ABERYSTWYTH beat Pontarddulais 31-28 in a stunning and pulsating comeback win at Cae Plascrug in their Admiral National League 1 West match, scoring five tries. On a calm, dry, overcast day, the home side started the game poorly, with several defensive errors allowing Pontarddulais to score two quick tries through forwards Jacob Miles and Louie Walters, both converted by Iestyn Scott. The visitors had a larger pack, and Aber struggled to contain their forwards in the loose with poor tackling technique. Aber’s scrum was performing well, but only halting play resulted from more possession. Pontarddulais were soon exerting pressure deep in Aber’s 22 metres and flanker Ethan Miles scored another converted try. Aber attempted to play flowing open rugby, but handling errors allowed the visitors to push play up the field, and a missed tackle saw Pontarddulais’ full back Lewis Edwards score a converted try. The visitors had a try bonus point and Aber were 28 points down. Aber now started to strongly contest in the rucks and open play, with backs Harri Gwynn Jones and Jac Jones linking well and releasing Carwyn Evans to burst through from 30 metres out to score a try that he also converted. Aber gained confidence from this move by their backs and were soon on the attack with good scrummaging, keeping play on the visitor’s try line. Quick ruck ball released Aber’s winger Dafydd Llyr Hywel to score an unconverted try in the corner before the break. Aber were now running ball through both forwards and backs whenever possible and gaining quick possession from rucks. Aber’s momentum was disrupted by several stoppages due to injuries to the visiting side, who were tiring. The home side were returning kicks well with breaks by their backs releasing Jac Jones who offloaded to winger Dafydd Llyr Hywel to score a second try, racing in from halfway, converted by Dylan Benjamin. Aber were back in the game. Good poaching by Aber forwards in rucks saw backs Jac Jones, Dafydd Llyr Hywel and Tommy Sandford combine in a flowing move that put Lee Evans in to score a try converted by Benjamin. Two points in it, and Aber were pressing hard. A blind side move from an Aber scrum 25 metres out allowed Paul Stubbs to break and, with a superb offload, put Dylan Benjamin over for an unconverted try. Pontarddulais were stung into late action, but Aber defended their try line well repulsing mauls and rucks. Another fighting comeback by a young ‘never-say-die’ Aber side, preventing the visitors scoring any second half points. A pulsating match with some truly memorable Aber tries, with Harri Gwynn Jones man of the match. Comments Tel: 01970 615000[email protected]Follow us Further Links Owned or licensed to Tindle Newspapers Ltd | Independent Family-Owned Newspapers | Copyright & Trade Mark Notice & 2013 - 2025 ABERYSTWYTH RFC beat Pontarddulais RFC 24 - 17 in their Admiral National League 1 West away fixture on Saturday, writes Graham Harris. In a close and hard fought match, Aber were unable to convert territorial advantage and goal line pressure into points during the middle section of the game, resulting in a nail-biting finish. On a sunny, dry day in South Wales, Pontarddulais were off to a flying start, winning a scrum on halfway, and poor Aber tackling allowed their centre Tom Evans to score an unconverted try. Aber withstood pressure from the restart, the hosts quickly back deep in the visitor's 22 metres. Good scrummaging by Aber, and clearance kicks, pushed play steadily back up the pitch. Penalties to Aber were kicked for territory and the hosts repelled Aber moves from lineouts and rucks with sound defence. Pontarddulais clearance kicks were well fielded and returned by the visitor's backs. Aber's forwards were exerting pressure with good line breaks in the loose by Steffan Rattray and Bryn Shepherd. A well contested period of play saw Pontarddulais advance into Aber's red zone, but good quick ball handling by Aber, and kicking by Benjamin, relieved any danger. Aber won the ball back in midfield and their backs burst through with breaks by Tommy Sandford and Ben Lloyd Jones pushing play up to the hosts' 22 metres, and Aber number 8 Lee Evans crossing for a try, well converted by Dylan Benjamin. A Pontarddulais clearance kick to touch allowed Aber centre Ben Lloyd Jones to take a quick lineout to himself, pass inside, and then receive the ball again to sprint 40 metres down the pitch, and excellent support play by Iestyn Thomas resulted in a try converted by Benjamin. Another Aber break by Carwyn Evans brought play back to the host's 22 metres and an infringement at the breakdown saw Benjamin convert the penalty into points. Half time score: Pontarddulais 5 Aberystwyth 17. Pontarddulais soon put pressure back on Aber's try line on the restart. Despite dogged resistance by the visitors, a Pontarddulais lineout 15 metres out resulted in their lock Jacob Miles scoring an unconverted