Welsh Sport December 2014 edition

WELSH SPORT

ISSUE TWO - DECEMBER 2014

WINTER WONDERS WALES ON THE SNOW AND ICE

INSIDE EXCLUSIVE: OUR AMAZING 2014.

SPORT WALES CHAIR LAURA MCALLISTER ATHLETICS EXCLUSIVE: PERFORMANCE COACH SCOTT SIMPSON LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

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WELCOME

Editor Gary Baker at Hampden Park, Glasgow, athletics venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Contents

Page 4&5 - Skeleton. Wrexham’s Laura Deas joins Olympic hero Lizzy Yarnold in this winter’s World Cup Page 6&7 - Para-skiing. Chris Lloyd’s journey from a rally horror to the Winter Paralympics Page 8 - Skiing. Welsh Alpine Championships Page 9 - Swimming. Jazz Carlin breaks British record Page 10&11 - Netball. Suzy Drane on the changing face of Netball Wales.

Page 12&13- EXCLUSIVE. Welsh Athletics Performance Director Scott Simpson Pages 14, 15&16 - Ice Hockey. Cardiff Devils.

Page 17 - Squash. Wales’ women’s amazing results Page 19 - Snooker. Dream come true amateur Squire Page 21 - EXCLUSIVE. Sport Wales chair Professor Laura McAllister reviews an incredible 2014 Pages 22-27 - WELSH SPORT AWARDS Page 28&29 - Cycling. Awards/Shane Sutton Page 30, 31&32 - Fencing. Whitchurch Fencing Club, Welsh Open 2014 and Commonwealth Champs Page 33 - Volleyball gets big in Wales Page 34&35 - Halo Sports Foundation. Supporting athletes Page 37 - Rowing. Vicky Thornley

Follow us on Twitter @welshsportmag

WELCOME to Welsh Sport Issue Two and may I say from the outset how much the team really appreciate the fantastic feedback about the first edition. It has been incredible.

The support we have received to get the Welsh Sport message out there has meant more people have received and read the inspiring stories of your acheivements.

That is great as the whole point of Welsh Sport is it is a platform for you, the National Governing Bodies, coaches, administrators, athletes and fans around the Principality.

This issue features the Welsh Sport Awards which incorporate the BBC Cymru/Wales Welsh Sports Personality of the Year and the Sport Wales Coach of the Year Awards.

It was a memorable event that captured an incredi-

ble year for our nation. We congratulate all the winners and nominees and hope that 2015 brings as much success as this year.

So we are into winter now and, as you will have seen from the front cover, Welsh Sport is reflecting the part we are playing on the slopes and pistes of the world in this edition.

Laura Deas, from Wrexham, is one of those athletes and don’t miss the incredible story of para skier Chris Lloyd. It is truly inspirational.

This issue includes great features on many other sports across the board, which is our promise to you across all sports.

Once again, thank you for your support and season’s greetings from the team.

Gary Baker Editor

Editor - Gary Baker (www.walesandwestmedia.co.uk) Designer - Helen Taylor (www.helentaylordesign.com) Advertising - Neil Tomkins Proofing - Huw Portway Contributors: Terry Phillips, Huw Portway, James King Pictures - © Wales and West Media Ltd; SportingWales; Snowsport Wales; Matchtight Ltd; Volleyball Wales; Richard Murray; Huw Fairclough; British Cycling; Squash Wales

SLIDE RULER

WREXHAM’S LAURA DEAS Pictures: Matchtight Ltd WREXHAM’S Laura Deas will spend the next few months in a winter wonderland with a national hero as she embarks on a global sporting adventure that could see her in the 2018 Olympic Games.

It has been an amazing journey for the 25-year-old North Walian, who is the only Welsh skeleton slider in either the British women’s or men’s World Cup squads this winter. She gained selection through a rigorous process in Winterberg, Germany, last month.

Her tremendous efforts mean that Deas is now racing in the same team as this year’s Winter Olympics women’s skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold, whose victory on the slopes

of Sochi, Russia, was watched and heralded by millions of people in Britain last February.

And she could not be in better hands. After her selection, she said: “I’m very aware that the programme I am part of knows how to produce athletes that succeed on the biggest stages and that gives me the con fidence to keep giving one hundred per cent to everything I do.

“As a group of athletes we continually push each other to raise our standards and we know we can’t sit back if we want to be the best.”

Deas clinched her place when she came through a close battle with Rose McGrandle to win the selection races in Winterberg by 0.4 seconds..

She was in excellent form in the Intercontinental Cup last year as well and her bronze medal from Igls, Austria, and silver from Park City, Utah, plus her performance at the selection races sealed a position on her first World Cup tour this winter.

Sliding fast down ice is not something that is generally done in Wrexham and neither is there much of the white stuff at the University of Bath, where Deas trains on the same push track that helped Yarnold with her blistering starts in Sochi.

But it has been something of a gamble for Deas as she gave up a highly-promising equestrian career to try flying fast down the slopes of the world.

She explained: “I was prepared to take up any sport that thought I had the potential to get to an Olympics but was delighted when skeleton showed an interest because of the fact that it is high speed and adrenaline-filled. I have also always loved winter sports in general.

“I loved pretty much all sports on offer at school and did hockey and cross-country running at a regional level. However, it was always riding that was my main passion and I was pursuing a career in eventing when skeleton came calling. In the years leading up to this, I also pursued tetrathlon (the Pony Club version of modern pentathlon) to a national standard and captained Wales at the National Championships.

“Before the skeleton trials, I had never done any kind of sprinting or lifting so, although I was fit from rid ing, I had absolutely no conditioning or experience that was relevant to the physical side of skeleton.

“I distinctly remember turning up to one of the testing days in Bath with my cross-country spikes and feeling very out of place! Having said that, riding does have quite a lot in common with sliding in terms of feel, balance, anticipation and memory so I think that helped me make the transition quickly.

“There are some raw elements that you have to have to start with, such as power and speed, but others can be developed along the way.”

Everybody at home in North Wales has backed her decision to

switch sports and follow a career path that could eventually see her at the 2018 Olympic Games in Korea.

“Everyone has been really happy for me and I’ve been amazed at how many people have got in touch to say well done. “(The Olympics), that’s the longterm goal without a doubt, but there’s four years of World Cup races between now and then. For me, this year (2015) is about establishing myself on the World Cup circuit and competing at the World Championships in March.”

The fast, downhill sport of skeleton is on the upwards curve in popularity terms after the gold medal success of Yarnold in the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Deas added: “The surge in interest has been overwhelming! From athletes wanting to transition into skeleton, the enthusiasm has been amazing.”

The World Cup tour started in the second week of this month when Deas slid in Lake Placid, USA, a competition won by Yarnold, before moving onto Calgary, Canada, on December 15 over the same course made immortal by the ‘Cool Runnings’ Jamaican bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Then, Deas will take a Christmas break before more World Cup action in January at Altenberg, and Konigssee, both in Germany, St Moritz, Switzerland, and La Plagne, France, which will also double as the European Championships.

Olympic champion: Lizzy Yarnold is in the same team as Deas

She then moves to Igls, Austria, in February before finishing her World Cup season by tackling the Sochi Olympics track in the second week of February.

That is all gearing up towards the huge World Championships, which will take place over the Winterberg course she performed so well on last month.

Deas is relishing the opportunity.

“I’m very excited! It’ll be a new experience, with a new coach and new athletes to race against, so it’s just a feeling of excitement.”

Performance Adviser to the British Skeleton team Andi Schmid praised the dedication and display of Deas in the selection races and in her previous slides last season.

Schmid said: “For Laura, the result (selection) was maybe a little bit surprising, but in a very positive way.

For her, it will be the first experience on the World Cup circuit, racing at the highest level and she deserves her chance. She works hard, she is passionate and she trained hard over the whole summer.

“I’m really happy for Laura because she has put in so much work over the last five years and she’s become one of the best pushers in the world.

If she keeps improving her sliding, I think we can expect quite a few good results from her this year.”

Rising star: Laura Deas

Rally Horror To Winter Paralympics The Incredible Story of Chris Lloyd

Pictures: Snowsport Wales

NOBODY gave Chris Lloyd a chance to even walk again after his horrific car crashing in the British Tarmacadam Championships three years ago.

However, not only is Chris standing on his own two feet once more but he is on the way to becoming an international in another sport.

Chris’ resilience and determination not to be beaten has seen him take up skiing - and that lead to an invitation to join Team GB at this year’s Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, just two-and-a-half years after his accident.

It is a remarkable return to sport in the space of only a few years. The car he was in, that tumbled at around a hundred miles per hour, was a wreck, a shell of twisted metal.

Had it been any other driver without in-car safety gear and a sturdy crash helmet, would have left them unlikely to have survived.

Chris, from Ynysbwl, was rushed to hospital and lay on a bed without movement below his head. The prospects for the future were looking bleak but Chris would not be beaten.

