Saturday 21st September 2024 ko 11:00

West Wales Premier League

YNYSTAWE ATHLETIC 2 (Brooks 34p Green 57)

DAFEN WELFARE 2 (Jones 16 54)

Att 194

Entry & Programme £5

Between the ill-fated Carmarthenshire Hop and this West Wales Premier League Hop we do seem to be seeing a lot of Pont Abraham. Most will know the place as being the western end of the M4 but if you’ve done enough of these events you’ll see it as being the gateway to places like Llandeilo , Pontarddulais and now Ynystawe.

The name is a Cymric portmanteau of Ynys or island and the river Tawe, the river that reaches the sea at Swansea, or Abertawe if you’d prefer. So a trip to to an river island, although the water we were more worried about was coming from the sky!

I love the fact that this isn’t yet another Step 5/6 hop, but the lack of cover across the 6 grounds makes it a tough day’s hopping if it rains all day. We sheltered in the nearby cricket club, at the rain more or less eased before kick-off. We did get lucky with the weather that day.

Sometimes you can tell when a club is going places and that was definately the case here. It wasn’t just the unconciously competant hosting it was how you could see the ground being improved. Ynystawe Park was gifted to the community by John Player, and the lease on the two pitches was taken on by the club from Swansea Council 3 years ago.

They won’t be using that cricket pavilion for much longer, and they’ll be cover too with the clear aim being elevation to the Ardal Leagues. Judging from what we saw here, that’ll be sooner rather than later. We got a good game too, many will remember Dafen Welfare from the mauling they took on the reverse of this fixture, this was far better contest with Callum Green’s thunderbolt equaliser the pick of the goals.

We trooped back to the coach with the players. A couple of hoppers laughed as I took the final photo that I take too many photos, and they’re probably right. That said, you’ll never take that picture on the SCEFL Hop will you?