiff’s Masterton and Hawker endured a similarly gruelling second set, losing the tie-breaker 8–6. They recovered superbly though, taking the third set 6–2 to secure a great win.

Captain Thompson said the men’s results in the doubles were “good but not ideal” as he had hoped for two victories.

While the lengthy men’s doubles games were finishing, the ladies continued their dominance during the singles.

Daria Malyarova easily took her match against Georgia Sharpe, dropping just one first set game.

Sophie Brazell faired even better, as her 6–0, 6–0 win against Becky Hudson secured the ladies’ overall victory with two singles matches remaining.

Lauren Clarke and captain Alicia Gordon secured a 6–0 overall victory for the ladies’ team, with respective 6–1, 6–0 and 6–0, 6–0 wins over Swansea’s Nicole Holland and captain Becky Wyman to cap off a perfect day for the girls.

With the ladies’ matches finishing quickly, attention turned to the men’s singles.

Rob Knight gave the men a 2–1 overall lead when he beat Mike Thomas. Both players had earlier lost long and hard doubles matches, but it was Knight who showed greater resolve, coming through 6–2, 6–3 despite the fact his “legs were gone” by the end.

Next, Cardiff’s Theo Kavallas took victory in one of the day’s longer and most absorbing matches against Oliver Jackson 3–6, 6–4, 6–0.

Captain Scott Thompson then secured overall victory for the men’s team with a convincing 6–2, 6–2 win over Matt Boucher.

Aside from a great team performance, Thompson also

praised the crowd, saying it was an “amazing day” full of “great banter”.

When asked if the competitiveness of the crowd was too much for a tennis contest, he replied “it’s our biggest match of the year, so we love it”.

Swansea men’s captain Julian Page salvaged some pride for his side as he beat Will Hardman 6–2, 7–6 in a somewhat ill-tempered last match.

Still, little could have dampened Cardiff’s spirits following a great day on the courts, where the women won 6–0, while the men took a 4–2 overall victory.

CARDIFF MEN: Scott Thompson (c), Will Hardiman, Rob Knight, Alastair Masterton, Danny Hawker, Theo Kavallas CARDIFF LADIES: Alicia Goulding (c), Lauren Clarke, Jaz Whitaker, Emma Underhill, Sophie Brazell, Daria Malyarova

Sport 26–36

Monday April 29th 2013 | @gairrhyddsport

31

Varsity 2013 Review

Swansea hit for six Dom Booth Sport Writer

CARDIFF ........................ 156–5 SWANSEA ......................... 102

CARDIFF: T. Williams, G. Thurstance, T. Hamilton, J. Godrich, T. Saijid, J. Allen, J. Matthews, H. Morris, S. Liangedara, R. Wigley, N. Kent

Ladies’ hockey cruise comprehensive to victory Arthur Russell Sport Writer

CARDIFF LADIES .............. 4 SWANSEA LADIES .............. 0 Cardiff University Ladies HC comfortably beat rivals Swansea in this year’s Varsity match.

Spectators saw a strong Cardiff side outplay the visitors in all areas to record a deserved 4-0 victory at the Welsh Institute of Sport.

Cardiff started brightly, enjoying the lion’s share of early possession. Time in the Swansea half meant a break through looked increasingly likely, with Swansea just about hanging on against constant Cardiff pressure from

an abundance of short corners.

It was just before half time, when Swansea’s defiant defence finally cracked, that Catherine Macaulay stroked home a wellrehearsed short corner routine to break the deadlock just before the break.

The second half began with somewhat of a Swansea revival.

However, this pressure was soon quashed as the home side hit the visitors on the break, which resulted in a composed reverse stick finish from Jemma Winterbottom to make the score 2-0.

Another powerful strike from Macaulay from the top of the ‘D’ extended Cardiff’s lead shortly after.