try. A well won Aber lineout on the host's 22 metre line ended with the ball being held up over the try line. The Pontarddulais goal line drop kick was fielded by Benjamin who released winger Dafydd Llyr Hywel to break through the defensive line and Aber's hooker Iestyn Thomas scored a second try converted by Benjamin. Pontarddulais kept pressing hard and from a scrum on Aber's 10 metre line they rucked the ball up to the visitor's red zone. A quickly tapped penalty and the host's fly half Josh Goss crossed for a converted try. This set up a nervous last few minutes for Aber, who were now defending a one score lead. Pontarddulais were unable to convert territorial advantage from late penalties into points, and Aber hung on for the win. Aber were dominant in phases of the game, with some excellent play by their backs, but did not manage to convert goal line pressure into points. Credit to Pontarddulais for battling throughout and setting up a nail-biting finish. Another exhilarating game of open rugby from both sides. Aber maintain their winning run in the league. Tel: 01970 615000[email protected]Follow us As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot There are a few reasons this might happen: please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page We're getting everything ready for you and you'll be on your way in just a few moments PProperty / Construction A leading local housebuilder has submitted its plans to Swansea Council for a new zero-carbon ready housing development in Pontarddulais. Persimmon Homes West Wales plans to construct 504 zero-carbon ready homes for local people on land south of Glanffrwd Road. The no-gas site will feature one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses, which will be powered by air-source heat pumps and solar panels. A number of properties will also be transferred to a housing association partner as part of the housebuilder’s commitment to the local community. As part of the proposed scheme, Persimmon also plans to deliver a new primary school, community building, and sustainable drainage infrastructure alongside a significant financial contribution towards an all-weather 3G pitch at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School, and public transport improvements in the vicinity. A network of green infrastructure and ecological enhancement is a core part of the vision for the development, while parks, play equipment, and playing pitches are inclusive of the public open space that Persimmon is offering. Should the plans be approved, off-site improvements will also be made to the Water Street/Station Road junction and the A489, Alltiago Road, Pentre Road, and Saint Teilo Street, which will involve the installation of Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation (MOVA is a more advanced signalling system which can apply ‘green time’ more efficiently across a junction, with the aim to minimise overall delay and queuing). This week, the housebuilder submitted plans that reflect feedback from the local community, following extensive public engagement in 2023. Commenting on the proposals, Persimmon Homes West Wales’ Managing Director Stuart Philips, said: “Persimmon is excited to formally submit our planning application for a project in Pontarddulais which aims to deliver 500 zero-carbon ready homes. This scheme will enable local residents to stay within their community, nurturing its growth and sustainability. “The application presents a detailed view of our proposals, underscoring the significant benefits it will bring to the local community. These benefits include creating numerous jobs, offering a diverse range of quality housing options to meet local needs, and transferring several properties to a housing association to address the local housing waiting list. “An integral part of this project is the development of new community facilities, including a primary school and sustainable drainage infrastructure. Additionally, we're committing a substantial financial contribution towards an all-weather 3G pitch at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School. “The scheme's green vision, utilisation of public open spaces, improvements in off-site transport, and provisions for active travel are key aspects of our proposal. These elements demonstrate our dedication to delivering a sustainable and high-quality development. “We look forward to engaging with the Council over the course of the determination process, as we work constructively and collaboratively to deliver a zero-carbon ready scheme that benefits Pontarddulais and leaves a legacy which delivers economic, social and environmental value for the local community.” and highly targeted distribution networks offers our clients a proven strategically connected one-stop-shop solution for all regions and business sectors in Wales and beyond Of all the price rises affecting householders The energy price