Geraint Thomas ought to be on the podium at the end of this year’s Tour de France, but it will be Team Sky who decide on which step he will be standing. That is the view of Welsh professional cyclist Gruff Lewis, who will be part of the Seiclo commentary team bringing live coverage and highlights from every day of this year’s Tour on S4C, starting on Saturday 7 July.

There were plenty of medals for Welsh athletes at the British Championships in Birmingham last weekend, but there was more success to shout about at the European Mountain Running Championships. Bronwen Jenkinson (12th) was the second British athlete home in the senior women’s race in Skopje, Macedonia, to help steer her team to a bronze medal behind France and the Czech Republic. Fellow Welsh athlete Heidi Davies was the fourth and final runner home in 35th.

Gareth Furlong’s red-hot goal streak continued in the end as he hammered home four more to earn Wales a 9-0 final round victory over host nation Croatia to guarantee promotion to Hockey Open Series 2 next year. The only blip during a near perfect week for Furlong and his team mates was a 3-0 defeat to Austria, the only team ranked higher than them in the World Rankings, and their top-two finish means they will move up another level to give themselves the perfect build-up to their EuroHockey Championship campaign in Belgium next year.

The Worcestershire Black Knights watched video footage of their heavy home defeat to the South Wales Warriors and then acted out a repeat performance in Llanharan. The Warriors returned from Worcester with a 0-48 victory a fortnight ago and achieved the exact same score in this return fixture, running in six touchdowns to maintain their perfect start to the season. Black Knights defensive coordinator Alex Grimsley, in charge due to head coach Rich Smith being unwell, felt his team had been better prepared for the division leaders who, in June, steamrolled their way through the visitors. 

As Wimbledon gets underway, one thing is certain there will be few headlines written by Welsh players over the coming two weeks. But, as Rob Cole reveals, there has been Welsh success in the past on those famous grass courts – though some of the links are tenuous. 

Former 400m hurdle world champion Dai Greene turned back the clock following a series of injuries to claim his first British title in four years at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium. The Swansea Harrier produced a brilliant performance to surge to a hugely popular win in 50.06 seconds ahead of Jack Green and Seb Rodger.

There was a Welsh one-two in the National Women’s Road Race Championships as Jess Roberts just edged out her Gold Coast Team Wales colleague Dani Rowe in a thrilling finish in Stamfordham, Northumberland. Roberts attacked late on to finish just 1.5 seconds ahead of Olympic track gold medallist Rowe to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Nicole Cooke (1999 and 2001-09) and Megan Hughes (1998) as Welsh winners of the race.

Torfaen Tigers drew level with Valley Cougars at the top of the Welsh Premier League table after earning a hard-fought win against Rhondda Outlaws. Despite it being just a two-try victory for the away side, the game was really a lot closer. Torfaen, who were 18-10 up at half-time, capitalised on a number of Outlaws’ errors for their tries.

Pole vaulter Sally Peake won a bronze medal at the Muller British Athletics Championships on Saturday and promptly announced it would probably be the last time she competes at the Alexander Stadium event. Peake, who won a silver medal for Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, made the announcement shortly after clearing 4.15m to finish third behind Holly Bradshaw and Sophie Cook.

Cardiff steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas booked a place at his third major athletics championship in the space of a year by finishing second at the Muller British Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Thomas, who competed at the World Athletics Championships in London last summer and the Commonwealth Games in April, is now on his way to the European Athletics Championships in August.

Brett Morse regained his British Championship discus title – then set his sights on European Championships qualifying. The Cardiff AAC thrower claimed his fourth national crown with a winning throw of 58.90metres at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

Investment banker Rupert Kellock enjoyed his first big win by picking up the Welsh Open Seniors title in Pennard. Nigel Evans, from St Mellons just outside Cardiff, was one of three runners-up, four shots behind, and also won the over 60’s category. Sunningdale member Kellock, aged 57, bounced back from a triple bogey on the third to be the only player under par on the hard and bouncy links course near Swansea.

Wales squad golfer Archie Davies enjoyed the best win of his career so far with victory at the Irish Boys Championship in Belfast. The 17-year-old, from Carlisle, overcame a two-stroke deficit to win at Belvoir Park with a closing round of 69, after going into the final round trailing Theo Boulet from France.

Wales under 19 head coach Anthony Walker has selected his 21-man squad that will compete in the European Championships in Serbia this August. The Welsh side recently held an extensive two-day camp at Wales Rugby League’s official training base at Deeside Leisure Centre where the final squad was confirmed from a 30-man training squad.

Neil Etheridge, the goalkeeper who played a crucial role in Cardiff City’s promotion to the Premier League, has signed up for a head-to-head battle with Alex Smithies. The two goalies will fight it out for the Bluebirds’ starting place during pre-season after Etheridge signed a new contract. New signing Smithies, 28, has joined City from […]

Countdown to the new Ice Hockey season – Cardiff Devils first match is 44 days away Captain Jake Morissette and Sean Bentivoglio are the latest Cardiff Devils forwards returning for the 2018-19 ice hockey season. Head coach Andrew Lord has now confirmed 11 players in his quest to recruit a team to win a third […]

The wounded Worcestershire Black Knights will be looking to settle some scores when they face a South Wales Warriors team that ran up nearly half a century of points against them a fortnight ago.  The Warriors top Division Two South West of the British American Football Association (BAFA) league with a perfect 4-0 record but the Knights will be the first team they face for a second time.  Worcestershire, on home turf, were put to the sword by the Warriors, who came away from the midlands with a 0-48 victory, and the Welsh side followed that with an emphatic 62-0 win over the Cornish Sharks, at Llanharan, last Sunday. 

Luke Hawker is demanding a final flourish from his Welsh team when they end the Hockey Open Series tournament against host nation Croatia in Zagreb on Saturday. Co-captain Hawker’s side bounced back from their 3-0 defeat to Austria with a crushing 7-1 victory over an experimental Swiss side to put themselves within one win of joining the Austrians in clinching a top-two finish and an invite to the Open Series Round 2 next summer.

Angel Rangel has told Swansea City they made a major error in moving Alan Curtis away from a coaching role at the club. Club legend Curtis has been reinstated as a coach with the first team by new manager Graham Potter, who has also brought in Bjorn Hamburg as an assistant from former club Ostersund […]

Geraint Thomas produced a stunning display to claim his first National Time Trial title in Northumberland. The Cardiff-born rider proved he is right in form for the Tour de France as he followed up his victory at the recent Criterium du Dauphine.