From that point, the home

side ran riot, asserting their dominance as the Swansea heads dropped. With Cardiff keeper, Alice Wills’, goal rarely under threat, the hosts continued to pile on the pressure, playing an expansive game to keep Swansea on the back foot. Janieve Buhagiar expertly scored Cardiff’s fourth goal in a one on one with the keeper, to complete the rout.

The ladies’ Varsity success compliments an already successful season, after they finished top of the Western 1A division, winning 8 out of 10 games in the process.

The emphatic result will surely give the side confidence ahead of their end of season promotion play-off match against Canter-

bury Christchurch in May. Although Swansea played in the same league as the Cardiff 3rds this year, you could take nothing away from a confident Cardiff side, who were far superior in all areas, looking increasingly like a BUCS Premier outfit as they sealed another Varsity win.

CARDIFF: Alice Wills, Amy Hayes, Louise Linley-Adams, Elizabeth Rae-Allen, Rachel Dunning, Jennifer Tilbury, Nicole Morrow, Rilla Cotton, Grace Piggott (c), Catherine Macaulay, Sarah Barratt, Janieve Buhagiar, Jemma Winterbottom, Naomi James

Grey skies hung overhead all afternoon but the rain held off for a brilliant day of cricket for Cardiff University.

The 1st XI took on Swansea at Usk cricket club in the Welsh Varsity t20 cricket match.

After the disappointment of not being able to hold the match at the SWALEC stadium in Cardiff, the game was eventually rearranged for a 1pm start at Usk CC. A group of over 60 supporters made the journey to see the lads seal an emphatic victory by 54 runs to take home the Welsh Varsity cricket trophy.

The travelling fans had plenty to cheer from the start as captain Tom Williams (32) and George Thurstance (33) put on 63 for the first wicket off just seven overs.

Swansea bowler Jono Wright went for 45 off his four overs and, within the first hour, Cardiff were in control.

James Godrich was the top run scorer with 34 as everyone else chipped in with valuable runs.

Josh Allen hit some big shots to finish on 20 not out and his team reached a total of 156–5 off their allotted 20 overs.

The Swansea innings never really got going, thanks to some excellent economical bowling from Thurstance, Tamoor Sajjad Zafar and CUCC chairman Huw Morris.

Joe Parkhouse was the only standout batsman for the Swans with a decent knock of 50, but Cardiff’s bowling accuracy and intensity in the field proved too much.

Swansea’s batting collapsed from 80–3 to 102 all out in the final over, leaving them a massive 54 runs short of victory.

The final wicket was greeted with a mass pitch invasion and chants of “Champions” from the Cardiff faithful.

Skipper Williams lifted the trophy and was promptly held aloft himself by the fans at the end. This preceded lengthy celebrations into the night.

The match was a convincing display of the Dragons’ skill and was a win that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone at Cardiff University Cricket Club.

32 / Sport

Varsity 2013 Review Morse leads IMG charge Tom Eden News Editor

CARDIFF IMG ..................... 2 SWANSEA IMG .................... 0 Cardiff’s IMG Football team battled their way to victory with goals either side of half time.

In a traditionally feisty encounter, clinical finishing and solid defence proved to be the difference, giving Cardiff the win for the first time in recent memory.

Andy Jenkins opened the scoring for Cardiff with a powerful low shot, having latched on to a through ball which split the Swansea defence.

A lob from 20 yards by Josh Walker doubled the lead at the start of the second half and Cardiff held on, much to the delight of the vocal fans in attendance.

Walker described the goal as “a bit of a shambles”, with the lob coming off his shin as he attempted to cross the ball.

Swansea had the better chances, missing an open goal with a header in the first few minutes

and regularly testing keeper James Kelly.

Cardiff’s manager Jon Morse awarded the title of man of the match to Adam Cornish, for his dominant midfield performance.

Cornish bossed the midfield, with strong tackling and accurate passing, giving Cardiff a platform of possession that proved vital in holding the lead.

Morse said “My boys played them off the park, absolutely hammered them and got the result that we deserved.”

