Pembrokeshire youngsters win silverware in Stoke
Junior Football News:
It wasn't quite the infamous wet Wednesday down in Stoke for the Pembrokeshire Schools' Under-14 side - but instead a brilliant weekend trip which saw them return home with silverware.
The squad made the long journey to compete in their annual Play on the Pitch Tournament - with all of the games being played on the Championship pitch at the 30,000 all-seater Bet 365 Stadium.
With a Trophy, Shield and Plate up for grabs, the side were in a positive mood leading up to the tournament, especially having lost just one game last season.
They entered two teams into the nine-a-side format, but the weekend experience started before the action got underway as players and parents checked into a hotel a stone throw from the stadium. After 10-pin bowling and food at the local Harvester, the youngsters were up the following morning for a stadium tour and a tunnel walk out before preparing for their opening games.
On the pitch, when was all said and done, one team won the Shield and the other were runners-up in the Plate competition.
Leading the way with the goals were Brayden Bent (Ysgol Bro Gwaun) with five - including the winning goal in the Shield Final. Also on the scoresheet were Cai Price, Jake Barrington, Zach Loveridge, Harry Newton, Logan Lewis, Owain Banner, and Iestyn Roberts.
Coaches Matthew Price, Ben Field-Thomas and Rhys Holmes were happy with the success of their sides and Price said: "Another great occasion for us and we always try our best to give these lucky boys the best football experiences.
"They will be disappointed that we were not in the mix for the big trophy today, but I think the standard was too high for us on this occasion. A Massive thank you to Angie Nicholls, Mark Hicks and all of our sponsors along with of course the coaches, players and parents."
Pembrokeshire squad: Jack Echeverria GK, Iestyn Roberts, Ethan Holmes (Milford Haven Comprehensive School) Noah Bicknell, Bobby Davies, Zach Loveridge, Oliver Piskorski, Harry Newton (Haverfordwest High) Toby Jones, Owain Banner (Captain), Brayden Bent (Ysgol Bro Gwaun) Bobby Field-Thomas (Captain) Rhys Broadhurst, Oscar Lawrence (Ysgol Greenhill) Cai Price, Jake Barrington (Ysgol Caer Elen) Logan Lewis, Rhys White (Ysgol Harri Tudur).