The ideal sporting weekend

I thought it would be a shame if the weekend went unrecorded here.

First, it was to Cardiff City Stadium to watch Newcastle’s 2-1 win over the Bluebirds:

Before kick off of Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over Cardiff City

 

Then, the Cardiff Half Marathon:

Colin Jackson and me

 

Great weekend. Plenty of sport, third @cardiffhalf completed and a curry to top it off. @huwsilk @Peter_M_Gray pic.twitter.com/58hoQ9A5tK

— Alex Bywater (@_AlexBywater) October 6, 2013

Followed by cut-price entry to the Blues’ 29-12 Pro 12 win over Edinburgh:

Cardiff Blues 29-12 Edinburgh

 

Wrapped up by watching a thrilling, epic win for my Denver Broncos in the NFL:

 

5-0. pic.twitter.com/zJ8q4Au2vG

— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) October 6, 2013

Cardiff 11-16 Ebbw Vale

I was delighted Ebbw Vale triumphed in their Swalec Cup clash with Cardiff at the Arms Park on Saturday. The Steelmen came back from 11-3 down at the half – what a win!

However, as Wales Online’s report of the game misspells the name of one of the Ebbw players, I have to direct you to the report by the excellent Alex Bywater instead.

It’s actually Ronny Kynes

Cardiff Blues make permanent return to Arms Park

Cardiff Arms Park playing host to a Swalec Cup semi-final earlier this season

Good, if unsurprising, news was announced today by the Cardiff Blues as the regional side revealed it will make a permanent return to the Arms Park next season.

In sharp contrast to the international game, regional rugby in Wales is currently in dire straits. A player exodus has hindered any attempt to bounce back after a season in which only one Welsh side made it to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, where the Blues were thrashed 34-3 by Irish province Leinster in April (incidentally, in front of more than 50,000 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin).

The Blues’ home matches at Cardiff City Stadium – like with the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea – were played out in front of dire crowds, conveying a depressing sense that the Welsh public were simply disinterested in regional sides, which are often seen (usually justifiably) as soulless and artificially created.