He explained: “I was involved in a car accident in September 2011. I broke my back, damaged my neck and crushed my spinal cord, leaving me paralysed from the neck down. It was a lonely place lying on the hospital bed unable to walk and with no mobility in my hands, reliant on both strangers and friends for the most basic needs.

“The hardest part was with my two

children, Morgan and Ella, visiting me as I was helpless in bed.”

When the trauma and shock subsided, feeling slowly returned to his body.

Chris added: “With determination, three months after the crash, I had began gradually walking. At the beginning, I was continually supported, this being the first step in a long rehabilitation programme, but I knew that, with belief, this was a first step in a long rehabilitation programme.

I knew that, with belief, I could walk again. My consultant, was astounded by my remarkable recovery as my injury was potentially devastating.

“Although my initial recovery was miraculous, the consultants told me that I would only have limited mobil-

ity and I would simply never do my passions of skiing and rally driving again.

“Looking at the MRI scans of the damage, I understood the challenge I faced but I was determined that my body had the capability to heal itself and if something is not working, it can find ways to solve the problem.”

Chris’ inner determination came to the fore. He said: “In hospital with a new circle of friends, some of whom had similar injuries, I knew the only way I could recover was to achieve a goal. I set my goal that one day I would be skiing in the Paralympics.

“I reinvented myself, taught myself meditation and positive visualisation.

I was relentless in pushing my body to recover itself and gradually the feeling in my hands recovered, and I began to independently walk a short distance. Even today, I still cannot feel hot and cold, having limited feeling, but I got my hands working to initially forty per cent of their original use.

“My body has been able to recover itself and I have forty per cent power in my right leg and fifty per cent power in my left, so it takes three or four times more energy and concentration to be able to ski a course.

Once fatigue sets in, I become tired and my legs give up and I struggle to stand up so recovery may take two

to three days depending on conditions. This has made training and racing harder. But I simply will not give up on my goal.”

Staying positive and with the selfwill to make his body revive itself lead to more breakthroughs on the road to recovery.

Chris said: “Twelve months after the accident, I had been pushing my body to heal every day, determined to stay positive, pushing my muscles to start working. I knew that the body had an amazing self-healing power if you have the determination to push yourself above expectations.

“I put on a pair skis in an indoor ski dome in Tamworth and the sensation of putting those skis on was amazing. The words of the consultant that I would not ski echoed in my mind. In October 2012, I attended a ski session with the Disability Snow Sport charity and after a detailed review of my skiing, I was told it would take four to five years to develop the skills to become a ski racer.”

But Chris was not going to wait that long. He set new goals and targets, adding: “With the World Championships in February 2015, I knew I had to push myself even harder to be ready for them. Since that day, I was relentless in training, skiing and racing at every opportunity.”

And, just over the year from lay-

CRASH: The wreckage of Chris Lloyd’s car after his 100mph rally accident

ing on that hospital bed with the future looking bleak, the positivity within Chris saw him in serious action again.

He said: “I entered my first international race in December 2012 which was so poor I didn’t even finish, I raced again a few weeks later and improved.

“This was a tough time for me and a reality check. It seemed like an impossible dream as I only had 24 months to achieve a world class standard and my body was a shadow of its former self. I was entering races at every opportunity I could across Europe, and finally my resilience paid off as, in August 2013, I was invited to become a member of the development squad with the British Disabled Ski Team.”

And that lead to the Paralympics.

He said: “I was also invited to Sochi with the UK Paralympics, and was continuously pushing myself to improve my performance and be picked for the squad.”

Now he is aiming at those World Championships in February and, with his incredible will to win, there is little doubt he can do it and get selection for Great Britain, capping a glorious turnaround and proving that, even in the worst moments of life, there is always something great waiting to be discovered.

RECOVERING: Chris Lloyd in a neck and back brace in hospital

ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS

DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY SPECTACULAR: The mountains of Champery, Switzerland, home of the Welsh Alpine Championships which will be staged again in January. Picture: Snowsport Wales

SKIERS from across the world will once more decamp to Champery, Switzerland, between January 20 and 23 for the Welsh Alpine Championships which promises to be another amazing few days of competition on the slopes.

The competitors will race in International Skiing Federation (FIS) events across senior and age groups in giant slalom and slalom competitions.

And Snowsport Wales organisers will be hoping that the conditions are just as good as they were in January this year when Ashley Breeze came 14th to be the best of the British racers in the giant slalom.

Zac Pierce was the best Welsh racer in an event which was won by Breeze’s training partner, Ross Peraudo who took the win ahead of two Swiss racers, Marc Mooser and Jan Luchsinger.

But Welsh skiers have already warmed-up for their assault on the snow

by competing on the artificial slope of Pontypool Park for this version of the Welsh Championships That took place in late September and saw Chris Corr produce two great slalom runs to capture the title.

The anticipated clash between Corr and favourite Tom Hales evaporated on the first run after Hales made a small mistake on the ridge.

While he carried on and battled to the finish, a lot of time had been lost and, after the two runs Wales’ David Hatcher, took second with fast-improving Declan Huppach from Pendle taking third place.

Michel Prins from Holland took fourth with Callum Witts was fifth.

Corr was in a class of his own over the two runs. The Loughborough University student is renown for his aggressive and battling style and fought for every single hundredth of a second down the course.

SNOW SPECIAL: Boys (above) and girls (below) competing at last January’s Welsh Alpine Championships in Chamery, Switzerland. Pictures: Snowsport Wales

Corr was determined from the moment he triggered the timer and despite a small mistake, he put it out of his mind and looked to improve. The first run lead was 0.35 seconds and when the clock stopped on the second run he had extended this by another 0.35secs to grab a well-deserved win.

The age group wins in the Championships were for Oliver Weeks (U-14); Declan Huppach (U-16); Callum Witts (U-18); Chris Corr (U-21) and Michel Prins (Masters).

SWIMMING

JAZZ’S NEW RECORD

RECORD HOLDER: Wales Commonwealth Games star Jazz Carlin (above) broke the British 800m freestyle record in Doha but Georgia Davies (below) struggled in her 100m backstroke final.

WALES’ great Jazz Carlin finished off a brilliant year in style as she set a new British record in the 800m freestyle at the World Short-Course Championships in Doha this month.

Carlin, who was a Welsh hero of the Commonwealth Games in July and August, lowered the record set by Rebecca Adlington in 2008 by recording a time of 8mins 08.16seconds to take silver in the race.

And it was all the more remarkable as short course racing is not her favourite discipline while she was also not feeling at her peak going into the Championships.

Carlin fought out a battle with Sharon van Rouwendaal as Mireia Belmonte dominated the 800m freestyle.

The Welsh ace was not to be beaten, though, and her determination saw her refuse to relinquish second.

And after the race, Carlin said: “For me, short course is pretty tough. Mentally, I find it difficult because I know my turns are not the strongest part of my race.

“Coming into this meet, I didn’t really have high expectations but I gave it a go – my legs are sore – but coming away with a silver medal is a great way to end this year. I am very happy with that.”

However, another Welsh Commonwealth Games star, Georgia Davies, was left disappointed with her effort in the women’s 100m backstroke final.

Davies was eighth in the race, having set a Welsh

record in the semi-finals to advance to the final in fourth place and seemingly in with a chance of a medal.

The 24-year-old, who won gold in the Commonwealth Games 50m backstroke and silver in the

100m backstroke in Glasgow, was fifth at halfway but the race went away from her over the second 50m as she touched in 57.77secs behind Katinka Hosszu, of Hungary, who set a new world record of 55.03secs.

NETBALL

We can thrive in 2015, says Drane

By Gary Baker CHANGES are happening on and off the Welsh netball court and, by the end of next year, maybe the national team will climb higher in the global rankings to join the superpowers of the sport.

The nation is welcoming new players into the elite squad but there is no time to waste and the 2015 World Championships in Australia will be no place to experiment with the side.

Awareness of netball in Wales has grown significantly in the past few years, most prominently from the Celtic Dragons’ exploits in the national SuperLeague two years ago where they reached the final but lost out to Team Bath.

There have been disruptions since then but now with a new chief executive, Alun Davies, in situ, a new head of elite performance, Trish Wilcox, taking the reigns of the Welsh squad, plus other backroom staff recruited, there is optimism that 2015 is going to be very exciting for everyone involved.

Victory in the 2013 European Open gave Wales a place in the World Championships but an eighth spot in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year was a disappointment for everyone concerned with the team.

However, with the new Celtic Dragons season just a few weeks away and matches lined up almost every weekend towards those WorldChampionships, Welsh Netball star Suzy Drane said these are exciting times to be involved with the side.

Wales co-captain Suzy Drane (with ball) at the Co-mmonwealth Games Picture: Sporting Wales

The national team co-captain said: “We are looking forward to meeting Alun and getting off the ground with him and with Trish.