The first half was very open, with both teams looking for the opening goal. Swansea created the better chances, with their striker playing off Cardiff’s last defender causing Cardiff problems. He was thwarted several times by offside decisions but as the match progressed the centre back pairing began to get the upper hand and suppressed the threat.

Liam McDermott, the Cardiff captain gave credit to the amount of training in preparation for the game, saying that they had gelled well as a team – having never

played together before.

Swansea’s captain Dai Noonan, speaking immediately after the loss said, “It was more of a physical game than a passing one which didn’t suit us. I think we were a yard off the pace today, but on a different day we would have had them.”

Assistant Manager for Cardiff, Richard Tweed was confident that Cardiff would win beven before kick off, saying: “It’s only Swansea, so it should be a pretty easy game!” He caught up with gair rhydd to say, “Told you so.”

Hundreds of supporters provided a wall of noise as a soundtrack for the game and, at the final whistle, spilled onto the pitch to celebrate.

CARDIFF: James Kelly, Tom Lewis, Liam McDermott (c), Scott Gregory, Sam Pritchard, Joe Peskett, Ben Knight, James Vibert, Tom Keohane, Matthaus Curtis, Andy Jenkins, Josh Walker, Jono Watson, Matt BlackburnSmith, Tom Tomlinson, Adam Parkinson, Chris Allan, Callum Vincent

Cobras destroyed by Titans Tom Parry-Jones Sub-editor

CARDIFF COBRAS ............. 14 SWANSEA TITANS ............ 36 The Swansea Titans passed for three touchdowns and ran in two more to beat the Cardiff Cobras 36–14 in the first American football Varsity match for three years.

The Cobras were quietly confident ahead of the game, despite regular season form giving the Titans the upper hand – one of only a few sports in which Swansea had the advantage.

In a rain-affected season, the Cardiff Cobras had only won one of the six matches they had managed to complete, in comparison to Swansea’s 5–3 record, which saw them just miss out on the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Cardiff started the game well, forcing the Titans to punt on their first drive, following it up with an impressive punt return by safety Robin Ford.

However, Swansea’s defence came out firing on all cylinders, sacking Cardiff quarterback Rich

Gardner for a big loss on the way to another three-and-out.

The Swansea offence was clearly boosted by the effort of their team-mates, as they marched down the field and completed a 12-yard pass into the end zone for the first touchdown (TD) of the game.

With Cardiff misfiring on offence, Swansea were able to increase their advantage shortly afterwards with another TD pass.

The touchdown was third time lucky for Swansea, who had been denied twice in quick succession by the sideline and a penalty flag.

They were then successful with their two-point conversion, taking the score to 14–0.

Sensing the game was about to slip irretrievably out of reach, the Cobras shifted up a gear, constructing a length-of-the-field drive to set up a 5-yard touchdown run from club president Ayo Akintunde, who followed it up with an extra two points to make it 14–8.

As the game moved into its second quarter, Akintunde was again the scorer of Cardiff’s next

touchdown, going 60 yards to level the scores at 14 apiece.

Unfortunately, that was to be the last time Cardiff would trouble the scorekeepers, as Swansea began to dominate on both sides of the ball, adding another TD to

give them a 22–14 lead at the halftime break.

Another two touchdowns went the way of the Titans in the second half, although it might have been more were it not for staunch defence on the goal line

from Ford and linebacker Ryan Davies.

With the final score at 36–14, Swansea claimed their first win in Varsity American football and were presented with the inaugural Varsity trophy.

Sport 26–36

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Varsity 2013 Review Cardiff lacrosse dominate Victoria Farrant Sport Writer

CARDIFF MEN .................... 5 SWANSEA MEN ................... 2 CARDIFF LADIES .............. 13 SWANSEA LADIES .............. 8 In what proved to be a nail-biting set of matches, both the Cardiff University men’s and ladies’ lacrosse teams have retained their titles as Varsity winners.

Both Cardiff and Swansea gathered large crews of supporters, making for a great atmo-

sphere at Pontcanna fields.