cap will increase by an average of £693 for householders on default tariffs on April 1 – and there are 22 million of them in the UK – taking the average annual gas and electricity bill to £1,971 A further hike has been widely predicted when the cap is adjusted again Some analysts reckon £3,000 is not beyond the realms in October just as winter is looming and boilers whir back into life whose population of around 6,500 is not that rich and not that poor Everyone not on a fixed-term energy contract has a story to tell He said he lived in an old house with high ceilings which took time to heat up His monthly energy bill was rising from £200 per month to around £320 “It’s becoming like another mortgage,” said the 43-year-old Elizabeth Walls is 68 and works three days a week She said her monthly gas and electric bill a little over a year ago was £70 per month Luxuries like new clothes and holidays would but if I retire my standard of living goes down,” she said “I feel so sorry for people on benefits who are really struggling I cannot understand why the Government has not intervened and put a tax on the energy companies.” who lives in nearby Llannon with her husband “My husband knows how much it’s going up,” said the 52-year-old “Some heating oil companies can’t deliver for about five weeks Heating oil is not protected by the energy price cap and if anything price hikes are steeper than those of gas and electricity “The Government should be doing more,” said Mrs Powell “It feels they are making the less fortunate even less fortunate.” The majority of householders will receive £150 of Government support towards energy bills on April 1 All householders will get £200 off their bills from October but this sum will be clawed back over the following five years Some people will also qualify for discretionary relief Chancellor Rishi Sunak has not ruled out further measures in October Factors including the rapid expansion of the global economy after Covid lockdowns have pushed gas prices up A hot summer in Asia in 2021 increased demand for electricity-hungry air conditioning units Weeks of balmy weather in Europe last summer becalmed wind turbines and meant more gas was needed to generate electricity The war in Ukraine has sent wholesale gas prices into a spin “You can’t live in the cold,” said Craig Lewis He said his electricity bill was about to go up by more than 50% “I don’t use a lot because I live on my own,” said the 38-year-old But even Martin Lewis (MoneySavingExpert website founder) said he’s run out of ways to help.” is phlegmatic about the energy cost problem “We are all going to be affected by it somewhere down the line and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said the 76-year-old “I’ve had nothing official come through about it yet You buy a loaf of bread one week and it’s £1.10 Claire Lewis has been staying with her son at her mother’s house for a while and is certain of higher energy bills when she goes back to her home in Pontarddulais “I can’t give the figures at the moment,” said the 33-year-old “I think I pay £130 a month for gas and electricity My house is old and quite cold – I have my heating on some summer nights “I will probably have to cut back on other things I really do think people are going to struggle.” said her two sons had helped her with a £1,000 arrears on her energy bill which she said came to light she was forced to move to a supplier of last resort “I didn’t know it was that much,” said the 59-year-old ‘Can I sell the house?’ But we’ve arranged a repayment plan.” She said her monthly energy costs were £200 “It’s going to be a massive strain,” she said David Leigh and his wife Louise Evans-Leigh They’ve now been told it’ll be upwards of £260 “You never thought twice about putting the heating on,” said Mrs Evans-Leigh “Now it’s only going to go on when it’s really cold.” who run baby carrier business Rose and Rebellion “I think we’re going to spend the whole summer collecting wood,” said Mr Leigh They’ve noticed that the standing charge element of the energy bill meaning that actually cutting back on energy usage will have less impact than you might expect “We can afford it but it’ll mean cutting back on luxuries and not putting it towards savings,” said Mrs Evans-Leigh The couple said the Government wasn’t helping enough and should impose a windfall tax on energy producers Shell announced £6.4 billion profits in the last quarter of 2021 It has been reported that the UK-based company will invest up to £25 billion into the UK’s energy system over the next decade three-quarters of which will be in “zero carbon” products and services Hilary Constable’s energy bill rose from £40 per month to £65 and was set to rise again to £105 in April and said I can’t afford it,” said the 64-year-old who lives in a two-bedroom flat and works part-time She said she will pay £70 per month and keep in regular touch with her supplier