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A final trip to Swansea for the year in glorious sunny conditions set the scene for Carmarthen’s M1s this week. The dry pitch took acclimating for both teams, with penalty corners on both sides being mis-injected. Swansea settled into the game early, winning several short corners, but the fearsome running duo of Jamie Pitman and Osian Evans saw to it that debutante keeper Steffan Gardner was well protected. Gardner faced some power shots however, and made his saves well. Carmarthen rode the pressure early and were first to score, with midfielder Tom Ferguson finding a key pass to captain Jonti Merry, who opened his account with a fierce shot that whistled through the nets. With the lead now theirs, Carmarthen grew in confidence and ramped up the pressure, with numerous chances ending in a penalty flick being awarded. Young forward Josh Richardson continued his 100% success rate at the penalty spot this season with an impressive shot to the corner. Knowing that a win would provide them mathematical safety for the season, Carmarthen drove on and wingback Josh Gwynne delivered a powerful strike to triple the deficit.  Fresh legs in the form of Anselm Brand and Sam Bolton ensured Carmarthen kept up the intensity, and a 4th goal would arrive before the interval - Bolton using his length and athleticism to force his way deep into the opposition area before freeing up Jonti Merry for the goal. Coach Kate Williams’ decision to pack the midfield this week had paid tremendous dividends, with Carmarthen dictating play for most of the 1st half. She encouraged her players to keep moving the ball and warned against complacency. Her words were taken on board, as Carmarthen scored their 5th within minutes of the 2nd half’s opening - a late run to the top of the D from Luke Dunning was rewarded with good service, and he fired a strike to the bottom left corner. Dunning was not done yet, doubling his tally from a long corner by picking up a clearance after a probing ball in from left back Cai Morgan. Swansea attempted to launch counter attacks but the defence held firm, with centre back Danny Mardell marshalling his troops effectively to snuff out any chances, whilst making some key challenges of his own. Carmarthen kept the foot on the pedal. Mardell played the ball wide from his own 16, where Morgan found Gwynne at the halfway line. Gwynne lost his marker with a single touch and went on one of his trademark runs to the top of the D, where he fired in a thunderous ball - a goal emblematic of Carmarthen’s ability to exit their own half seemingly at will. The game entered the final quarter and Carmarthen appeared intent on going for the jugular. Wingback William Heath, who had been rampaging to the baseline irrespective of whoever was sent to mark him, tortured another defender to find Merry in the area. A barnstorming run to the P spot from Steffan Walters on the opposite wing took the attention of everyone in the area, including the Swansea keeper who allowed Merry to slip the ball in at his near post. A run worthy of an assist in the stat sheet, if there ever was one. Carmarthen continued to move the ball at will, from defence to the midfield, and from midfield into the final third, with the central triumvirate of Evans, Ferguson and Dunning sniffing out attacks upfield and finding the wide men in space. Tenacious defending from Jamie Pitman out wide won a turnover, with Anselm Brand releasing the ball to find Josh Gwynne. Gwynne’s shot seemed destined for the goal, but a poacher’s helping hand from Josh Richardson at close range denied him his hat trick, but doubled Richardson’s tally in what could be a crucial goal in the top scorer competition. The final whistle came with Carmarthen 9 goals to the good, and their future for next year in division 1 secured. A true team performance by all 14 men, but Man of the Match was awarded to Steffan Gardner for his outstanding debut in goal, keeping the first clean sheet of the season. At 13 years old, he has made his mark as one to watch. Carmarthen welcome Swansea 3s to their home ground next week, as they look to squeeze extra table position out of their last remaining fixtures.