“We have a massive year ahead for Welsh Netball with the World Championships where we are looking to increase our performance standard from the Commonwealth Games.

As a vehicle to promote that performance, we are going to be taking part in the SuperLeague.”

The SuperLeague begins at the end of January and the Celtic Dragons will be featured on Sky Sports on Monday February 2 when they take on Team Northumbria in round two.

Add on a Netball Europe schedule and there is not much time for a breather before those World Champ-

ionships in Australia next August.

Drane said: “We can take a lot of lessons we learnt in Glasgow forward. We had a game as a Welsh Select team in Surrey in October and it felt really good to be back on court after three months.

“It is going to be a new team, a new management structure and we are just looking forward to starting the season.”

Competition for places is fierce and the lucky dozen that made the Commonwealth Games squad this year are facing hungry colleagues all wanting to prove themselves in the new year in both the Dragons and national teams.

“Ultimately, Wales wants the best team to represent the Celtic Dragons in SuperLeague and also the country.”

Drane insists that the hype which surrounded the Dragons’ march to the SuperLeague final two years ago must not be lost.

“The biggest thing we have to focus on is maintaining and pushing on with that. We were really disappointed with our fifth-place finish in SuperLeague last year but we had a tough year in terms of injury count and our focus was more on the Commonwealths.

“This time, it will be about ensuring we are all fit and healthy, using the SuperLeague and being successful in that. You then work off that towards the World Championships so we will be working towards a very good and successful SuperLeague season.

“We are looking at a top-four place (SuperLeague) and we will go from there. If we perform well there, we will inevitably take that on for Wales.”

Within many sports going through times of change, there is always a period of settling in and rebuilding towards a goal further down the track.

However, Drane insists that the Worlds will not be used as a com

petition for girls to simply gain experience - the old ‘learning experience’ scenario.

Wales want to be competitive, and the co-captain said: “You have two choices. You either dwell on what happens and who has gone from the squad, because they are very valuable people, or you make sure that you learn from what they have provided and then you springboard onto the next platform and take on this fresh approach from new management and players so you build with them towards the next platform.

“We have a real opportunity (next year). We were really disappointed with an eighth-place position (in the Commonwealth Games). I think that is really healthy. Eight years ago, we played in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to go to the Commonwealths then. We played very well and finished eighth.

“This year, we played average and still came eighth so we have the potential to move up the rankings, we know that. We have to use this and make the decision to take that step forward.

“We will absolutely not be going

there to the World Championships just to use it for experience. We will be going there to perform and cement our position as higher than eighth ranked. Under no circumstances do we use it just as an experience.

“Wales has not consistently performed at a high standard for a long time. We have increased our rankings from 19th to eighth which was magnificent but we still have a lot more to give and we can use it as a stage where we can say we can consistently perform against some of the best teams in the world.”

So by this time next year, what would Drane like to have for a perfect 2015? She added: “For the team to go to the World Championships with the strongest squad they have - no injuries - and to finish above top eight.

“I would like to see a top-six position and come back satisfied that we could have done no more.

“For the Celtic Dragons, we would like to be back in the final - though I am going to say the semi-finals first - and we go from there,” added the co-captain.

WING ATTACK: Suzy Drane shoots for the net (left) and passes (right) during Wales’ clash with Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this year. Pictures: Sporting Wales

Simpson: I won’t give up the fight EXCLUSIVE

Editor Gary Baker meets Welsh Athletics Performance Coach Scott Simpson SCOTT Simpson believes Wales can bounce back from a poor Commonwealth Games 2014 but insists that some of the current senior stars may not get any help from Welsh Athletics next year as a result.

The organisation is looking towards the future and at being a far stronger and leaner force in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 than in Glasgow this year, which means cutting back on the resources they will give to the senior stars currently in the national squad. While Wales excelled in many sports in Glasgow

particularly swimming and rhythmic gymnastics, athletics was not one of them.

Apart from Sally Peake’s brilliant silver in the women’s pole vault amid a monsoon on the last day at Hampden Park and the fantastic feats of two Paralypians - Aled Sion Davies, the Team Wales captain, with a silver in the men’s discus F42/44 class and Rhys Jones, who grabbed a bronze in the men’s 100m T37 - not a great deal else caused a smile.

But Welsh Athletics National Performance Coach Scott Simpson said

Striving for performance: Scott Simpson

he is not going to give up on the sport in the Principality ‘because of one bad championships’.

Indeed, youth is the key to make Wales great again and, while Glasgow may now be a memory, 2015 is looming and both senior and junior athletes have massive years ahead of them. There are age group competitions around the globe and a crucial summer lies ahead for senior athletes with ambition to go to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

To get qualification times and distances a year before the UK Athleti-

Direction: Scott Simpson is looking to the future

cs Trials for the seniors would be ideal. That will enable them to relax before the Olympics while having the bonus of achiving standards suitable for selection at the World Championships in 2015.

Hence why Simpson said the future leading to the Gold Coast is huge for both seniors and juniors despite the setbacks at the Commonwealths. Indeed, he insists he is ‘not going to give up the fight’.

Former Welsh pole vault champion Simpson said he and the national governing body are looking to prioritise young talent before 2018.

He said: “We are spreading our resources wider to capture some younger athletes. With that in mind in 2015, we have a big summer for age group global championships.

We have the World Under-18s, the European Under-20s and European Under-23s all happening so I would like strong Welsh representation at all those championships.

“At the same time as you have all of that going on, we are sharpening the point for our senior athletes, taking those numbers down and focussing on a more compact group of six to ten athletes, making sure that those athletes are well-resourced in what they need to achieve success.

“Next summer at senior level, we have the World Championships in Beijing and then, of course, the Olympics in Rio so if we can get

Welsh representation at those major events, that would be great and then we can really build some momentum towards Gold Coast in four years’ time.”

Simpson added: “From a medal point of view and the top end stuff, Glasgow was poor. What I am trying to focus on now is that, beneath that, we actually had some good things going on. We had the most number of athletes qualified for a Commonwealth Games that I can remember and that is in spite of the toughest standards we have set.

“The number of people just below the medal target is looking very good. In four years’ time, that is really promising so long as we can convert some of those and shift them on to another step, which is what it is all about.

“We have achieved success at UK level at the Under-23 and Under-20 Championships, we have had more athletes ranked highly in the UK than we have ever had and so the age groups, who are starting to show promise at national level, are something I am really excited about. So it is all about us converting them now from junior level into senior level and from senior level into global medal-winning performances.

“The coach development and education strategies moving forwards will influence that. It is a threepronged attack to ultimately achieve

success at the higher level but building from the foundations upwards.

“It is really tough and athletics is a truly global sport. Let’s be honest, the number of people who are able to achieve medals at Olympic or Commonwealth level is very small.

“There are only a few people who can say they have won medals at global level (from Wales) but that is part of the challenge and the journey and is about whether we can give ourselves the best opportunity of being within touching distance of a medal and pushing people forwards to convert and bring some home.”

Glasgow, however, showed that Wales cannot win everytime. But it has only steeled Simpson’s determination for the future.

“You win some and you lose some, and in Glasgow we lost some but I am not about to give up the fight because of one bad championships.

Let’s go out and see what we can do at the next one and do a better job than we did at the last ones.”

The start of this 2015 process is the indoor season, which begins in January and culminates, for the seniors, at the European Championships in Prague between March 6 and 8.

Simpson said: “We have got the likes of David Omoregie, who was amazing last year as a junior and who has now moved up to the senior ranks, he will want to make the European Indoor champs as a senior and then push on towards the summer where he has European Under-23s. Then, hopefully, he will go to the World Championships. There are the sprinters - Rachel Johncock, Hannah Briers. We are really trying to nurture them and keep that talent coming through.”

But two years on from being appointed as head of the Welsh Athletics performance side, is Simpson still enjoying it? “There are a number of challenges in that we did not do well performance-wise in Glasgow.

The sport of athletics is my passion, it is something I love doing and so whilst it is challenging, I enjoy the challenge - and let’s push on.”

BOOM - WELCOME TO CARDIFF: Devils star Andrew Lord puts in a huge hit in the clash against Belfast Giants

A New Era for the Old Devils

By Terry Phillips All pictures by Richard Murray

CARDIFF Devils fans will never forget the summer of 2014. June was the big month when ice hockey fans in the Welsh capital were lifted from the depths of despair to new heights.

They were treated to a club of new owners, new general manager, new coach, new team and genuine hope for the future.

The speed of change was faster than even Ivan Matulik, one of the quickest Devils in the club’s history, could have managed in his prime.

It had been a disastrous 2013-14 when Devils failed to even qualify for the play-offs, finishing an embarrassing ninth out of ten in the table and ending a run in which they had become the only club to have made it to the finals weekend in every season of the Elite League era.