about her usage She said she threw an electric blanket over herself when she watched the television in cold weather Reflecting on the rising prices on all fronts You put fuel in the tank and you realise it’s more than your food shopping bill.” said his monthly energy bill was rising by £53 Cllr Downing said people who needed the help of the foodbank were saying they had to choose between heating and eating “That’s becoming more of a practice in households,” he said Energy regulator Ofgem said it was too early to say how the energy price cap will change in October It wants more diversification of energy sources to protect customers from future price shocks an Ofgem spokeswoman said: “We know this rise will be extremely worrying for many people The energy market has faced a huge challenge due to the unprecedented increase in global gas prices and Ofgem’s role as energy regulator is to ensure that energy companies can only charge a fair price based on the true cost of supplying electricity and gas.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" The UK government should be doing far far more to help – But it won’t We must remember this and not only kick the Tories hard in the May elections and in 2024s GE but ensuring we gain independence asap skyrocketing energy prices will still be with us but hopefully we’ll have a government that ‘will’ tax the energy companies and ‘will’ do whatever else it takes something the UK government should be doing All the chancellor things about is gaining the PM position by keeping rabid back benchers… Read more » Let’s just make sure we keep this inept Labour Party out of power Connect with Nation.Cymru on Facebook and Twitter If you would like to donate to help keep Nation.Cymru running then you just need to click on the box below it will open a pop up window that will allow you to pay using your credit / debit card or paypal Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018 In 2017 Nation.Cymru was launched after raising £5000 from a crowdfunding campaign Today it is one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK attracting over 1.5 million visitors a month We are not backed by billionaire owners or hidden behind a paywall but we depend on our readers' support to continue our work If everyone who visited the site over the course of a month donated at least £1 we would have enough funding for the next eight years To guarantee our future please consider making a donation today. has been described as an "excellent all round sportsman" By Ian Lewis · 9 June 2021 Tributes have been paid to one of Swansea's biggest sporting figures who has passed away Gilbert Miles played for Pontarddulais Bowls Club and was Wales’ oldest athlete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast of Australia He was partially sighted and brought home a bronze medal for Team Wales in the VI lawn bowls pair He also competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games where Team Wales finished fourth was a former student of Pontarddulais School and Gorseinon College and was introduced to bowls through friends after they invited him to start playing the sport He was also a keen cricketer and full back rugby player Mr Miles played for Wales at youth level and also played first class rugby for Swansea and Llanelli and also with Pontarddulais RFC Other achievements within the bowls world include scooping silver at the British Isles singles bowls competition three times as well as silver in the 2013 8 Nations Commonwealth Invitation Championships said that he had been a sportsman all his life and that losing some of his sight in the mid 1990s did not stop him continuing his love of sport He became a visually impaired bowler in 2007 Sporting bodies and colleagues have paid tribute to him secretary and club operations manager at Pontarddulais RFC said: "Gilbert was an excellent all round sportsman and gained a Welsh Youth Rugby cap in 1964 "He went on to play for a season and a half with the All Whites of Swansea as well as playing a handful of games with Llanelli before returning to play for his beloved Pontarddulais RFC and kicking goals in West Wales Cup Finals during the club's successful league and cup era during the 1960’s He added: "Gilbert continued to play for Pontarddulais until the early 1970s and was involved in the rugby club for many years after his playing career ended Pontarddulais Cricket Club tweeted its tribute and said: "Gilly was a tremendous all round sportsman and a talented batsman "He was also a tremendous tourist and a fantastic host to cricket clubs on tour "He was a real character that'll be missed by all." While long-serving cricket commentator and journalist Edward Bevan commented that Mr Miles had been an "accomplished sportsman and I have great memories of him on and off the field Disability Sport Wales said on Twitter: "Very sad to hear of the passing of Gilbert (Gillie) Miles - a