Icy conditions risked a second cancellation of this fixture, but an early confirmation that the pitch was playable sent our Mens 1sts east for their furthest away game of the season. Arriving rested, if not a little less fit from a lengthy christmas break, Carmarthen looked to build on an impressive last 5 games that had yielded enough points to secure 9th in the table. Gwent began the game with first pushback and promptly settled into a patient passing game, utilising 4 players at the back to push and pull Carmarthen’s press left and right. Both teams exchanged early periods of pressure, with chances on both sides. Gwent broke the deadlock from a short corner with a phenomenally placed strike beating keeper Lee Jones at his left post. Carmarthen dug in and despite winning multiple penalty corners through forwards Duncan Ecclestone and Josh Richardson, were unable to convert. Gwent attacked again, with Jones called into action for multiple saves and some crucial deflecting touches from centre back Russell Horsey kept the men in orange at bay. Carmarthen entered half time a goal down with work to do. Adjusting their tactics and pulling captain Jonti Merry slightly deeper, Carmarthen started the 2nd half at blinding pace, with the wingback rotation of Josh Gwynne, Ryan Carvey, William Heath and Anselm Brand providing constant options out wide and plenty of leg work in defence. Carmarthen erased the deficit early in the half when rightback Steffan Walters took a long corner and found Merry at the top of the D, who fired a reverse strike into the bottom left corner. Carmarthen’s momentum began to build, with the midfield triumvirate of Merry, Luke Dunning, and Osian Evans asserting more control over the game, with fresh legs from the bench in Logan Mackenzie Jones ensuring the frontline press kept the pressure on. They were duly rewarded when an overlapping run from left back Cai Morgan won a long corner. Evans took it quickly to release Merry, who beat his man and hit an impossibly angled reverse strike into to the top right corner to give Carmarthen their first lead of the game. Gwent were up to the challenge however. They equalised from an excellent team goal before restoring their lead with a carbon copy of their opener, their talisman striker once again finding the same corner of the goal from a set piece. The game entered the final minutes and with Carmarthen desperately seeking an equaliser, Coach Kate Williams elected to throw players forward to try and create one final chance. In the dying seconds, Carmarthen forced a foot in the opposing D, and were duly awarded a penalty corner. The umpires whistled for full time - this would be the game’s final play, and Carmarthen’s last chance. Carmarthen elected for a dragflick attempt from Evans which deflected onto a defenders foot, thus forcing a re-take. The second attempt saw Josh Richardson inject the ball to Merry, who slipped a pass to Evans to evade the charging defenders. Evans’ pushed attempt was denied by the Gwent keeper. The ball rebounded to a waiting Josh Richardson, who flicked the ball over the prone keeper, off the shoulder of the covering defender, and into the goal. The final whistles sounded as Richardson was mobbed by teammates, having snatched a draw at the death. A phenomenal team performance showing a dogged unwillingness to be put away, Carmarthen’s M1s were smiling every inch of the 70 mile drive home, having secured their point and distanced themselves further from the relegation zone. Man of the Match went to captain Jonti Merry for two scintillating goals. They host  Penarth 2s at Carmarthen next saturday, looking to avenge a narrow defeat in the away fixture, and reach double digit points on the season.

JUNIOR COACHES WANTED FOR THE 2024/25 SEASON‼️ With a continually growing junior section, we need your support🫵🏼 We are looking for junior coaches on Wednesday evenings from 5 - 7:30pm for different age groups and also on Sunday for tournaments (monthly / every other month). Juniors are the future of our club and without assistance from others, we will not be able to keep giving young members a chance to play hockey and progress in our club! If you are interested or require further information, please get in touch 🏑🌟

Our Teams - Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club Junior Teams Junior Players FAQ's Coaches : Alice Lumb (Lead) & Janet Heath Mini's (U8's) U10's Coaches : Charlotte Harries (Lead) & Anselm Brand U12's Coaches : Bethany James (Lead), Simon Williams & Jason Bellis U14's Coaches : Ffion Dart (Lead) & Anna Heath U18 Girls Coaches : Catrin Davies (Lead), Scarlett Mackenzie-Jones & Siriol Richards U18 Boys Coaches : Osain Evans (Lead), Bryan Greatrick & Jonti Merry