Once the teams completed their victories, Cardiff players and their supporters celebrated in style with champagne on the side of the pitch, after a very successful year for the club.

After some very tough semifinals for the girls and a hardearned silver in the BUCS cup for the men’s team, Cardiff were keen to put their biggest rivals in their place once more.

The ladies started the day on top form. Despite a very early goal from Swansea, Cardiff fought back well and completely

outplayed their opponents.

A goal from KitKat Nicholas , followed by two more from Emily Cecil in quick succession allowed Cardiff to take a strong lead.

A goal from Amy Rochford assisted by Nicholas, plus more goals from Cecil put Cardiff ahead with a half time score of 7–3.

Some excellent saves from Cardiff’s goalkeeper Catrin Williams in the second half made for a final score of 13–8 to Cardiff.

The men’s side followed in similar fashion, with another early goal from Swansea.

A goal from Elliot May and another from Joakim Schuwer put Cardiff ahead with a score of 2–1 at quarter time.

The second quarter followed with another goal from Schuwer and another two from May, meaning that Cardiff left the pitch with a 5–2 win under their belts.

Great play from defenders Jack Ward, Joey Rickman and Jamie Bodnar-Horvath as well as goalkeeper Paul Chapman gave Cardiff a solid lead to build on from the very first quarter of the match.

Both teams were undeniably a force to be reckoned with and are looking forward to coming back even bigger and better next year.

CARDIFF MEN: Paul Chapman, Jack Ward, Joey Rickman, Jamie Bodnar-Horvath, Marc Cork, Ceri Hill, James Gibson, Charlie Quarry, Patrick Anderson, Ondra Teluch, Will Jones-Warner, Hugo King-Oakley, Silas Fuller, Will Morris, Chris Blood, James Tilley, Bradley Cooper, Elliot May, Joakim Schuwer, Dominic Evans CARDIFF LADIES: Gabbi Shields, Gaby Glennon, Sophie Jones, Tina Battersby, Ellie Van Klaveren, Charlotte Jones, GG Gore Browne, Liv Burke, Emily Weighton, Anjuli Seaborne, Amy Rochford, Emily Cecil, Flo Barker, Kate Turnor, KitKat Nicholas

Honours even at the Jubilee Jacob Dirnhuber Sport Writer

CARDIFF MEN .................... 3 SWANSEA MEN ................... 0 CARDIFF LADIES ............... 0 SWANSEA LADIES ............... 3 Both Varsity volleyball games were held in the Jubilee Hall, after claims that the roof in the Talybont Sports Centre was too low led to a change of venue.

First up were the men. The first team to defeat their opponents in three sets would automatically win. Cardiff, captained

by Max Baridwang, were forced to overturn a 4–0 deficit in the first set, but soon took charge of the tie after a series of impressive aces by Baridwang and and Nick Ward. Cardiff eventually won the first set 16–25.

In the second set, due to Swan-

sea’s erratic serving, Cardiff’s fifth point was the first to be won by their own merit. Swansea managed a brief resurgence, but eventually lost 25–10.

Cardiff’s two victories meant that Swansea had to win the third round in order to stand any chance of winning. However, they failed to build on an impressive start to the set. Nick Ward was left to win the set after a great recovery by Stefano Locatelli allowed him to make it 25–16.

Due to a 45 minute delay, a significant number of Cardiff fans had left the hall before the ladies’ game started. With Swansea now dominating in terms of support, the Cardiff team struggled, and a series of errors condemned them to a 25–18 defeat in the first set.

The second didn’t go much better for Cardiff, with the most notable event being an awful

miscommunication for Cardiff which nearly led to an on-court fight, as they slipped to a 15–25 defeat.

In the final set, Swansea raced into a 11-point lead before Cardiff even managed to get on the scoreboard, and although Cardiff managed to stage a comeback, it was too little, too late, as Swansea won the set 25–10.