Head coach Gerad Adams left the club feeling bitterly frustrated at how his situation was handled, was put in charge of Sheffield Steelers and led them to the play-off title.

Back in Cardiff, whose fans could only look on as their former coach tasted glory, long-serving Neil Francis had left the club before Brent Pope and then Dave Whistle took charge of the team.

Then came the changes which put a smile back on the face of every Devils fan. Within less than a month, the entire outlook had changed.

First, Steve King and his Calgary-based business pals Craig Shostack, Kelly Hughes, Brian Parker and Todd Kelman bought the club.

Former Belfast Giants boss Kelman took over as general manager.

They made a bold decision to appoint Andrew Lord, an intense, highly-motivated player from the previous season, to take over as rookie coach - and he set about building a new team full of Canadian power, strength and skill.

It was a calculated gamble to appoint Lord, but it quickly became clear they had it spot on - and the former Wheeling Nailers captain from West Vancouver committed to a new, two-year contract extension through to 2017.

CONCENTRATION: Devils’ Andrew Hotham

ON THE ATTACK: Devils ace Brent Walton

Crucially, that meant he will be coach when Devils move from their temporary Big Blue Tent (BBT) home in Cardiff Bay and take up residence in a new two-pad arena close by.

Lord is a man who prides himself on working hard and being a total team player.

He gives exactly the same commitment to coaching and admits: “I love the dual responsibilities which come with the jobs.”

Kelman and director of hockey Francis, back with the club this season, both had chats with Lord about managing his time better - he has cut back on sending and reading e-mails into the early hours of the morning to catch up on the sleep he needs to ensure he is at his best for

matches. We haven’t talked about last season much, but it was tough thinking about maybe coming back to Cardiff at one stage,” admitted Lord.

“But things changed fast and then it was a no-brainer. Neil Francis is a big reason I am here, along with Todd Kelman.

“Being a first year player-coach can be difficult at times, but the guys have my backing and play with such passion and heart. Our team plays like a group who have been together for ten years. The comebacks and performances have been phenomenal. There are challenges in being a player-coach, but I love the coaching aspect and love playing. It’s a perfect mix for me.

TEN OUT OF TEN: Devils legend Jason Stone (centre left), pictured with his team-mates, has had his number ten jersey retired after he stepped down from a glorious career

“When Todd told me about the contract extension, it didn’t take me a moment to say yes. And my celebration was pretty big.”

Those crucial partnerships between Lord, Francis and Kelman are key to the future of the Devils, once the most powerful ice hockey club in Britain. They want that status back and all three men are intent on making sure that dream becomes reality over the next few seasons.

General manager Kelman is delighted and says: “Andrew and Neil built a team for 2014-15 and I love this team.

“This is honestly the best group of guys I have worked with in my professional career. They deserve to win something.”

Attendances have shot up in the new Devils era and consortium leader King says: “Word is getting out that Cardiff Devils have a team who will compete and entertain every time they play.

“I love the entertaining blend of skill and physicality our team has.

“As a hockey fan, that’s what I want to see.

“I follow each game either through the website streaming video or on the match night live platorm that

MEET THE BOSSES: Four of Cardiff Devils’ new owners who are taking the club back to their glory days

Inferno (partner company) provide for followers who can’t be at a match.”

Lord is already planning a big finish to the final season of hockey at the BBT. And he has ambitious plans looking ahead.

“We all love the BBT and I’m sad it’s going,” says Lord. “We’ll do everything possible to leave with a bang. I am also excited about the new rink, which will be an awesome recruitng tool and

will help drive this organisation to new heights.

“We are going to be a winning organisation as we move forward and there is no doubt in my mind about that. And I don’t mean winning some of the time, but all of the time.

“Devils fans are going to get the success they have deserved for a long time. I honestly believe that in my heart.”

SQUASH

PROUD: The Welsh women’s squad at the Championships with (far right) team coach David Evans Picture: Squash Wales

BEST RESULT IN A GENERATION

WALES’ women have recorded their best result in a generation after finishing ninth at the World Team Championships, staged in Canada from December 1-6.

Wales’ women’s team, who were the tournament tenth seeds and consisting of Jenny Haley, Elin Harlow, Deon Saffery and Welsh number one, Tesni Evans, performed remarkably well throughout to secure the team’s finest tournament finish since 1987.

To highlight the significance of this success, not

one of the Wales squad was born the last time a team competed so well – and it was 21-year-old Evans that shone the brightest at the Niagara-onthe-Lake event.

Evans’ personal efforts saw her secure a fantastic win over world number two, Laura Massaro (England), and push Rachel Grinham (Australia) all the way in a gruelling five-setter.

Wales also had team wins over Spain, Germany, Colombia and hosts Canada which set-up a memorable championship for them.

Ninth-place was sealed

with comprehensive wins from Evans and Saffery which proved enough to defeat New Zealand, 2-1.

All of this thrilledteam coach, David Evans.

Evans said: “We wanted to at least make our seeding, if not better it, so we are really pleased. We had a big win against Canada and the girls have put in a big effort to win.”

Wales only took their place at the tournament owing to a late withdrawal from Japan’s women’s team – and their presence in Canada was due in no small part to excellent

support and funding from Harrow Sports and Sport Wales.

“Without the help of Sport Wales, we wouldn’t be here, so I’m extra pleased that we’ve done it for them,” added Evans.

On the last day of the championship, England beat Malaysia 2-1 in the final to claim their first world title since 2006 and their seventh overall, while Egypt took third place.

Wales Squash and Racketball added their congratulations to the Wales team on what was a fantastic effort and result in Canada.

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SNOOKER

SNOOKER LIFE BEGINS AT FORTY: Newport snooker player Alun Squire, with his son Sebastian, became a Welsh nternationnal in November

SQUIRE ACHIEVES HIS WELSH DREAM

LIFE certainly began at forty for Newport snooker player Alun Squire this year.

He thought the chance to become a Welsh international had passed him by but, last month, he achieved the lifelong dream and represented his country for the first time - at the age of 41.

Squire was selected for a four-man Welsh team which took part in the Masters competition at the World Amateur Championships in India with colleagues, including former pro Darren Morgan.

It was a dream come true for the car company director and he certainly was not there to make up the num-

bers. In fact, Squire played some outstanding snooker through the tournament.

He qualified to the knockout stages by winning three out of his five group matches, only going down in the frames he lost in deciders.

He said: “I am 41 years of age and I thought I had missed my chance of ever representing Wales. I was never as good as my peers - Mark Williams, Neil Tomkins, Lee Walker to name a few. I love playing but never progressed to the levels of my friends.”

But when the chance arrived to play for his country, the potter went for it and, when the day arrived to en-

ter the big stage, he admitted he was shaking “I played the whole first match with nerves as there was so much interest and it was a big arena. I had never played in such an arena before,” he added.

Once the nerves settled, Squire, whose wife Faye and young son Sebastian were at home while he was in Bangalore, got into the swing and his game flourished as a result. He was able to whitewash Japan’s Hisataka Kamihashi 4-0 in the first knock-out round before taking the scalp of fellow Welshman Gavin Lewis, of Neath, in the last 32 with a 4-2 victory.

Squire, who also hit the highest break of his group when he knocked in a 76 effort, came unstuck against India’s Rafath Habib in the last 16 when being level at 1-1.

He lost the last three frames for a 4-1 defeat as Morgan progressed further to reach the final where he also lost 6-5 to Thailand’s Phisit Chandsri.

However, Squire added: “I was very pleased with my performance and, of all the Welsh players who went out there, I was the only other person, apart from Darren, who got to the final, who had some prize money. It was a great experience.”

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04/09/2014 15:20

2014

THE YEAR TO BE WELSH WALES has enjoyed ‘one of its best ever years’ but Sport Wales Chair Professor Laura McAllister said nobody can lean back for a breather going into 2015.

A 36-medal Commonwealth Games haul for Team Wales, with many other outstanding performances from athletes in support, plus non-Commonwealth sporting successes in football and golf, to name a few, were highlights of the past 12 months.

While the nation celebrat- role models that came out ed a year of glory at the like Jazz Carlin and FrankWales Sport Awards this ie Jones.

“Then, of course, success month, the realities of tough economic times mean gov- on the football stage and erning bodies and athletes success on the rugby stage are only too aware that re- to some extent and a whole sults count when it comes range of other sports, like to financing their ambitions. golf, which did not feaPositively, Prof McAllister ture in the Commonwealth reflected on 2014 and said: Games. I don’t think you “It has been one of our best could ask for much more ever years. We knew go- from the year.”

Team Wales won the ing into 2014, with a home Commonwealth Games, Team of the Year trophy at that this was a big year for the Awards - and deservedpotential. We have deliv- ly so. Prof McAllister addered more than we could ed: “Nobody let us down in have expected. I think 36 Glasgow. The boxers, for medals, which exceeded example, were a team of our stretch target of 35, nine and had five medals. is really a quite incredible You could argue that Colin (Jones, National Coach) achievement.

