By Tom Prosser Newport County boss Michael Flynn believes his side will see benefits both on and off the pitch due to the new Friday evening initiative which sees the Exiles travel to Harrogate this evening. In the coming months, County will see a further three away games moved from the traditional Saturday afternoon slot. This idea is based around saving League Two clubs from having to pay for hotels as they now have the full day to travel to their away fixtures.

By Carl Field Some of Britain’s biggest names in men’s artistic gymnastics will descend on Cardiff this weekend to compete in the 2021 Men’s British Championships. Rio 2016 Olympian Brinn Bevan (South Essex) headlines the Welsh contingent looking to make their mark on this year’s championships, which are being staged at the Sport Wales National Centre at Sophia Gardens over Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September. It also doubles up as a trial event for October’s World Artistic Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.

There was no Bale-out this time for Wales, but the captain still insists believes World Cup qualification is achievable even though front door entry to the tournament now looks highly unlikely. After being held at home, 0-0, by Estonia on Wednesday – an outcome Gareth Bale himself had flagged up as a possibility if his team were not spot on – Wales lost ground in the race for automatic qualification as Group E leaders Belgium were beating Belarus 1-0 in Kazan. Belgium are now nine points clear of Wales, who have two games in hand and are more likely involved in a battle for second place with the Czech Republic.

By Paul Jones Wales manager Gemma Grainger has given a first call-up to Leicester’s Hannah Cain ahead of their opening World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Estonia. Grainger has a full-strength squad available and will be hoping the proven experience of Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle, Natasha Harding and Helen Ward will help to fire Wales to victory as they begin their quest to reach the World Cup. Cain, who is 22-years old, will be a fresh face in the senior squad, having last been involved in the Cymru setup in 2014 when she scored twice against Northern Ireland for the U17s.

Aberdare duo Mia Bernardo and Emily James gave a glimpse of what they might achieve on a European stage when they struck gold at the Aerobic British Championships in Guildford. The talented Welsh pair, back competing across what were two action-packed days at Surrey Sports Park last weekend, were part of a five-strong group in the senior group competition, winning with a score of 18.894. Along with Bernardo (Phoenix Dance & Gymnastics) and James (Bulmershe/Phoenix), the wining group also included Niamh Keane (Bulmershe) and Basingstoke pair Keleigh-Anne Blakey and Elizabeth Marais.

By Paul Jones Glamorgan captain Chris Cooke says they haven’t become a bad team overnight after their heavy defeat to Durham in the County Championship. Durham wrapped up an innings and 42-run victory, requiring only 10 overs to take the final three Glamorgan wickets on the final day at Emirates Riverside.

Aled Davies is not a man for looking in the rear view mirror which is why the road to Paris is his focus as he returns from Tokyo as one of four Welsh gold medalists from the Paralympics. Davies retained his Paralympic title in the men’s F63 shot put to join the likes of Tanni Grey-Thompson and David Roberts as Welsh athletes who have brought gold home for Great Britain at three or more Games. The Bridgend thrower was one of 21 Welsh competitors in Japan, who picked up a total of 14 medals for Team GB.

By Paul Jones Newport County AFC is rolling back the years with the launch of a Goldie Lookin’ Chain-inspired third shirt. Way back in the 2004/05 season, we teamed up with the legendary hometown group to produce one of the most iconic and collectable football jerseys of all time. The Exiles and Goldie Lookin’ Chain want to celebrate Newport’s unique heritage and culture.

Gareth Bale has warned his Wales teammates not to risk their World Cup qualification bid by taking Estonia lightly on Wednesday night. The Wales captain insists his team are focused on upsetting Belgium and winning their qualifying group. Belgium, the world’s number one ranked team, lead the way in Group E with 13 points from five games and have so far scored 20 goals in qualification.

By Paul Jones Dan James’ Euro 2020 experience has made him all the more determined to fire Wales to next years World Cup in Qatar.  Gareth Bale’s dramatic stoppage-time hat-trick goal sealed a thrilling 3-2 qualifying win over Belarus in Kazan on Sunday, keeping hopes of Qatar 2022 qualification on track. Robert Page’s side will move second if they beat the so far pointless Estonia in Cardiff on Wednesday.