CARDIFF MEN: Stefano Locatelli, Ralph Buiser, Nick Dallas, Nick Ward, Mohamed Al-Korbi, Rogerio Monteiro, Andrew Oakley, Phil Gibson, Harris Anthanasoglou, Max Badirwang (c), Wee Hou Chong CARDIFF LADIES: Katrina Vakalopoulou, Samrawit Gougsa, Sophie Epstein, Panayiota Varoshioti, Katharina Herter(c), Andriana Bantra, Antigona Lesi, Letizia Mantoan

34 / Sport

Varsity 2013 Review Feely at the double for Cardiff Jacob Dirnhuber Sport Writer

CARDIFF MEN ..................... 3 SWANSEA MEN .................... 2 The men’s Varsity football game took place on the main WIS pitch at 12pm.

Some aggressive tackling marked the early exchanges as the vicious rivals attempted to make their mark on proceedings.

Swansea had the first chance of note when Jordan Ward headed over from the first corner of the game.

But Cardiff didn’t have to wait long before opening their account, and took the lead a few minutes later.

A quick break sent Ben McKenna racing down the left, and his low cross found Sam Trueman, who was on hand to convert at the second attempt, after his initial effort was blocked by George Parsons.

However, Swansea soon upped

the tempo and scored the equaliser after Cardiff failed to deal with a succession of corners.

Nick Lewis could only turn Jack McKenna’s miss-hit cross onto the bar, leaving Matt Barnard with the simple task of tapping home from a yard out.

For the next ten minutes, chances were few and far between apart from one incident where Nick Feely sliced wide after a goalmouth scramble presented him with an empty net.

It seemed that the sides would go in level, but Cardiff took the lead five minutes before the whistle.

Ben McKenna headed down a long ball into the path of Feely, who drove an unstoppable half volley in off the bar for 2–1.

Swansea nearly made it 2–2 on the stroke of half time, but Jack McKenna could only shoot straight at Lewis after being released by Sam Rose-Miles.

Swansea upped the tempo after the break, and scored the lev-

eller soon after. Adam Price was brought down inside the area after a neat interchange on the edge of the box, and Jack McKenna held his nerve to bury the resulting penalty.

Swansea dominated the rest of the game and only an excellent save from Lewis and some lastditch defending from Dan Compton kept the scores level.

However, Swansea failed to make their numerous chances count, and with ten minutes remaining, Cardiff scored the winning goal.

In a rare counter-attack for Cardiff, Chris Hugh raced down the right and, using the outside of his left foot, sent in a stunning cross for the unmarked Feely to head home, silencing the Swansea fans once and for all.

CARDIFF: Lewis, Scott, Compton (c), Gurnett, Flint Roberts, McEvoy, Hanley, Trueman, McKenna, Feely, Hugh

Shock defeat for Cardiff ladies James Shapland Sport Editor

CARDIFF LADIES ............... 2 SWANSEA LADIES .............. 3 In a tightly contested game, Cardiff suffered a shock defeat to arch rivals Swansea in the ladies’ Football.

Cardiff have enjoyed emphatic victories in the Varsity fixture in recent seasons and things were looking good this time around as they opened the scoring within the first minute.

Cutting in from the right wing, Hannah Mills fired a shot across the Swansea goalkeeper into the top left hand corner of the net.

Buoyed by such a perfect start, Cardiff dominated proceedings in the first 10 minutes.

As the half progressed however, their opponents began to settle into the match.

A period of sustained pressure culminated in a clear chance for Swansea winger Emily Marchant who sped into the 18-yard box but dragged her shot wide.

Marchant’s pace continued to cause problems and on the 35-minute mark, she found herself in a similar position inside

the penalty area. Not put off by her earlier wayward effort, she coolly struck the ball past Cardiff goalkeeper Fliss Carroll to level the score at 1–1.

Spurred on by a very vocal home support, Cardiff rallied and, after a crisp passing move, won a corner from the right hand side.

A beautifully delivered cross was met by captain Emily Davies who powered a header past the helpless Swansea goalkeeper.