steadfast member of the Welsh VI Bowls team and a bronze medal winning Commonwealth Games athlete "Sincere condolences to Gillies' family and friends at this time Neighbouring Gorseinon Cricket Club posted its own tribute on Twitter Shine a spotlight on your neighbourhood by becoming an Area Ambassador Click here to learn more! LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}} A pavement and cycle path over Pentre Bridge has been planned for the past three years By Ian Lewis · 4 December 2020 A pavement and cycle path could be created across Pentre Bridge on the main road between Pontarddulais and Gorseinon which crosses the railway line close to Pontarddulais is undergoing structural maintenance by Network Rail for a six-month period while it will remain closed to traffic it is hoped the pavement and cycle path - known as a Welsh Government Active Travel Route -  may be able to be put in place within that time An eight-mile diversion via Pontlliw and Penllergaer is currently in place.Swansea Council is liaisng with Network Rail over the path scheme A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The development of an Active Travel Route between Gorseinon and Pontarddulais is something we have been planning for a number of years and forms part of our city-wide Integrated Network Map which we approved in 2017 South Wales West MS Suzy Davies welcomed the news adding she has been approached by cyclists and walkers eager for a safe route for them to be placed over the bridge On the possibility of a path being created soon she said: "I have received representations from keen walkers and cyclists in the Pontarddulais area about the dangers presented by the Pentre Bridge to them at the moment “I know this bridge well and it has no pavement or cycle lane “It has not been possible to install a pavement before but this scheme gives us the golden opportunity we need to achieve some definite improvements in safety for walkers and those riding their bikes “There have been proposals for a long time to create a proper cycle route from Pontarddulais towards Gorseinon but this bridge was always the sticking point." We have been overwhelmed reading about how our communities are helping each other during these difficult times We want YOU to share and shout about what you are doing for your neighbourhoods Pontarddulais Comprehensive School represented Swansea City AFC Foundation at Villa Park during the Premier League Inspires celebration day The students from Pontarddulais were chosen to represent the Foundation after winning the Premier League Inspires challenge with their idea to make recycling more fun and engaging with unique and interesting refuse and recycling bins The idea was first pitched to a panel of judges from Swansea City and the Foundation before they further developed their plan at an event held at the Swansea.com Stadium Prototypes were made and used to educate younger people on the importance of recycling inviting a local school to the Swanea.com Stadium for a fun and interactive workshop This content is from an external website which may store cookies you have not consented to More than 1,750 young people from across England and Wales have joined forces to help tackle environmental sustainability at their football clubs and in their communities The challenge is one element of the Premier League Inspires programme which clubs run on a weekly basis to support 11 to 25-year-olds who are at risk of not reaching their potential as they move through the education system and early adulthood participants are empowered to take on a social action project and make a difference to the world around them Having come up with their environmental social action ideas participants joined one of five regional celebration events taking place at Villa Park where they shared details of their activity with teams of their peers representing 44 clubs from across the Premier League and the English Football League said: “It’s great for us to be able to add further value to our programme by allowing the young people to consider what’s important to them and their community and to then produce a project around that topic “Our presentation day brings the young people out of their comfort zone and the Premier League Inspires Challenge celebration day gives the winners an opportunity to visit another club which is the highlight of our calendar every year.” © 2025 Swansea City Association Football Club Limited West Swansea Hawks and Lampeter meet at Pontarddulais on Sunday with enjoyment the top priority for both teams The South Wales Plate clash will be the first senior match for a number of players who have come through their respective Female Hubs After playing just a handful of matches between them since December 2019 due to the pandemic and the change of season format the key aim for both teams now is to keep building while making sure rugby everyone is enjoying their