North Wales college nets sporting success in different fields

COLEG CAMBRIA is powering to sporting glory in different fields.

The north east Wales institution emerged victorious in numerous disciplines over past weeks after a successful year.

The netball squad were again named Welsh College Champions after a 10-8 win over Coleg Gwent in a closely contested final in Cardiff.

They will now go on to represent Wales at the national Association of Colleges (AoC) championships in Nottingham.

The men’s Under 19s football team navigated the first round of the AoC Knockout Cup, beating Grwp Llandrillo Menai 4-0, and are contesting the Welsh College Championships in Cardiff.

Their female counterparts reached the knockout stages of the same competition and started their North West Women’s Football Regional League (South) campaign with a shutout against Wigan and Leigh College.

The Ladies side is also flying high in the AoC Cup and confident of continuing their unbeaten start to the season.

Meanwhile, students are representing the country in clay pigeon shooting, downhill mountain biking and Llysfasi learner Sion Owen broke two national records on his way to gold at the Welsh Powerlifting Regional Championships.

Sally Jones, Curriculum Director for Sport, Uniformed Public Services, Business and Elite Sport, said the positive attitude of their teams – in the face of challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic – is testament to their commitment and talent.

“Our Elite Sport programme is growing all the time, and the standard of performance continues to rise,” she said.

“For the netball squad to retain the Welsh title was an amazing achievement and they will I’m sure perform well at the UK tournament, where they will have a strong chance of winning.

“Across the board we are working to constantly raise the bar, academically and through sport; I’m proud of how far we’ve come in the last few years, especially during the pandemic.

“We are in a great position and that is down to our fantastic lecturers and coaches, as well as the learners, who have been brilliant throughout.”

Earlier this year, Cambria entered a men’s basketball team into the Welsh College Championships for the first time, and a men’s volleyball side will be competing at next year’s event.

And across all sites, Rugby Hub Officer Jess Hughes is developing the men’s and women’s game in collaboration with the WRU (Welsh Rugby Union) and the local community, with games played on a revamped pitch at Llysfasi.

“We are constantly looking to expand our sporting provision in line with the courses we deliver, so it’s an exciting time to be joining these programmes,” added Sally.

For more information on Elite Sport at Coleg Cambria, visit www.cambria.ac.uk/cambria-life/elite-sport