I’m back

Apologies for the break in transmission, I’ve been away on a long weekend with the lads to Krakow. The combination of cheap beer & Dai pushing the pace meant that a monumental hangover was inevitable. More on the trip in due course, but here’s a sneak photo preview.

So that means no 6 Nations review this week – which is probably just as well for all concerned.

Get ready to vote

The third elections for the National Assembly for Wales are due to be held on Thursday 3 May 2007. If you’re not registered to vote or need to arrange a postal vote (if say, for example, you are away on honeymoon that day), then you need to get yourself organised. The website to help is About My Vote.

Rugby Notes

Things are starting to go pear-shaped for Ebbw Vale. They went down 27-22 to Alex Powell and the other 14 Cardiff players on Wednesday night.

With just 4 games left, Ebbw holds a 4 point lead over Pontypridd. But they have 2 games in hand. So our fate is no longer in our own hands. We need some favourable results elsewhere, as well as winning our own games, if we are to win the Principality Welsh Premiership. Need to cheer on Bedwas and Llanelli tonight.

Ebbw didn’t show well on Wednesday in a game where the better play all came from the Blues 2nds. International Alex Powell was everywhere and their half backs dominated. Ebbw had only an interception try from Simon Hunt and two tries late on when Powell was sin-binned to show for their efforts. It would have been robbery if we’d pinched the game at the death, but hey, we’ve been robbed in the past.

Scorers: Tries for Simon Hunt, Craig Blunsden and a penalty try. One conversion and a penalty for Sam Mills, and a conversion for Dai Langdon.

Highlights: Ebbw stuck at it and came back into the game late on. Kristian Owen had his best game of the season and MacLaughlan looked dangerous every time he had the ball.

Lowlights: Matt Griffin dislocated his ankle at a line out in the first five minutes. Looks like he will be out for the rest of the season. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

WRU promotion criteria

The news has dribbled out from the WRU that one Premiership club has failed to pass the minimum standard of facilities set by the WRU. Bedwas have failed the assessment and are now favourites to be relegated at the end of the season.

However, it appears that they will only be relegated if a first division club finishes in a promotion spot and passes this assessment, and allegedly only four have passed: Carmarthen Quins and Narberth in the West and Newbridge and Pontypool in the East. So it may be no change at the end of the season.

New coach for Ebbw

The Ebbw Vale RFC website gives details of the new coach for next season. Patrick Horgan, an assistant this year, will take over from Alex Codling. The assistant coach role will be filled by Will Thomas, who returns to Ebbw Vale after a 3 year spell at Cross Keys.

Link of the Week

George Lange is a famous US photographer, and this video flipbook has a great collection of cool photos. Well worth 5 minutes of your time.

Famous Veale

Bob Veale was a pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox in the 1960s and early 1970s. Here are his stats.

With Pittsburgh he won the World Series in 1971, and the same year was part of the first all-black Major League Baseball line-up.

Brynmawr radio

OK, it’s a niche, but Brynmawr radio is going back on the airwaves 24/7. BRfm has got a licence to broadcast to Brynmawr and north Gwent, and it’s even available online. Here’s the link