Management Team - Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club Club Management Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club is a club run by members for it's members Key Roles... ***Hover mouse over photo/logo and click for more info on their profile*** ***If active, then a profile box will be displayed *** Treasurer Tom Ferguson Email Chairperson Ffion Dart Email Vice Chairperson Kate Williams Email Secretary Anna Knuckles Email Safeguarding & DBS Ruby Breeze-Lewis Email Ellie Routley Chair of Women's Playing Committee Email Chair of Men's Playing Committee Duncan Ecclestone Email Charlotte Harries Chair of Junior Playing Committee Email Data Protection (GDPR) Steffan Walters Email Social Media Megan Henry Email Club Membership Steffan Walters Email Club Kit Charlotte Harries Email Website/Spond App Bryan Greatrick Email Social's & Fundraising Laura Massocchi Email Volunteer Coordinator Kate Williams & Charlotte Harries Email Sponsorship Rep Josh Williams-Davies Email Women's Fixtures Sec Ellie Routley Email Men's Fixtures Sec Duncan Ecclestone Email Women's 1st Team Captain TBC Women's 2nd Team Captain Ffion Dart Women's 3rd Team Co Captain's Laura Massocchi & Alice Lumb Men's 1st Team Captain Jonti Merry Men's 2nd Team Captain Duncan Ecclestone Coaches Kate Williams, Charlotte Harries, Ffion Dart, Ellie Routley, Alice Lumb, Anna Heath, Janet Heath & Anselm Brand, Bethany James, Simon Williams, Jason Bells, Catrin Davies, Scarlett Mackenzie-Jones, Siriol Richards, Osain Evans & Bryan Greatrick Umpires Julian Evans, James Merchant, Kate Williams, Ffion Dart, Charlotte Harries, Osian Evans, Laura Thomas, Scarlett Mackenzie- Jones, Jack Brenan, Tom Ferguson, Adam Poole, Anna Heath, Catrin Williams, Emily Stibbs, Josh Richardson & Roger Dear

Our Club - Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club About Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club Our Constitution and Documents Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club (CAHC) are fully affiliated to Hockey Wales (Our National Govering Body), we have a very strong purpose and work hard to achieve the clubs objectives. We operate fully within our ‘Club Constitution’ . In order to ensure that we achieve our purpose and objectives, the Executive Committee of the Club have set out a number of Guidelines and Policies which make the Club’s stance clear to its member. We encourage all members to follow our 'Code of Conduct '. Please feel free to contact any member of the Executive Committee through our ‘Contact Us’ page if you ever need any information or just some guidance regarding our Club business. The Executive Committee Our executive committee meets officially every other month (and more often when required) to discuss, maintain and plan the running of our club. The Committee is elected by the members of our Club at every Annual General Meeting as per our Club Constitution. Our Executive Committee is always looking for new ways to improve our club, therefore if you have any issues, suggestions or ideas that you would like to be addressed at an Executive Committee meeting and please contact our Club Secretary. Affiliations All fully paid members of our club are affiliated as members to our National Governing Body (Hockey Wales). Players, Umpires, Social Members and Coaches all have their own membership categories. It is necessary to be affiliated to our National Governing Body for insurance purposes, but there are many other benefits to this membership. See their website for further details. Membership and Training Fees Click here for information on our current membership and training fees. Coaches Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club have a quality coaching team. We have a development plan that ensures that our coaches have continued professional development and are player focused. We welcome anyone into the team who aspires to become a Coach. The Coaches work together and with Team Captains to provide each team (both junior and senior) a structured training session whilst identifying each player’s abilities and needs. We take pride in our approach and coach players on their ability rather than their age. Child Protection Our Club takes Child Protection very seriously. We have a dedicated Child Welfare Officer who is able to provide confidential advice. If you are concerned about being bullied or witnessed another player being treated unfairly, please inform a member of the Executive Committee, through our “Contact Us’ page or indeed the Child Welfare Officer. We have the following 'Transportation of Youth Policy ' in place. Becoming a Volunteer at CAHC Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club are always looking for volunteers to help with a range of tasks. These tasks include anything from club administration, helping to coach and manage a junior side, maintenance of club equipment and goals, attending fixtures as a photographer, first-aid provision and many more opportunities. We are very keen to recruit new volunteers. If you would like to get more involved with Carmarthen Athletic Hockey Club then please contact any member of the Club Executive Committee or through our ‘Contact Us’ page. Social Media Recently, our social media presence has grown, with us interacting with members and supporters on a number of social media platforms; Instagram and Facebook are our main platforms, but our Twitter page has also grown. When you become a member of the Club, we add you to our closed Facebook group which is intended for Club members and their families, making our club a much tighter knit community and getting everyone to know each other. Here, we can be slightly less formal and promote club social events, etc. We have a Social Media Policy which our Communications Team adhere to and encourage all Club members to do so as well. Are you a parent and want some more guidance on the inner workings of the Club? Find all the information you need in our ‘Parents’ Club Guide’ Parent's Club Guides