return to rugby The South Wales Plate clash will be the first competitive senior match for a number of players who have come through their respective Female Hubs West Swansea Hawks’ team manager and forward Kim Benson said “We were pleased to come away with a win over Pembroke last weekend in our first competitive game since the start of the pandemic our ethos at the moment is to go out and play the rugby we enjoy playing We just want to have a good time and play with smiles on our faces this competition is just about getting us back into rugby.” The women’s sides at Gorseinon and Pontarddulais formed West Swansea Hawks Ladies three years ago and form part of the West Swansea Hawks’ Female Hub family The move is already bearing fruit with three of the Hawks’ squad on Sunday set to make their competitive senior debut having graduated from the West Swansea Hawks Female Hub pathway – Aimee Rogers Ffion Perry and Keira Evans – that is a reason to celebrate in itself according to Benson “We are thrilled to see the three players on our team sheet – it’s a real milestone to see that the pathway is working All three players have come through the West Swansea Hawks’ age group sides and there will be a lot more players following in their footsteps we just need to wait another season or two.” Lampeter coach and club secretary Gareth Davies is equally buoyant about the future of his side with training numbers having almost doubled since before the pandemic “We used to have 18 or 19 players – now we have 35 The additional numbers makes training much easier and we can’t wait to get our season started on Sunday “One player has also just joined from Aberystwyth Uni with more expected to follow once the term starts and some of our players and our team manager have been helping out with the coaching at our feeder Hubs Wiberod and Bae Ceredigion a relationship which bodes very well for the future Two players have already stepped up to our side from Wiberod including Chloe Evans who is playing this weekend “We can only select 22 for this match obviously but the others will get their opportunity at home to Pembroke on the 26th “Winning would be fantastic – I have every confidence in our players – but really it’s all about getting back playing after such a long lay-off.” CLICK HERE for all the women’s cup and plate fixtures for Sunday and also check club social media posts for full match details © 2025 Content Copyright Welsh Rugby Union Sign up here for your daily business digest direct to your inbox Sign Up Discover our talented editorial team and the principles that drive them Tesco’s Pontarddulais store has donated more than 100,000 meals-worth of surplus food to local charities and community groups The first superstore in Wales to reach this milestone it is one of 18 Tesco stores across the UK which have donated 100,000 meals of food that would have otherwise gone to waste through the supermarket’s Community Food Connection Scheme run in conjunction with food charity FareShare Tesco recently marked the fourth anniversary of the scheme which has now provided more than 40 million meals-worth of food “At Hope House we are catering for more than 30 women The FareShare collections have really helped us with the catering budget by providing substantial ingredients for those meals along with some nice extras such as fruit and cakes and even bouquets of flowers “Once the staff at Pontarddulais Tesco became aware of our specific needs they have been very helpful by having the collections all ready for our staff to pick up.” Tesco’s Head of Community Alec Brown congratulated colleagues at the Pontarddulais Superstore for helping to make the scheme such a success “Community Food Connection has gone from strength to strength over the past four years,” he said “We have rolled out the scheme to all of our 2,600-plus stores and the fact that our Pontarddulais store has now donated 100,000 meals-worth of food shows the difference the scheme can make “Their efforts mean that thousands of meals-worth of food that would otherwise have gone to waste have instead gone to help feed people through the amazing work of community groups and charities here in Pontarddulais “The success of the scheme has helped us to significantly reduce the food waste from our stores and we want to make sure even more of our food surplus goes to charity and community groups in the year ahead.” FareShare Chief Executive Lindsay Boswell also congratulated the store on donating so many meals through the scheme “Around a third of all the food that is grown in the world goes to waste so we are proud of our partnership with Tesco which has allowed us to divert thousands of tonnes of food to feed people rather than going to waste,” he said “At FareShare we work closely with some 7,000 groups that now receive surplus food from Tesco and our community coordinators see week-in week-out the difference that the surplus food is making in settings such as community centres groups helping the homeless and children’s breakfast clubs The Pontarddulais store is a great example of how the scheme can both tackle food waste and provide food to support the work of groups who are at the heart of their local community.” Sign up to receive our popular morning National email for free Pontarddulais Town have appointed Owain Thomas as their new first-team manager.  