Unfortunately, the Cardiff lead did not last long as Swansea equalised from the restart.

Receiving the ball out wide, captain Ria Llewellyn noticed Carroll off her line and, with a speculative effort, lobbed the goalkeeper from 25 yards.

On the stroke of half time, Cardiff came close to regaining the lead but, after a goal mouth scramble, Swansea managed to clear and the score remained 2–2 going into the break.

After enjoying the lion’s share of possession in the first period, Cardiff struggled to gain a foothold in the second.

The Dragons’ defence was tested on several occasions and Carroll pulled off an excellent

save on the 63rd minute to keep the scores level.

The second half was a scrappy affair and neither team created many clear-cut chances.

Extra time was looming, but on the 84th minute Swansea clinched it. After a quick counter attack, Carroll saved superbly but Marchant was first to react and rifled the ball home from the rebound.

Cardiff spent the last six minutes camped out in the Swansea half and substitute Laura Feltham came agonisingly close to an equaliser as her effort grazed the cross bar.

As the final whistle blew, Swansea supporters stormed the pitch to celebrate a momentous Varsity victory.

In the end, Marchant’s excellent performance and two goals were the difference in a close encounter.

CARDIFF: Fliss Carroll, Hannah Mills, Abi Smyth, Vicki Francis, Laura Braithwaite, Hattie Gillett, Suzanne Davies, Megan O’Connell, Bryony Baker, Emily Davies (c), Laura Feltham, Valerie Pitchers, Kirsten Hindhammer

Sport 26–36

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Varsity 2013 Review Ladies storm to rugby win Ross Martinovic Sport Editor

CARDIFF LADIES ............. 20 SWANSEA LADIES .............. 5 Cardiff maintained their stranglehold on the women’s rugby competition with a comfortable victory at Pontcanna.

The Varsity match has been a genuine banker for Cardiff since its inception, with Swansea never having scored so much as a single point prior to this year’s contest.

They never looked like upsetting the odds this time around, especially after being reduced to 14 players in the first half due to injuries, but the Green and Whites dug deep to restrict Cardiff’s winning margin.

The hosts were on top from the outset as their powerful forwards hammered away at the Swansea try line, with captain Kiri Shuttleworth and flanker Harriet Cox particularly prominent.

Swansea, who ply their trade a league below Cardiff in BUCS Western Conference 1A, defended resolutely and aggressively and held their opponents up inches short of the whitewash on a number of occasions.

But their resolve was finally broken after 20 minutes when, after several phases, Shuttleworth was driven over out wide.

It was a just reward for Cardiff’s pressure, but Swansea drew level against the run of play eight

Mixed bag for Cardiff fencers David Deacon Sport Writer

minutes later when centre Hannah Luffman raced home from inside her own half to score her side’s first ever points in the women’s rugby Varsity.

But it was only brief respite as Cardiff came roaring back, and the impressive Shuttleworth grabbed her second try as she caught Swansea off-guard with a tapped penalty from close range and crossed for another five points.

And the hosts were in firm control at the interval when Cox, whose bullish carrying had caused Swansea numerous prob-

lems throughout the contest, barged over from five metres out.

The omens were promising for a buoyant Cardiff entering the second period and they seemed set to run away with proceedings with the momentum well and truly in their favour.

Swansea, however, who were obstinate, competed strongly in the breakdown and imposed themselves on the game in the second half, albeit lacking any real cutting edge.

And Cardiff sealed victory 10 minutes from time when replacement winger Anna Hickman fin-

ished off an excellent team move in the corner, the ball having passed through several pairs of hands in a flowing build-up.

CARDIFF: Kiri Shuttleworth, Maria Waghorn, Anna White, Anna Hickman, Emma Fox, Rachael Kidner, Alice Stean, Beth Stafford, Tash Doyle, Awen Prysor, Karen Davies, Harriet Cox, Zoe Williams, Claire Molloy, Helen Chamberlain, Mollie Lynch, Holly Hearle, Eli Davis, Blanche Lumb, Bridget Taylor, Kaitlin Davis, Elisa Crombie

Amid a friendly atmosphere, Cardiff and Swansea’s fencing teams met each other. The ladies’ teams duelled first, despite several of Swansea’s women having previously fought in the Taekwon-Do earlier that morning.

