PWLLHELI moved up to fifth spot in the Ardal North West table with a hard-fought 4-2 win on their travels to Hawarden Rangers.

After a goalless first in difficult conditions at the Gladstone Playing Fields, the match sprung into life in the second stanza with the result in doubt until the final seconds.

The hosts’ Rhys Hewitt finally broke the deadlock just after the hour but Pwllheli hit back in style with a three-goal salvo in five breathtaking minutes to take the game by the scruff of its neck.

Pwllheli’s man of the match against Hawarden was their captain Gwyn Williams
Pwllheli’s man of the match against Hawarden was their captain Gwyn Williams (CPD Pwllheli)

Josua Jones equalised on 74 minutes, quickly followed by a Steffan Toplis strike to take his league tally to nine for the season, before Jones bagged his brace with Pwllheli rampant at that stage.

Iwan Jones pulled one back for Hawarden in the third minute of stoppage time to suggest that they could take something from the game but Ashley Ainsworth put a stop to that notion with Pwllheli’s fourth and decisive goal of the afternoon.

It was honours even in the other match played as Llay Welfare were held to a 1-1 draw at Saltney Town.

Defender Dean Bryan gave the visitors the edge in the first half before George Davies secured a point for Saltney on 50 minutes.

• Pwllheli have congratulated Darren Mawson after he was offered a place on the FAW / UEFA A and Elite Youth A Licence course.

The club has also purchased a new tractor with extra equipment to take care of the Rec pitch.

The new tractor and equipment which is keeping the Rec pitch in good nick
The new tractor and equipment which is keeping the Rec pitch in good nick (CPD Pwllheli)

The club invested in reseeding the field properly over the summer and it has held up well in difficult conditions over the winter months, but now it must be maintained and preserved. Although the Rec’s sandy ground drains brilliantly, if it is not rolled properly in the winter it tends to become holey in the summer, meaning that the ball cannot be passed smoothly. The club has had an old two-foot roller to use until now.

Many volunteers spend hours tending the field - rolling, painting lines, turfing, watering - but without dedicated equipment the labor does not make a lasting difference.

Thanks to a grant of almost £17k from the Fit-for-Future CBD Cymru fund, and an additional 20% contribution from the club, they managed to buy a tractor with a special engine. The Quadraplay on the back spikes, rakes and rolls the pitch to fix it after the games, and even brushes it to get it looking good.

The field is now worth seeing and a source of pride. The tractor will also mean that more youth teams from the club, and the school, can use the Rec without damaging the land.