SPORTS REVIEW OF 2010 - SUMMER LEAGUE
A LAST-gasp free kick from Owain Roberts proved to be the fitting moment to ensure Cefn were the 2010 Summer League top dogs.
Cefn travelled to second-placed Clawddnewydd on June 28 knowing that a win would hand them their first Summer League crown since 1996.
On the other hand, a win for Mark Lewis’ Clawddnewydd would have moved them to within a single point of Cefn with just one game left to play.
Things did look good for Clawdd on a windswept and rainy night when Jordan MacCarter gave the hosts a first-half lead.
But a colossal second-half display from Owain Roberts saw him haul Cefn level soon after the restart and when the visitors were awarded a free kick some 25 yards out just two minutes from time, Roberts rifled it into the top corner to seal the championship.
To all intents and purposes, the 2010 title race looked like it was going to go right to the wire.
At the halfway point of the season Clawddnewydd led Cefn and Nantglyn by a point, while Llandyrnog and Henllan were also in the mix to push for honours.
The key to the title was the fact Cefn didn’t lose after their 4-2 home loss to Clawddnewydd on May 20 - and they ended the summer in scintillating form courtesy of a 12-match unbeaten run, which included winning nine matches on the trot.
Trefnant ended a troubled league campaign in last place for the third time in five seasons, but when it came to Shield time, they were a completely different proposition.
Pete Featham’s charges edged out Llangynhafal 2-1 in the first round and then stunned the rest of the league with a deserved 2-1 semi-final success over double-chasing Cefn.
That secured a Friday night final meeting with a Llanrhaeadr side that was scoring for fun in the Shield.
They bagged 17 goals in four ties on their way to the final, including a 5-0 win at Rhewl in a first round replay and a 5-1 semi-final defeat of Caerwys.
While Trefnant had what looked to be their strongest side available for the final, Llanrhaeadr were missing a number of key players.
It was Trefnant who were on top for the majority of the final and goals from Jordan Owen and Duncan Midgley did the trick for a 2-0 scoreline - sealing Trefnant’s third North Wales Times Shield triumph in the space of eight years.
On the individual front, Llanrhaeadr’s Ian Evans topped the scoring charts with 28 goals, two ahead of Cefn hotshot Edward Davies.
Also into double figures for the season were Henllan’s Alex Ballard (19), Llandyrnog’s Josh Davies (16), Nantglyn’s Osian Jones and Geraint Jones (15), Cefn duo Jake Walker (14) and Dewi Jones (13), Llanrhaeadr’s Gareth Roberts (13), Henllan’s Gary Madoc-Jones (12), Ysceifiog top scorer Tim Hughes (12), Rhewl Summer League veteran Ian Williams (12), Owain Roberts (11), Nantglyn’s Gareth Lewis (11), Trefnant top goal-grabber Gaz John Williams (11) and Clawddnewydd hotshot Jordan MacCarter (10).