“And it wasn’t just that, may be disappointed that it was that we had gold he did not get a gold but medals in such a variety five medals with that inexof sports and there were perienced team was some some very powerful female achievement.

MESSAGE: Sport Wales Chair Professor Laura McAllister

“It just shows that we always know Wales is good at some sports like rugby and we always produce some fantastic footballers, we know we are good at boxing and snooker. Yet to be world-beaters in gymnastics and swimming - and don’t forget how hard Commonwealth Games swimming is because it is a really serious competition - for us to come away with gold medals and a school of other medals from that team is a real achievement.

“Some of the disabled athletes that were there were brilliant and you couldn’t fault anybody in that squad in terms of performance.”

And Prof McAllister said Team Wales captain Aled Sion Davies was an inspiration. “He couldn’t have done a better job. I think it says a lot of how we perceive disabled sport in Wales. There are not many nations who have chosen a paralympian to lead their team but Aled is an elite athlete of the INSPIRED: Team Wales captain Aled Sion Davies competes highest order and it doesn’t matter that he has competat the Commonwealth Games. Picture: Sporting Wales

ed in Paralympic rather than Olympic or Commonwealth sport. Aled is a fantastic role model and a natural leader and he was absolutely the right choice to which he showed what he can do.”

So what about the future?

The Sport Wales Chair added: “What I am looking forward to is Wales qualifying for the 2016 European Championships (football), I’m looking forward to Wales winning the Rugby World Cup and I’m looking forward to success for all other sports.

“All sports know that they will be pushed and pressurised to achieve more because that is what we are there for. If it is public money going into sport to develop our great performers of the future, then it is up to us in Sport Wales to scrutinise every penny that goes into that.

“Every single sport can do better. There are a number of young athletes who could be on the fringes of Rio, then the Gold Coast and then Tokyo (2020 Olympics).”

BBC Cymru/Wales Sports Personality of the Year

GERAINT THE GREAT LIFTS TITLE OF all the honours and triumphs that cyclist Geraint Thomas has received over the years, one has always seemed to slip by, writes Gary Baker.

Now that has been rectified and the double Olympic Games gold medalist, Tour de France star and Member of the British Empire (MBE) has become the BBC Cymru/Wales Sports Personality of the Year.

And, in a year where Welsh sport has stood out incredibly well on the world stage, Thomas overcame some amazing achievements from other stars to take the top honour at this month’s glittering ceremony at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

The ten-athlete shortlist was sparkling with deserving stars. Football’s Gareth Bale, who scored a vital goal for Real Madrid in their 4-1 Champions League Final success over Atletico Madrid in May, was included. So was golfer Jamie Donaldson, who scored the winning point in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over the USA this year.

Swimming’s astonishing Jazz Carlin, a multi-medal winner and champion all year, plus fellow Commonwealth Games champion Georgia Davies were nominated along with judo’s Commonwealth gold medal winner Natalie Powell.

And then there was Francesca ‘Frankie’ Jones, whose brilliance in Glasgow during those astonishing Games for Team Wales brought her not just six medals, one of which was gold, but also the David Dixon Award for fair play and inspiration during the Closing Ceremony.

She was at the Awards as was her mentor, Jo Coombs, who won the Coach of the Year trophy.

Jones was runner-up in the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality category, with World Mountain

PROUD: Geraint Thomas MBE (left) receives his BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year trophy from Tour de France champion Sir Bradley Wiggins

Bike champion and World Cup winner Manon Carpenter a very deserved third.

Thomas, 28, though, took the title after another astonishing season where, just days after completing the gruelling Tour de France with Team Sky, he flew to Glasgow to represent Wales in the Games.

There, he took bronze in the time trial behind winner Alex Dowsett before winning the road race in monsoon conditions on the roads of the Scottish city - and suffering a puncture just metres away from the finish line.

He was not in Cardiff to receive his trophy but, instead, it was delivered to Thomas’ hands by Tour de France winner and Team Sky friend Sir Bradley Wiggins, who commented: “It is a surprise to everyone in the team that you have not won this before.”

Thomas acknowledged: “I don’t know what to say.

You look at all the previous winners - Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Colin Jackson, Tanni Grey-Thompson - all household names. The Welsh flag is one of the ones you see the most now on the roadside.”

Lifetime Achievement (Elite) - Terry Griffiths OBE

BAIZE OF GLORY: Terry Griffiths receives his award from Dame Tanni Grey Thompson

MAN OF THE CLOTH SNOOKER legend Terry Griffiths believes it is not too late for double professional world champion Mark Williams to add a third global title to his name.

The Llanelli potter pickedup the Wales Sport Awards Lifetime Achievement (Elite) trophy for his contribution to the sport for well over a quarter-of-a-century.

And Griffiths believes snooker is in decent health at the moment despite a lack of appearances in the latter stages of professional tournaments on the Main Tour professional stage.

Wales has had three world champions - Griffiths himself, six-times winner Ray Reardon and Williams twice

- and he hopes there will be another soon.

“That would be nice,” he said. “We have had a lot of amateur champions and, while the amateurs coming through are not ready yet, Mark Williams could win it if he hits a bit of luck. He is a great match player “ As for the green baize sport in Wales, Griffiths said: “Professionally, it is not bad. It is just we are not having people at the business end of tournaments at the moment.

“We have some good amateurs coming through but like all sports, it is so competitive and so difficult to get into the professional ranks - and you have to

have that little X factor to get there.”

Griffiths, who beat Dennis Taylor in the 1979 World Championships final at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, was expecting to be presenting an award at the ceremony ‘as I did a few years ago with Ray Reardon’ so was surprised when the Lifetime Achievement recipient was himself.

“As the night was going on, I was thinking ‘perhaps I am not going to go up on the stage’ and was wondering what was happening.

So this was a great surprise and very special.

“I just love the sport. I turned professional and just wanted to do as well as I

could. The next thing, I won the World Championships. I only went there to get some television coverage which would give me exhibition work and then I could feed my children.”

On retirement from playing in 1997, Griffiths went on to become one of the most renowned and respected coaches of his day, with legends like seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry calling on him to help with their game.

Griffiths continues to coach the professionals, like Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, and maybe one day will see a fourth Welsh winner of snooker’s global title at The Crucible.

Coach of the Year - Jo Coombs

RHYTHM AND GOLDS

BEHIND every exceptional athlete is a brilliant coach and, for Welsh rhythmic gymnasts Francesca 'Frankie' Jones and Laura Halford, that person is Jo Coombs.

And after an unprecedented medal haul at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Coombs was named as the Wales Sport Awards Coach of the Year.

Her influence brought Jones six medals with one gold in the individual ribbon competition and silvers in the individual all-around, individual hoop ball and clubs events and, team all-around silver with Halford and Nikara Jenkins.

Halford also took a bronze medal behind Jones in the individual all-around and Halford getting bronze in the ball exercise.

All of that put Wales high on the rhythmic gymnastics stage thanks to the work put in over years back at the Welsh Institute of Sport under Coombs’ watchful eye.

After receiving her award, the coach was beaming with pride saying: “It is lovely to see rhythmic gymnastics being put in the limelight and given the recognition that it deserves this year.

“Artistic (gymnastics) is the one that everyone knows. Talk about gymnastics and they will always talk about the beam and bars

WINNING TEAM: Jo Coombs (left) with Commonwealth Games star Francesca Jones

and the rings. The success we had in Glasgow has thrust us forward.”

Coombs’ highlight of the Games was watching Jones and Halford on the same podium as the Welsh national anthem rung out around a packed hall in Glasgow. She said: “When Frankie and Laura were on the same podium on the second days of competition, it was something that we never thought was possible.

“They both started when they were very young at about eight years old and it does take ten years to make it to this level and they have certainly been

working very hard,” added the newly-crowned Coach of the Year.

The successes have had a lot to do with the programme the athletes have been working on during their careers. “It is a programme we have built over the last couple of years with the support of Sport Wales and Welsh Gymnastics. We are hoping that will bring through a lot of younger gymnasts in the future.”

In fact, the Welsh programme for rhythmic gymnastics is pretty unique.

Coombs added: “The programme we have in Wales is really the leading one in GB (Great Britain). There

is not really a Great British programme and the one thing which I am very proud about is that it was very much a Welsh programme that was put together.

“Seeing rhythmic gymnastics on the television gives interest to young girls who say ‘I would like to give that a go’. Then they get to know the sport and have a go at their local club.”

But the programmes would mean nothing without the enthusiasm and dedication of people like Jo Coombs. She said: “I love the sport of gymnastics. It is one of my passions and I am always going to keep an eye on what happens.”