Owain Thomas is joining from Ceredigion League side Newcastle Emlyn, who have already appointed Gwynfor Evans as Thomas’ successor He is replacing outgoing boss Geraint Thomas and will lead Pontarddulais into the inaugural 2019/20 West Wales Premier League season Announcing the appointment on social media Pontarddulais Town said: “After a number of high quality applicants the club would like to welcome Owain Thomas as the new First Team manager “He takes the team into the new West Wales Premier League.” This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Pontarddulais - League 2 (West Wales) winners People born here think it’s great because it’s got everything they want God practiced first on Hendy and then he made the Bont!” So begins Max Boyce’s legendary 1975 LP “We All Had Doctors’ Papers” which remains the only comedy album to have topped the UK chart That opening was a nod to Boyce’s surroundings with the album being a live recording of a show at Pontarddulais RFC It also touched on the age-old rivalry between the west Wales club and their near neighbours Hendy RFC with the Bont having gained promotion to Division 1 West by winning the Division 2 West title “It’s about four or five years since we’ve been in the same division so it will be great to have those derbies back We should be looking at a very decent crowd.” Thomas said: “The last time we won a league was in 2006 the Black and Ambers also reached the final of the Silver Ball going down to a narrow 16-15 defeat to Morriston at Tata Steel “Our target at the start of the season was promotion so we have surpassed that really,” said Thomas “The majority of our first team squad – about 90 per cent of them – have come up through the junior and youth set-up while we have a coaching team of ex-players “There’s a good rugby environment been created Our second team won the Swansea and District Cup Thomas is now in his 23rd year as secretary and has been on the committee for more than three decades It’s a close-knit community and the club is a really important part of that It’s well used and the success of this season has made it even better.” 18 Jul 2019School name Pontarddulais Comprehensive School Local authority Swansea Rating Overall 64.33/100 Rank 25/207 Attainment Progress Attendance Finances What type of school is Pontarddulais Comprehensive School and what are the admission criteria How many children have been on the school roll in recent years Pupil characteristics - what percentage of pupils are in different groups and how does this compare to the national average Our unique rating system takes into account a range of different indicators to evaluate a school's performance Data may be missing for some indicators because it has not been published This may be because the school is new or because it is very small so data has been suppressed to avoid identifying individual pupils Schools do not lose points for missing data so will still fare better in the ranking than schools that underperform on that indicator but they cannot score as highly as schools that perform well on the indicator How Pontarddulais Comprehensive School scores in terms of stars for each indicator Estyn has given Pontarddulais Comprehensive School an overall performance rating of Excellent Estyn began a new inspection round in September 2017 so only some schools have been inspected using the new criteria Overview Estyn Year Standards Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Teaching and learning experiences Care Support and guidance Leadershipand management Web Link The National School Categorisation System was introduced in 2014 to replace Banding as a way of assessing schools. The system is based on a three-step process: Step 1: a range of performance information is used by the school to self-evaluate its capacity to improve in relation to teaching and learning. As of 2017, the Welsh Government no longer calculates or publishes standards groups. Step 2: an evaluation of the school's capacity to improve further, taking account of the evidence about the standards and the quality of leadership, teaching and learning, resulting in an improvement capacity. Step 3: using the information from earlier steps to decide on the school's support category, colour coded either green, yellow, amber or red. For 2017, Pontarddulais Comprehensive School has been placed in the Green support category. The Welsh Government no longer publishes scores or standards groups. How have pupils