Football News . . . from PembrokeshireSport.co.uk

 

PHOTOS

Above, new referees Chris Phillips, Ben Williams, Carl Davies and Kevin Smith (back) with John Davies, Pedr McMullen, John Gow and Brian Hawkins (front).

 

Below right, The new refs with some of the officials and guests of the Pembrokeshire Referees' Society.

 

 

Six new football referees take up the whistle

There was real cause for celebration at the recent meeting of the Pembrokeshire Referees’ Society when it was announced that no fewer than six new football referees had passed their exams and would be taking up the whistle in the county.

No-one was more delighted than training officer Pedr McMullen, who outlined their footballing backgrounds and congratulated them all on their success, commenting that four of them were already officiating at matches and had settled in nicely.

Jason Chapman (Haverfordwest) and Gareth Boyle (Pembroke) were unable to attend and sent their apologies but all six were wished all the best by president Danny Thomas (President), Chris Stapleton (Chairman) and Jonathan Twigg (Acting Secretary).

Super six

Carl Davies played for Merlins Bridge in the 1970s and Broad Haven in the 80s before doing some reffing until 1992 and now back in action again, raring to go alongside Chris Phillips, who played for Narberth in the 1980s and Templeton after that.

Ben Williams has moved to Milford Haven after playing football in Carmarthenshire with Tumble and Bancosfelin – and can surely lay claim to being the tallest official in Pembrokeshire. Last, but certainly not least, was Kevin Smith, who played league football in London from 1976 to 1990, and then veterans’ football through to 2001 before he came to this area and played for St Florence and Tenby for the next four years. Not content with that little lot, Kevin has been a rugby referee ever since, as well as being a boxing referee and judge for the last 27 years!

Congratulations galore

All four received their certificates from John Gow, the honorary referees’ officer of the West Wales FA, who was a top football referee in the English Football League set-up and finished a long and illustrious career by officiating a match at Hampden Park between the full Scottish and Irish teams in the old Home International Championship. He also congratulated the new referees on passing out and wished them every success, as did Brian Hawkins, the Hon Secretary of the Manderwood Pembrokeshire Football League..

Also in attendance were John Davies, the treasurer of the Referees’ Association for Wales, and Gareth Williams, who has taken over as Hon Secretary of the West Wales Football Association from Bob Waygood and is a Football Association of Wales Councillor.

Well done lads!

It is excellent to see another batch of referees emerging in our county and PembrokeshireSport.co.uk wishes all of them a very successful, enjoyable and rewarding time in the middle!