Volunteer of the Year - Donna Marshall

RUGBY IS FOR ALL

AMAZING MUM: Taff’s Well RFC Mini and Junior Co-ordinator Donna Marshall receives her Volunteer of the Year award from the Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies

THOUSANDS of people of all ages across Wales have a requirement for special or additional needs and sport is playing a crucial role in helping youngsters and adults with these difficulties in their lives.

Across the nation, sports like swimming, table tennis and equestrianism have enveloped people with special and additional needs and made their lives richer as a result.

But a Welsh mum has taken a sport which many would not expect someone with difficulties to be able to play and made it possible for those people to enjoy.

Donna Marshall, of Taff’s

Well RFC, is proving anyone can play rugby.

The 35-year-old mother of three children got involved with the club when her son wanted to play. However, she then saw an opportunity for her daughter, who is autistic, to have a go.

Now Donna has nearly a hundred children playing rugby in her group, many with additional needs, and, for her inspiration with this, she received the Wales Sport Awards Volunteer of the Year trophy.

She admitted on receiving her award: “I am totally and utterly shocked. It is very surreal.

“It started three years ago

when I was called in to raise some money. It went from there. I started to organise some sports festivals with the junior schools around us.

“My daughter has additional needs and I tried to expand this and set-up an additional needs autism rugby group for children.

We have 92 children there at the moment. They are up to Under-14s and I love every minute of it.”

And rugby, she said, is a fantastic way of getting people with additional needs people involved in a sport which may be seen as a bit rough for people who may have sensitivity issues.

Donna explained: “I have been working with a charity called Autism Puzzles and with Karen, who runs the charity, we did two evenings where families came to the club and just enjoyed it. They loved it.”

How do autistic people engage in this? Donna said\’ “It is routine and children with autism like to be in a routine. They will come to the club and be the first ones on the pitch and the last ones off it. They will do exactly what the coach tells them day in and day out.”

The teams are open to both boys and girls. Contact Donna at Taff’s Well RFC on 02902 811838.

Carwyn James Awards

Junior Sportsman - David Omoregie - Junior Sportswoman Laura Halford

OUR BRIGHT STARS

STARS ACHIEVING GREATNESS: Rhythmic gymnast Laura Halford (left) and athlete David Omoregie (centre) receive their Carwyn James Young Sportswoman and Sportsman awards

WALES has produced some fine athletes and the future is looking bright for two highly-talented teenagers with the world at their feet.

The pair were honoured with the prestigious Carwyn James Awards for the Junior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.

Laura Halford has stepped up from competing at junior and age group levels to become one of the best rhythmic gymnasts in the UK. Earlier this year, the 18-year-old defended not only her Welsh crown but also the British senior title and added three Commonwealth Games medals - a

gold and two bronze - in Glasgow by the end of July.

Halford also competed in the World Championships in Izmir, Turkey, in September where she was 44th in the all-around event.

Whether the 2016 Rio Olympic Games are a bit too soon for Halford will be a decision made by the national selectors but there is little doubt she will be primed and ready for an assault on more medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast and then the 2020 Olympics, when she will be 24, in Tokyo.

The road to those Olympics has also started for

Cardiff sprint hurdler David Omoregie who took bronze at the World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last July, clocking a time of 13.35 seconds.

He also equalled the world junior 60m hurdles record with 7.50secs in January although it was ironically broken by Frenchman Wilhem Belocian on the same day.

Omoregie took the Welsh Senior Championships in June and put in good performances at meetings across the UK and Europe this year.

The 19-year-old said: “2014 has been an amazing year for me as I burst onto the scene. If you went

back a year from now and told me the kind of things I would achieve, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“I took the World Junior bronze, equalled the world indoor record so what I am trying to do is progress from that. That is good for a junior but I want to do well as a senior.

“There are the European Indoor Championships coming up in this next (winter) season and then, in the outdoor season, there are the European Under-23s and the World Championships. The main focus is the European Under-23s and if the World Champs come along, they will be a bonus.”

Celebrating all the Wales Sport Award winners

SALUTE THE HEROES THE WALES Sport Awards were not just about honouring our stars but also those who work tirelessly in local clubs, groups and communities are the very foundations of sport.

One of those which has a tremendous following across Wales is oriennteering and people like Bill Marlow, a former teacher, from Newtown who works with Mid Wales Orienteering Club, are the bedrock of such sports. He deservedly took the Unsung Hero Award and said: “I have been over the moon since I first heard VERY WELL DESERVED: Bill Marlow (centre) wins the Unsung Hero Award for his work with Mid Wales about this. Ten years Orienteering ago, I noticed the club was him the Coach to Disabled very short on juniors so I People trophy. started thinking how can I The Lifetime Achievement Team of the Year – Team Wales influence them to come? I (Community) honour was (Commonwealth Games) thought of it carefully and given to Swansea boxing Lifetime Achievement (Elite) Award – thought why not go into the stalwart Terry Grey. He Terry Griffiths (snooker) schools and set something took over the running of the Lifetime Achievement (Community) Award – up there? It has all fallen into Gwent Amateur Boxing Club Terry Grey (boxing) place and got bigger each in the city back in 1971 and Volunteer of the Year – Donna Marshall year.” has built a thriving boxing (Taffs Well RFC) Royden Healey, a triathlon and sport venue in one of Young Volunteer of the Year – Rhys Young (Bridgend) coach who has given hun- Wales’ most deprived comYoung Coach of the Year – Niall McGuinness dreds of young people the munities.

(Rhyl FC) opportunity in the sport, won Grey said: “You can only Carwyn James Junior Sportsman of the Year – the Community Coach of the do what you can do. Why David Omoregie (athletics) Year for his involvement with I do it is because it keeps Carwyn James Junior Sportswoman of the Year – Ruthin Tri Stars. people out of trouble and out Laura Halford (rhythmic gymnastics) Paul Jenkins coached of court.”

Coach to Disabled People – Paul Jenkins the British Invictus Games And Rhyl FC Academy (South Wales Pirates Wheelchair Rugby Club) wheelchair rugby team to coach Niall McGuinness Unsung Hero – Bill Marlow gold and has also worked took the Young Coach of the (Mid Wales Orienteering Club) with the South Wales Pi- Year prize for helping playCommunity Coach of the Year – Royden Healey rates club, which earning ers towards pro clubs.

(Ruthin Tri Stars)

Winners

CYCLING

TIRELESS TUDOR’S AWARD LOYAL SERVANT: Tudor Thomas receives his Welsh Cycling Lifetime Achievement Award. Picture: Huw Fairclough

WORLD champion Manon Carpenter, Commonwealth Champion Geraint Thomas, official Tudor Thomas and many other riders and organisers were honoured at the 2014 USN Welsh Cycling Awards in October which took place at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

And there was a lot to celebrate for the packed audience who heard about the amazing feats from riders right across the world.

Caerphilly rider Carpenter, won the Elite Cyclist of the Year for her consistent high performance in the 2014 season.

Carpenter won the UCI World Cup Mountain Bike Downhill Series before being crowned world champion in September.

Geraint Thomas was honoured with Outstanding Performance of the Year for providing Wales with its final gold medal at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games when he stormed to victory in the road race, adding to his bronze medal in the time trial.

The Lifetime Contribution to Cycling in Wales went to Tudor Thomas, of Bynea Cycling

Club, Carmarthenshire. Tudor has given over fifty years of dedication to cycling including racing, event organising, marshalling, judging and commissairing.

“It’s tremendous to be awarded this. I have put a lot of work into cycling, but I have enjoyed it over the years.”

Event Organiser of the Year went to Bill Owen for a second year after his work on the British National Road and Time Trial Championships which saw world and Olympic champions compete in Monmouthshire Simon Paton, for the British Downhill Series and Jo Phillips, for Maindy Flyers British National Youth Circuit Series were both runners up.

Club Cyclist of the Year was Graham Edwards, of Abergavenny RC. Edwards helped Abergavenny RC develop its cyclo-cross programme and has been a stalwart of the sport across Wales for years..

Abergavenny Road Club won Club of the Year, for the second year, with The Bike Doctor, Rhondda, and Maindy Flyers Youth Club the runners up.

OWEN’S HONOUR

ABERGAVENNY Festival of Cycling organiser Bill Owen has received one of the highest honours his sport can award - the British Cycling Gold Badge of Honour.

Owen stood down from the Board of Directors at British Cycling at the end of last month, having served 13 years on the Board and, in that time, brought some of the biggest races and events to Wales.

Owen is the only Welshman to have been decorated with the Gold Badge of Honour and he also received a jersey personally signed by Tour de France champion and Olympic gold medalist Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Owen said: “I am very pleased and honoured to receive the award from British Cycling. It has been an honour to serve on the Board.”

NOW WE ARE BACK ON TRACK - SUTTON, A REMARKABLE year for Wales was completed with more medal success for three athletes at the UCI World Cup in London this month and left Cardiff-based Great Britain cycling team technical director Shane Sutton (pictured) believing the good times are on the way back.