at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School done in their GCSEs and how does it compare to local authority and national averages? In 2018, the most recent results available, 69.7% of pupils at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School gained at least 5 A* to C grade GCSES including English/Welsh and Maths. Nationally 55.1% of pupils achieved this. What proportion of children get top marks, gaining at least five A* or A grades, or equivalents (figures are three year averages)? Schools are also rated based on their relative progress measure, which is calculated using the overall performance results for each of the last four years (the higher the score the better). The table below shows what percentage better or worse Pontarddulais Comprehensive School is doing over the past four years in terms of the proportion of pupils gaining 5 A* to C GCSEs including English/Welsh and Maths and the numbers gaining A* and A grades. How does the % of boys and girls at this school getting 5 A* to C GCSEs including English/Welsh and Maths compare to the national average? How do children who are eligible for free school meals do at GCSE level? The performance against Free School Meal (FSM) measure calculates the percentage better or worse a school performs compared to how it might be expected to based on the level of pupils who receive free school meals. Another measure is capped points score, based on pupils' performance in their best 8 exams. Schools are also assessed based on how much progress they have made in terms of their capped points score and the performance on this measure in comparision to expected performance given FSM levels. What is the pupil:teacher ratio at the school and how does it compare to local and national averages? In 2017/18, there were 18.1 pupils for each teacher at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School, while the national average was 16.5. What is the attendance rate at this school and how does it compare to the local and national averages? In 2017/18, pupils attended 94.5% of all half day sessions. Nationally, secondary school pupils attended 93.9% of sessions What is the total school budget per pupil compared to the local and national averages? How much has the school held in reserves in recent years? A first half hat trick from new signing Luke Jones secured opening day glory for Evans and Williams  Sean Howells and Kristian Brown also got on the scoresheet for the Albies Evans and Williams hosted Pontarddulais Town on an extremely hot evening in front of a crowd of 120 at Coleg Sir Gar in Llanelli where it was bound to be testing conditions for both sides It was a even start for both sides but Evans and Williams had the first chance after 4 minutes Kristian Brown did well and skipped past a few players The home side then created the next chance 5 minutes later which was delivered into the middle of the box and it was met by Ryan Foschi but the former Cwmamman defender headed the ball over the bar The away side then grew into the game and created their first chance A nicely timed through ball was played in behind the defence but the captain’s shot went wide of the post Dylan Ashford picked up the ball on the right-hand side and found Luke Jones whose header went in and gave the home side the lead After a quiet stage during the game the home side then doubled their lead with a fantastic free kick taken by Luke Jones just outside the area The influential midfielder got his second of the night on his league debut to give Evans and Williams a well-deserved 2-0 lead 3 minutes later the Albies struck again with a fantastic solo goal by Sean Howells The tricky winger picked up the ball in his own half he then took on 3 defenders and skipped past them nicely and slotted the ball into the net to make it 3-0 to the Llanelli based side The fourth goal then came on the 42nd minute That found Luke Jones in the middle of the area the midfielder received the ball and managed to get his shot off The ball bobbled into the net to give the home side a 4-0 advantage in a dominant first half display the home side made it 5 with a nicely delivered cross yet again The ball found Kristian Brown who picked up the ball and finished it with confidence and the home side were now in dreamland The away side had the first decent chance of the second half They won a free kick just outside the area Craig Frater struck the ball with some venom which creeped over the wall Another big chance then fell for Pontarddulais on the 67th minute Joel Beynon took the ball around the goalkeeper but it was cleared off the line and the home side kept the score at 5-0 The away side we’re adamant it came off the hand Pontarddulais improved in the second half but couldn’t find an end product meaning Evans and Williams claimed an impressive opening day victory in front of their home fans in sunny Llanelli 13 Steffan Vincent (Ben Edwards-Bowler 71)