Sport in Welshpool has come under the microscope once again after Welshpool Rugby Club suffered point-deductions for not fulfilling two recent fixtures, in the same season as the town’s football club suffered the same fate.
The deductions have condemned both clubs to relegation from their respective leagues and will leave them with a summer of soul searching.
Alarm bells for Welshpool sport were ringing out at the end of last summer when Welshpool Cricket Club held what was deemed at the time as its most important emergency meeting ever following a summer struggle for that club too. It has since got back on its feet with a renewed enthusiasm and the town will hold its breath to see if the other sports can pull through as well.
“There’s no denying that it's been a bad season for the 1st XV,” said rugby club spokesperson Barry Williams. “Whilst there's no chance of us staying in Division 2, we're going to try and fulfil all our fixtures, though we've only got until May 14 to play them and are suffering a lot of injuries, including several who still turn out every game.”
Despite their problems, the club managed to raise a side on Saturday to draw 29-29 with Bangor and has sent a defiant message to the doom-mongers who are ringing the club’s death knell.
“We're looking at next season as a new beginning for the club at a level we're going to be able to compete at in the short term. We are also going to be looking to the long term as other clubs in the area did 10 years ago whilst our committee rested on their laurels.
“The club is not defined by the results of one side but, unfortunately, no-one ever wants to talk about how well our youth team have done this year, or how much our Under 8s have progressed since last September, or how many Under 11s we have training each week. There's going to be new junior sides, our women's side are hoping to get a few games and we're going to try to really reach out to the community and attract new people to the club through social events and the like.
“It may be a few years before we're back in Division 2, but I think we'll be a stronger club for it in the long run and we'll have the structure in place to really compete with the best in North Wales, it’ll just take a bit of time.”
The town’s football club has been in dire straits. It has had four managers in 12 months and its point-deductions virtually relegated the club by Christmas. However current boss Chris Herbert has delivered a timely boost by deciding to stay on for next season (see sports).
Recently the club conceded its financial affairs are a mess but club secretary Liam Pritchard said fruitful discussions have been held with Technogroup who have confirmed that outstanding sponsorship dues will be p.
He said: “Technogroup have been a great supporter and partner of the football club for a number of years now and, for us, there was never any suggestion that the money would not be forthcoming. A proportion of the promised cash was delayed but the football club appreciate that these are very difficult financial times for all companies across the world and we have always been confident that it was a case of when, not if the settlement would take place.”
The cricket club launches its new season on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Welshpool Rugby Club holds its presentation night at the club on Thursday evening. Tickets are priced £7 (£5 for youth) with food, cheap beer and presentations to the senior and youth teams.