The athletes - Owain Doull, Elinor Barker and Ciara Horne - all won gold medals in the World Cup event, held at the 2012 London Olympic Games velodrome in Stratford.

They were all first day winners in their respective Team Pursuit finals, with Doull joining Steven Burke, Mark Christian and Andy Tennant to beat New Zealand in their final and crossing the line in 4mins 01.151secs.

Barker, the Commonwealth Games Points Race silver medalist and Scratch Race bronze medalist, and Horne were joined by double 2012 Olympic gold medalist Laura Trott and Scotland’s rising star Katie Archibald for their final where they beat Australia in a time of 4mins 22.194secs.

Doull joined with Christian on the last day of competition and won the Madison race to add a second gold to his tally. Barker, 20, was also back on the podium, adding a bronze medal in the Points Race to her gold.

Sutton said afterwards that the winning formula was on the way back for Great Britain following the World Championships in Colombia where Britain won two golds in all competitions.

Sutton, the former Welsh national coach, spoke to the British Cycling website and said: “I think we’d lost our discipline (earlier this year).

“I think we got a little bit of complacency come into us, which was really evident in Colombia. I said there we needed to freshen up and we did - it was becoming Groundhog Day for a lot of people.

“I’ve got to take my hat off to all the riders. At the end of the day, they’re the ones that deliver.

“They probably don’t need it, but they do want it. That’s the most important thing. Seeing that want back in their eyes, that whole drive and passion kick back in is a nice thing.

“Our winning mentality is coming back.

We’re not just relying on the women’s team pursuit winning. We’re getting there now and starting to get some results, which is nice. It’s been good. I wouldn’t say it’s been great but it is part of the building process.”

UCI LONDON WORLD CUP 2014

FENCING: WHITCHURCH

GORDON’S GOLD

WHITCHURCH Fencing Club hosted the first Whitchurch Shield intermediate epee competition at Talybont Sports Hall at Cardiff University on Sunday October 12.

The club were particularly grateful for the amount of support and encouragement offered by those who run other local groups in South Wales.

Lynne Melia, director of Team Melia, provided expert refereeing assistance, with Peter Russell and Fran Whalley, of Russell Swords in Cardiff, who have been supportive throughout the organisation of the event, also refereed for the competition and lent scoring sets, including a metal piste, and FIE scoring equipment.

Gareth Law from Celtic Swords in Swansea was a welcome competitor in the competition.

Entrants to the Whitchurch Shield were drawn from across South Wales including Cardiff and Barry, as well as further afield from Swansea, Monmouthshire and Carmarthen.

A Whitchurch Fencing Club spokesman said: ‘“Intermediate fencers represent the core body of the fencing fraternity and as a club we felt it was important to cater for their competitive needs.

“Some fencers compete with a view to progressing to the national circuit, whereas others may simply wish to compete locally in a fun and friendly atmosphere “Entering competitions is an important aspect of fencing which helps develop skills, along with regular

club fencing and coaching.”

After the men’s pools rounds, George Hawksworth (Cardiff) was the first seed, close-

over his clubmate.

Jacob Tucker (Cardiff) was awarded the prize for the highest-placed beginner, finishing sixth, an impressive result considering

The Whitchurch Shield Men’s competition winners

ly followed by Zac Clabon (Russell Sword), the highest-ranked competitor at the competition. A hotly

that he has only been fencing for eight months.

In the women’s competition, Emma Gordon (Car-

The Whitchurch Shield Women’s competition winners

contested semi-final match between Clabon and Joe Stoate (Cardiff) that finished 15-14 and saw Clabon inched out by Stoate.

Mathieu Krist (Cardiff) and Hawksworth met in the second semi-final, which saw Hawksworth winning a comfortable 15-4 victory.

The final was another tightly-fought contest, though Hawksworth gained a slight lead against Stoate and kept it to win 15-10

diff) and Sue Ko (Monmouth Haberdashers’ School for Girls) were the first and second seed respectively after the pools round. In the first semi-final, Gordon saw off Julie Macnamara (Whitchurch) in a 15-4 victory. Elin Gordon (Cardiff) beat the number two seed Ko 15-10 in the second semi-final to join her sister in the final. Emma went on to take the gold, beating Elin 15-8.

Rupert Nute, from Whitchurch Fencing Club and who finished in fifth place in the competition, said: “Not only does competing offer the opportunity to fence people whom you would not normally fence, but it is more intense than club fencing and makes you view your fencing analytically.

“It can also help you to track your own development. It is not just about winning, though, of course, that is a motivation as well.”

The event was fully refereed throughout all stages of the competition and it offered reasonably priced refreshments for the convenience of the competitors. Next year, it is hoped that an armoury service and Leon Paul equipment mini-stand can be offered at the Shield. Michael Clemitson, the club secretary, commented: “We believe that local intermediate competitions are a valuable contribution to the competition calendar in South Wales, and we are committed to offering professionally run competitions at this level. We also hope that it can help to make fencing a more visible sport.”

As well as the Whitchurch Shield, Whitchurch Fencing Club, which recently moved its premises to Rhiwbina Memorial Hall, holds another annual intermediate competition, The O’Sullivan Cup, a one-hit epee competition which was established in 1990.

For results from this year’s Whitchurch Shield, go to www.whitchurchfencing.co.uk

FENCING: WELSH OPEN 2014

MAKING THEIR MARK

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: Welsh Fencing director and Welsh Open organiser Mark Ridsdale

FENCERS from across the world descended on Cardiff last month when the Welsh Open began the countdown towards a half-century of competition as one of Britain’s premier events.

And with interest in fencing growing, the Welsh Open is expected to build even more, particularly with top fencers such as Marc Burkhalter and Rhys Melia leading the Welsh challenge on the international stages.

Both were missing from this year’s Welsh Open due to international commitments, but Mark Ridsdale, a Welsh Fencing director and the man in charge of organising the annual event, said: “There is always a lot of interest.”

He added: “This was registered as one of the top six weapon events, as they are called, throughout the UK and it is still seen as one of the premier events. It is always well attended and people love coming here.”

Competition is fierce as well. Ridsdale added:

“There were probably eight or ten countries represented at this year’s Welsh Open, with many already fencing in Britain. There were people from Malaysia, Australia, the USA and all over the UK.” And contests like the Welsh Open are often the stages where future world and Olympic champions continue their rise to the top of the ladder.

Ridsdale added: “Some of the guys who have fenced here have gone on to fence at the Olympics. The reason why some of the guys were not with us is that they were competing around the world.

“Rhys Melia was in Japan when the Welsh Open was on so there is a clash between coming to your own home events and being on the world stage so it is nice to see them progress.”

Burkhalter and Melia are, though, inspiring the youngsters to follow in their footsteps.

Ridsdale added: “When we have the Welsh Cham-

pionships in May, they all come together and fence each other. And as the Championships go down as far as Under-13s, for them to be here has a knock-on effect so that the youngsters get role models to follow.

“We in Wales hold regular youth events as well as qualifiers for the British Youth Championships so we are keen to stimulate the sport in Wales. The push is to grow the clubs and coaches.”

Matthew Billing, of Sussex House, came out on top in the Welsh Open men’s foil competition, beating Daniel Robinson, of Zfw, into second place. Christopher Nagle (Salle Boston) and Thoomas Corlett (Salle Kiss) were joint third.

Bath Sword’s John Chalmers took the men’s epee from Pentathlon GB’s James Cooke. Haverstock fencer Kieran Bew and Howard West, of Ltfc, were in third.

Jacob Gander-Compton, from Brentwood, won the

men’s sabre competition in a final with Noah Rogerson, of Truro, while West Dorset’s Zsott Czinkota and Rivington Park’s John Simmons were in bronze position.

The women’s foil was won

by Jennifer Schofield, of the University of Manchester, beating Sidmouth and East Devon’s Grace Williams for the gold. Third place went to Amy Church, from Lansdowne, Bath, and Phillipa Mullins, of Salle Boston.

The women’s epee saw an all-Truro final with Jess Osbaldeston taking victory from clubmate Katrina Smith, with Harrogate’s Abbi Matthews and Alix Turley, from Hereford FC, the beaten semi-finalists and in third place.

And the gold and silver medals were certainly flying back to the Truro club as again a final, this time the women’s sabre, was won

by Sophie Williams from clubmate Caitlin Maxwell.

Emily Ruaux, of Rivington Park, and Harriet Dixon, of Millfield, were in third.

FENCING: COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

KEMPE’S RIO HOPE

MEDAL HAUL: Monmouth’s Katherine Kempe

LAST month’s Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Largs, Scotland, was Wales’ most successful ever, resulting in some outstanding performances.

They emerged from it fourth in the medal table, behind Singapore, England and Scotland, with a gold, two silvers and two bronze medals.

Sabreur Katherine Kempe’s individual gold medal

was only Wales’ third ever in 64 years of Commonwealth competition, while only once before have Wales come away with a total of five medals.