By Rob Carbon  Oh brother, have Wales got a few problems to solve when the All Blacks arrive in the Welsh capital to kick-off the autumn series at the end of next month. As if it wasn’t tough enough contending with the Barretts – Beauden, Scott and Jordi – in the recent past, now Wayne Pivac’s men will have to find a way to stop the Ioanes. A 38-21 win over Australia at the weekend made it a clean-sweep for New Zealand in the three-match Bledisloe Cup series and took them a point clear of reigning world champions South Africa two games into the Rugby Championship.

By Owen Morgan Two of Wales’ most talented young sprinters want more of life in the fast lane after competing at major championships this summer. Joe Brier’s experiences at the Tokyo Olympics and Jeremiah’s Azu’s European Under-23 gold medal winning performance in Estonia have whetted the appetite for even more success on the world stage next summer. And what a sizzling summer it promises to be with Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships and European Championships all taking place within the space of a few short weeks.

Wales will reap the rewards of an elite triathlon programme in Cardiff – and a sport very much on the up – by the time next year’s Commonwealth Games comes around. That’s the firm conviction of Louis Richards, Welsh Triathlon’s head of performance, who believes a feelgood factor after the Tokyo Olympics can inspire a new generation to follow in the footsteps of Non Stanford and Helen Jenkins. Great Britain won gold in the mixed relay event in Japan in July, plus individual silvers in the men’s and women’s events for Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown.

By Steffan Thomas Last March Ethan Lewis found himself surplus to requirements at Cardiff Rugby with his future as a professional rugby player in doubt.  But fortune favours the brave and after a successful loan spell at Saracens the 27-year-old hooker finds himself as a key cog in the English club’s shot at redemption. Having starred for Wales at under 20s level the Treorchy product didn’t get the opportunities he deserved in the Welsh capital, but he is relishing his second opportunity at Saracens. 

By Paul Jones  Former Swansea City manager Roberto Martinez claimed his Belgium side did everything expected of them as they opened up a six-point lead – and moved seven clear of Wales – at the top of World Cup qualifying Group E.  Romelu Lukaku marked his 100th international with an early goal which sparked a 3-0 win against the Czech Republic in Brussels.  The victory moved the Belgians on to 13 points from five games, six points clear of the Czech Republic, who have played the same number of matches, and seven clear of Wales who have two games in hand. 

By Tom Prosser Welsh Darts star Gerwyn Price is delighted to have made history on Sunday as he became the first person ever to win the Hungarian Darts Trophy. World number one Price beat Michael Smith 8-2 in the final to claim the £25,000 first prize. With coronavirus restrictions making travel across Europe difficult, this was the first European Tour event in 10 months.

Aled Davies has soaked up the glory of his third Paralympic gold medal and insists he is ready to go for number four in Paris in 2024. Wales’ greatest male Paralympian is already relishing the idea of defending his title after he won his F63 shot put event in the torrential rain of Tokyo on the final weekend of the Games. The 30-year-old, who also claimed a discus win at London 2012, topped the podium for Great Britain at the Olympic Stadium after triumphing with a throw of 15.33 metres.

Gareth Bale praised Wales for overcoming a stack of awkward hurdles on their way to a vital 3-2 comeback victory in their World Cup qualification tie against Belarus. Bale ended his two-year Wales scoring drought as his hat-trick secured a thrilling win in Kazan. The Real Madrid star had not added to his record 33 goals since scoring against Croatia in October 2019 – a run of 16 games. He’s now been involved in all five of Wales’ goals in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup (three goals, two assists).

David Moffett has slammed the current state of World Rugby labelling the game “as boring as bat shit,” a “dog’s dinner” and believes private equity will seize control of the global game from the national unions. Moffett was one of world rugby’s most experienced administrators having been chief executive at the WRU, NZRU, the NRL and head of Sport England. He was the man who cobbled together the regional structure in Wales in 2003, left in 2005, came back briefly in 2014, and then co-wrote a new set of rules for the game last year.

Gareth Bale insists he will play for Wales and Real Madrid until next summer – and that any further in the future is not worth discussing. Bale spent the end of last season and Wales’ Euro 2020 campaign refusing to go into detail on both his club future and suggestions he was poised to quit international football. But on the eve of a crucial World Cup qualifier with Belarus, the 32-year-old put his cards on the table.