Cardiff Ladies once again completely dominated Swansea (having done so last year), beating them comfortably in all three weapon contests, with a final score of 135–65. This follows a series of victories for the consistently strong Cardiff team, while Swansea’s ladies have been under performing this season.

Meanwhile, in the men’s fencing, the competition was much closer, with the Cardiff side missing key team members due to academic commitments. Swansea’s men were league champions this year, having lost only to Cardiff, who came second.

After losing by a significant margin in the Sabre, the Foil was more closely contested but Swansea edged it. Finally the men were able to reclaim a lot of lost ground in the Épée with a dramatic fightback. Overall, however, Cardiff narrowly lost with 111 to Swansea’s 128.

Freshers toil at Pontcanna Ross Martinovic Sport Editor

CARDIFF FRESHERS ......... 10 SWANSEA FRESHERS ........ 19 Two tries in six second-half minutes were enough for Swansea to deservedly win the freshers’ rugby Varsity.

The match is traditionally one of the most hotly contested in the Welsh Varsity competition, with the last contest in 2011 being settled by a drop-kick competition that went in Swansea’s favour.

But, in front of a gargantuan and boisterous crowd at Pontcanna Fields, a larger, more physical Swansea side stamped their

authority on the match from the outset and never looked in danger of relinquishing their title.

Liam Crandon opened the scoring for Swansea after 10 minutes with a 30-metre penalty that was swiftly cancelled out by Cardiff fullback Sam Parsons.

Crandon edged the Green and Whites back in front with his second penalty, although the fly half spurned the opportunity to give Swansea a 9–3 half-time lead as he pushed an attempt wide after a long period camped on the Cardiff try line.

But it took just two minutes of the second half for Swansea to finally breach their opponents’ resilient rearguard as centre David

Young went over.

The move began with a piercing break on halfway from fullback Spencer Cawley, who combined with Billy Maddock to release Young for a score out wide.

And the visitors increased their lead to 16–3 six minutes later when, after a number of phases, Young’s namesake Oliver glided through a gaping hole to touch down for his side’s second try.

The hosts had struggled to contain the power of Swansea’s pack throughout the match and their backs consequently had little front-foot ball with which to work.

Sensing the game drifting away, however, Cardiff sprung into life and established some meaningful field position, helped in particular by some bullish carries from number eight Rory Martyn-Smith.

They were tackled into touch inches short and held up, but slick hands from a scrum put replacement Rene Pavlides clear in the corner, with Parsons slotting the extras superbly against the stiff wind.

But Swansea showed commendable maturity to come back and stem their opponent’s momentum, pinning Cardiff inside their own half once again.

And Crandon’s third penalty

from a difficult angle 13 minutes from time sealed victory, sending Swansea’s sizeable and partisan band of supporters into raptures.

CARDIFF: Ryan Morgan, George Tierney, Hugh Melhuish, Chris Brown, Dan Phillips, Ioan Hughes, Will De Smith, Rory Martyn-Smith, Matt Williams, Jack Davies, Dom Callaghan, Gareth Sullivan, Iwan Philips, Andy Evans, Sam Parsons, Jake Vincent, George GordonHead, Ollie Corbett, Cosmos Mutuma, Rob Hart, Harry Kirkham, Rene Pavilides, Ollie Haddon, Charlie Jennings, Jack Hobbs

Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rugby maintain dominance << page 35

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Sport Monday April 29th 2013 | Issue 1004

Inside: Comprehensive Welsh Varsity coverage American Football Taekwon-Do Netball Basketball

Football Fencing Volleyball Cricket

Hockey Sailing Rowing IMG Football

Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rugby Lacrosse Ultimate Frisbee Tennis