Kempe, 25, from Monmouth, was the star of the Welsh performance and is now set to leave her job as an events manager at Newport’s Celtic Manor Resort to get back into fulltime training with the aim of

qualifying for the Olympics in Rio in 2016, having narrowly missed out on selection for London 2012.

Epeeist Marc Burkhalter won Commonwealth gold in Australia in 2010 and this time collected a silver medal, with Tom Edwards collecting bronze in the same event.

All the individual Welsh medallists returned home with an additional prize as

both women’s sabre and men’s epee teams won bronze medals.

The Commonwealth Veterans’ Championships followed immediately after the senior competition and Wales enjoyed further success through Jim Crowford (gold, individual men’s sabre), Robert Penton (bronze, individual men’s sabre) and the men’s sabre team (silver).

VOLLEYBALL

LEAPING AHEAD

WELSH volleyball took a massive step forward in October with the launch of a ground-breaking new league.

Six teams from Cardiff and Swansea participated in a two-court competition at the University of South Wales’ Sport Park complex near Treforest to mark the start of the first ladies’ league in Wales since the formation of Volleyball Wales in 2009.

Yvonne Saker, the chair of Volleyball Wales, believes that the league will have a major impact on the sport’s development at grassroots level.

She said: “Whilst there are Welsh teams who play in the English leagues, there has not been an appropriate competition for

By Huw Portway

players who are new to the game.

“The South Wales Volleyball League provides the chance for players, coaches and referees to put the skills that they are learning each week into practice in game situations.”

The league will also give three newly qualified coaches the opportunity to hone their skills in competitive volleyball, while players will be required to referee and score matches.

To meet this demand, they will undergo courses to understand the sport from a referee’s perspective which, according to Saker, will ‘help them become wiser players.’

The new league features

two teams from Cardiff University and one from Swansea University. The other inaugural entrants are Cardiff Celts and Team South Wales, the two most wellknown clubs in Wales, and the newly-formed Swansea 360.

Saker added: “As well as the university sides showing an interest in competitive matches, it is refreshing to see two junior teams from established clubs compete, as well as a brand new club compete for the first time.”

The main priority for Volleyball Wales in 2015 will be to establish a men’s league to mirror the ladies’ competition.

“We plan to run a men’s league next year on a similar basis to the ladies’ league,” Saker says. “We

have had interest already from several teams, so places are filling up.”

And what does the future hold for volleyball in Wales?

“We want to consolidate the league and host two more national tournaments each year.

“We also want to develop the playing opportunities in the north and generate more coaches to be able to do this.

“We are working with Cardiff Metropolitan University to help deliver coaching courses and will continue to source opportunities within the community to give these coaches somewhere to develop.”

For more information about volleyball in Wales, email Yvonne Saker at ysaker@cardiffmet.ac.uk

MAKING A SPLASH: Emily Williams (main image and inset)

Halo Making a Difference

IT is excellent to see young Welsh talent taking off and making a name for themselves. But behind every success story lies years of work, development and expense.

Rising stars in the major professional sports can look forward to help on a number of levels in a bid to reach their goals. However, it is often difficult for those in disciplines that do not serve a massive sport, both financially and in terms of support, to keep alive their dreams.

A lot of sacrifice for those dreams is called for, with some making it to Olympic or Commonwealth Games glory.

But a charity in Bridgend, serving the local community and the budding teenage talent that is surfacing within that district, is making a difference to a multitude of athletes across all sporting disciplines.

The Halo Sports Foundation is helping sportsmen and women from surf livesavers to triathletes, martial

artists to aquatic talent with support they would probably not have.

And, just two years into the project, the dividends are already being received.

Manager Paul Whapham said: “The Halo Sports Foundation is there to support young athletes who fall outside normal funding pots, whether they are from the Lottery or governing bodies. There is not an age restriction on it, however our priority is young athletes.

“We have got four criteria that athletes can apply to on an annual basis, depending on their stature or level of achievement in the sport, giving us an indication where they fall within those categories.”

The Halo Sports Foundation is part of the Halo Sports and Leisure charity, which aims to give money back to grassroots sport from commercial activity within the leisure business.

It is not just about money, though, Whapham added: “We provide a range of support with training memberships, cash grants and wider sports science support to the athletes that are successful in their applications to the Foundation.

“Currently, we support 95 athletes from 34 sports within Bridgend. We don’t try to look for footballers and rugby players because, when you reach the national and international stage, they tend to be well supported by their current structures.

“So within the 34 (sports), we have people who take part in water polo, canoe polo, surfing, table tennis through to slightly more traditional sports like judo and gymnastics - the breadth is huge.

“But we are about grassroots sport and about giving young people the opportunity to succeed.”

Research, said Whapham, shows that cost implications are one of the main reasons why people drop out of talent pathways in sport and the aims of the Foundation are to

relieve that burden as much as possible. But just by the Foundation showing some willing is a massive advantage to the young talent.

“It gives them financial support but also the confidence and motivation to know that someone is backing them to make them a success. That adds to their natural skill and ability to move the forward.”

Some of the youngsters have already gone on to become British age group internationals or national and Welsh champions.

“We have a female athlete who has won a number of medals at distance running this year and was fortunate to go and attend a summer training squad with Welsh Athletics.

“There is a boy in Tae Kwon Do who is showing loads of potential and who we have supported. He is now funded by Talent Cymru so he has extra help.

“We have boy and girl surfers who are on the world stage and some of the big surfing companies have said they are interested in them.

“It is nice to see these sports coming through and it is also good to let people in the wider Bridgend community know that it is not all about football and rugby. There are opportunities and, if you don’t succeed in one, then try another and you will find one that fits.”

Halo Sports Foundation would like to thank Sport Wales, GLL and Bridgend Council for their help with all aspects of the organisation.

For more information about the Halo Sports Foundation, go to www. halosportsfoundation.org.uk.

On social media, see @halo_sf for Twitter and Facebook page Halo Sports Foundation which all give information on what they are about, how to apply and some ‘good news stories’ to inspire you.

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THE ROW TO RIO

St Asaph’s Vicky Thornley (pictured) has been on a trip to size up the 2016 Olympic city ST ASPAH’S Vicky Thornley believes Team GB can steal a march on their Olympic rivals after going on a semi-tourist trip to Brazil.

Thornley was one of 36 Team GB rowers who went to Rio de Janeiro this Autumn for a training camp designed for the top eight British finishers in all disciplines from the recent World Championships in Amsterdam.

The Welsh rower was invited to make the trip after coming seventh in the women’s single scull at the Championships and, while the Olympic camp involved some training, it was also designed to allow those members of the squad, who will make it to the 2016 Games, to become familiar with their surroundings and, as such, focus on the job in hand from their arrival to the end of competition.

Thornley, 27, who was fifth at the 2012 London Olympics in the women’s eight, said: “We had the chance to visit the Athlete Village and

the Maracanã Stadium. I definitely think this will give us an advantage when we turn up for the Games as we won’t be looking around as much at everything having seen it all before - we can focus on the job at hand.”

The squad also visited the venue for events at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, which is located in the h e a r t of the city in the Copacabana cluster of Olympic venues, along with the famous Flamengo Clube, where they completed some training sessions, and the British School in Rio. Thornley added: “Developing a good relationship with the Flamengo Clube was also really worthwhile and made our training a lot easier. We also got an idea of what the weather will be like out there and what

strategies we may need to use in the more extreme heat.”

Team GB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner said it was an extremely useful experience to take the athletes out to Rio and acclimatise them with the city.

Sir David said: “We have had an outstanding camp and we have been exceptionally well looked after.

We were able to give the rowers and staff knowledge and experience of the Olympic city so that when we return in 2016 we can just slot in and get on with our business.

“Rio is a really different culture in a very positive sense. Rio is stunning and it has been important for us to see that and then it’s not a distraction in two years’ time.”

Back home, Welsh rowers Chris Bartley and Zak LeeGreen both struck gold at the British Championships in Nottingham - but not in the manner they were expecting.

Gusts of nearly 40mph at Holme Pierrepont meant the semi-finals and finals could not go ahead, therefore the medals were presented based on the earlier time trials in respective competitions.

London 2012 lightweight fours silver medalist Bartley was part of a Leander A crew, featuring a host of GB Rowing Team Olympic and world champions, which had set the fastest time in the men’s eight.

Richard Chambers, Matthew Gotrel, Alex Gregory, Phelan Hill, Matt Langridge, Adam Neill, Peter Reed and William Satch were also in the crew which clocked 5mins 42.9secs to finish three seconds clear of Oxford Brookes University.

Meanwhile, Lee-Green, who represents Agecroft, teamed up with world and European silver medalist Sam Townsend plus Rufus Briggs and Christopher Lawrie of Sir William Borlase to win men’s quad gold in 6mins 01.5secs ahead of two Leander crews.

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