Glamorgan director of cricket Mark Wallace believes his players have been given extra motivation ahead of next season by the prospect of winning a County Championship title. Even though the Welsh county have been firmly rooted in Division Two for the past 15 years, a revamp in the tournament structure next summer has given all 18 counties a route to the top prize. The new fixture list, announced today, reflects uncertainty at what restrictions will be in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. So, in 2021 the counties have been initially split into three seeded conferences of six, playing each side within their group home and away.

Neil Harris believes Cardiff City’s dramatic comeback win over Birmingham City can be a turning point in their push for promotion. The Bluebirds trailed 2-1 on Wednesday night, but rallied with goals from Harry Wilson and Sean Morrison to seal a 3-2 victory. It means having appeared likely to suffer back-to-back home defeats following the derby loss to Swansea City, Harris’ team are now just three points outside the play-off places.

Steve Cooper has told his players to take defeat on the chin and not look for any excuses after they lost for the fourth time this season. The Swans head coach was downcast after a demoralising 2-0 defeat at Derby County, a team that had not won at home all season, are still in the relegation zone, and had not managed more than a single goal in any game this season. But they were far too good for Swansea on the night as Cooper’s team followed up their derby day victory at Cardiff City last Saturday with their poorest display of the Championship campaign.

Joel Makin saw his Black Ball Squash hopes ended with a quarter-final defeat to Egypt’s Tarek Momen after a lung-busting third game in Cairo. The Haverfordwest-born player had beaten the reigning world champion three times in their last four meetings.

Gareth Davies has backed Wayne Pivac to turn things around with Wales and says the evidence for his optimism lies in the coach’s impact with the Scarlets. The Wales scrum half, fresh from another superb try to cap his 200th appearance for the Scarlets at Bath in the Heineken Champions Cup last weekend, has admitted Pivac’s men weren’t where they wanted to be when they gathered for the autumn internationals. Wales lost their first three games, to France, Scotland and Ireland, beat Georgia and then went down to England. They won their final game but didn’t really manage to finish with the anticipated flourish against Italy.

Wales will have two events on the revamped 2021 British Rally Championship calendar. The Nicky Grist stages – centred around the fast and flowing stages of mid-wales returns to the schedule for the first time since 2017 next July.

Elfyn Evans will not be able to repeat his historic victory on Rally Sweden as COVID-19 begins to wreak havoc on next year’s World Rally Championship calendar. The event, scheduled to be the second round of the season on 11-14 February centred around Varmland,has fallen victim to the on-going coronavirus crisis.

Battling Newport County still have a two-point lead at the top of League Two thanks to Morrison’s sandwiches and the team’s unquenchable appetite. Manager Michael Flynn revealed his team had a nightmare trip to Salford City – with motorway delays forcing hastily changed pre-match meal plans – before they snatched a 1-1 draw late on thanks to a penalty from Josh Sheehan. Salford had taken the lead just before half time through Tom Clarke, but County dug in and were rewarded when Sheehan scored from the spot in the 94th minute after Di’Shon Bernard brought down veteran Newport forward Kevin Ellison.

Swansea City’s mean machine defensive system will be looking to shut-out Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side and make it 11 Championship clean-sheets tonight. The 2-0 south Wales derby win at Cardiff City Stadium last weekend made head coach Steve Cooper’s Swansea side the best defensive unit in the Football League system and helped them to hang on the coat tails of the top two as the promotion race hots up. “You can put positive or negative records in front of me, but I just want to make sure we keep going and get ready for the next game,” said Cooper.

Joel Makin staged a battling comeback to reach the quarter-finals of the Black Ball Open in Cairo after an 80-minute battle. The 26-year-old from Haverfordwest came from two games to one down over England’s James Willstrop to triumph 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9)

Kieffer Moore has dealt Cardiff City a major blow after being ruled out until the New Year with a torn hamstring. The striker – who has netted eight goals for the Bluebirds since his summer move from Wigan – suffered the injury in the derby defeat to Swansea City after attempting to score with a back-heel.

The PING Welsh Junior Tour will return in 2021, looking to build on the growth of 2019 before the event was understandably interrupted this year. With the Coronavirus pandemic forcing cancellation in 2020, it will also return to the same format as 2019 which saw increased entries across the board.

Wales rugby star Jonathan Davies was a winner, while Evan Williams landed a double at the Welsh Horse Racing Awards, arranged by Chepstow, Ffos Las and Bangor Racecourses . Davies and All Stars Sports Racing won the National Hunt Owners’ award as owners of Coral Welsh Grand National winner Potters Corner – the first winner of the race owned and trained in Wales since 1965. Williams was named National Hunt Trainer of the Year for 2020, while stable jockey Adam Wedge was chosen as Jump Jockey of the Year, having won the first two Grade 1 races of his career, including the Stayers’ Hurdle on Lisnagar Oscar.

The Ospreys are ready to sign Wales prop Tomas Francis from Exeter, who look unlikely to be able to offer him a club and country base next season. Francis has often pledged his loyalty to the Chiefs, who are the current European champions and have become the strongest side in England following Saracens’ demise. Only last season, he said: “It would be a terribly difficult decision to leave Exeter, one I do not want to have to make.

Swansea City’s Steve Cooper has revealed that Gerard Houllier played a big part in his rise from novice coach to future age group World Cup winner and Championship boss. In adding his own tribute to the former Liverpool manager, who died at the age of 73 on Monday, former England U17s chief Cooper recalled the help he had given him when Houllier was managing at Lyon. “He was very good to me when I did my pro licence. I spent a week at Lyon when he was manager there,” said Cooper.

Wayne Pivac insists there is still plenty to get excited about over Wales’ World Cup draw – including the prospect of Alun Wyn Jones still being at the 2023 tournament at the age of 38. The pool draw for France 2023 has once again seen Wales grouped alongside Australia and Fiji. It is the third successive World Cup for that to happen, while Wales’ pool will be completed by qualifiers from Europe – potentially Georgia – and the winner of a four-team final qualification tournament involving sides from Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia/Pacific.

Welsh golfers of all abilities will finally be able to play in the first ever Wales Golf Festival, which is to go ahead in 2021 after having to be cancelled this year. The three day inaugural event will be held at Parc Golf Club between Cardiff and Newport on June 18-20, with events for disability players, club teams, people new to golf and juniors.

Joel Makin set-up a second-round clash with James Willstrop after winning a tough opening match at the CIB Black Ball Open in Cairo. The Haverfordwest-born player triumphed 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-2) over Spain’s former world No 5 Borja Golan.

The Welsh regions believe they require a £40m injection of cash to keep them from collapsing during the current pandemic. That figure is double the amount the four have so far been promised in the form of a loan, secured by the Welsh Rugby Union but for which the regions themselves are liable. Last week, the chief executive of Cardiff Blues, Richard Holland, led the call for Welsh Government support and now one of the most respected figures in the game, Ospreys chairman and current Professional Rugby Board (PRB) member Rob Davies, has demanded a “fair and proportionate share of state funding” to help keep the professional game afloat. 

Jamal Lowe believes hard graft will bring the goals that can fire Swansea City towards promotion. The Swans striker had only scored twice in 18 matches before he doubled that tally in the derby against Cardiff City at the weekend, where the Swans won 2-0. Now, he aims to prove that hard work brings reward as the Swans bid to go one better than last season’s play-off campaign and target a top two finish and automatic promotion.