Swansea were holding on in the final minutes having let a 3-1 lead slip as Cardiff took the score back to 3-3 before Noonan’s tremendous strike.

Head of Intramural and duly appointed coach for the Swansea select 11, Laurence Hodgkins, said: “We went out there to win the game and after going 3-1 up we were well on our way to doing so.

“Eventually we got the win and I think it was fully deserved.”

The game got off to an exciting start as both teams had chances to take the lead. Cardiff squandered their chances while Swansea looked more composed in their attack.

Lewys Thomas picked up the ball and bore down on goal before unleashing a screamer which left goalkeeper Rhys Batcup with no chance.

Cardiff rallied however and equalised when some fine wing play set up Nick Smallman to slide in.

Smallman was put through on goal moments later, but Swansea keeper Luis Escott managed to tip his effort onto the post.

Swansea were soon back in front as Nick Hammett picked up on a loose back pass and rounded the hesitant Cardiff goalkeeper before slotting in.

Cardiff had a chance to equalise again as the first half drew to a close but spurned a header.

It became 3-1 Swansea in the next attack as Adam Bruton hammered a left footed drive into the top corner of the Cardiff net.

By this stage it looked as if Cardiff were dead and buried and that the Intramural trophy was heading back to Wales’ second city.

Whatever was said in the Cardiff camp at half-time seemed to pay off.

Shortlyinto the second half they pulled a goal back again through Smallman who cleverly drilled into the corner of the net beyond Escott’s dive.

Smallman soon grabbed his hat-trick and levelled the tie for Cardiff as his close range strike proved too difficult for the Swansea defence to deal with.

Swansea went back on the attack in order to regain their lead but right-back Rhys Jones shot over.

The green and whites did manage to grab the winner Noonan cut in and unleashed a low drive which evaded the outstretched Cardiff goalkeeper.

And despite a crowd disturbance which held up the match for five minutes, Swansea hung on for the win.

Hodgkins felt the result was indicative of the quality in Swansea University’s Intramural League.

He added: “Some of the goals were of great quality, which just shows the talent our Intramural league holds.”

Swansea select XI: Luis Escott, Rhys Palmer, Ollie Owen, Ian Davies, James Nellany, Dave Morgan, Rhys Jones, Sam Powell, Adam Bruton, Dy Noonan), Jack Birch, Lewys Thomas, Jassim Al Jaber, Lewis Clare, Nick Hammett, Charlie Bridgewater.

Swansea University XI 4-3 Cardiff University XI

Mahoney netted two extremely well-taken goals to send the cup home to Sloth, who last won the trophy two years ago.

He said: “It was amazing, we’d sort of been written off by everyone, we knew we were massive underdogs going into the game and it would be one of our toughest games because Ajax are a really good strong side.

“But we always had the belief that when it came to playing football on a big pitch and a good surface that we could beat them.”

Mahoney felt the extra tactical preparation helped deliver the win, adding: “We worked a lot on defending long balls and throw-ins and the importance of reacting quickly to any second ball.

“We knew this would be their main threat, and it paid off, they didn’t really have a plan B.

“Our defence was superb and that’s what won us the game, everybody worked hard to shut them down all over the pitch.

“Not many teams keep a clean sheet against Ajax so it was a sweet victory.”

The game took a while to get going and from the early stages it appeared it was going to be a feisty affair with Ajax’s Jack Garner receiving a telling
off from referee Daniel Lewis for a late challenge on Rich Hayes of Sloth.

Mahoney had an early chance to give Sloth the lead, but after being put through on goal chose to lift his shot but Ajax keeper Chris Peters read  well.

Sloth had an even better chance soon after when Lewys Thomas connected with Jack Taylor’s knockdown, only for his strike to sail over the bar.

Then a defensive error from Ajax nearly presented Sloth with the opener, as Peters’ mix-up left Sloth striker Thomas with a chance to shoot.

But by the time Thomas gathered his composure, Peters managed to get back to the goal line to prevent an embarrassing opener.

Sloth eventually took the lead shortly before half-time.

Receiving the ball on the right-hand corner of the box after a corner, Mahoney rifled in a drive which proved to be too difficult for Peters to  handle, finding its way into the far corner.

Ajax had a golden chance to equalise at the beginning of the second half, but Tom Drinkwater could only slice his effort wide.

And when forward Adam Bruton ran onto a through ball, Sloth goalkeeper Luke James stood tall and did well to deny Ajax a way back into the  game.

Mahoney looked to add to his earlier goal with a speculative volley, but it looped over the Ajax goal. It did not take long for Mahoney to add his second of the game though.

Twisting and turning in the box, his low effort eluded the Ajax defence before nestling in the bottom right corner of the goal. It was a goal fitting to grace a cup final.

Sloth substitute Garin Rees had a chance to further extend the lead, but was denied by Peters as the game ended 2-0 to Sloth.

Mahoney hopes the cup win can spur Team Sloth on to league success, but he acknowledged difficulties in assembling a full squad twice a week.
He said: “Hopefully we can carry momentum into the league as we’ve had some good results and performances.

“It’s been difficult though because we struggle to get the numbers for Sunday games with commitments elsewhere, some games we’ve had 10 or 11 players.

“With a full squad we’re strong enough to beat anyone.”

Sloth’s league finish did not live up to their strong cup win, finishing eighth.

Ajax Treesdown finished strongly, just missing out on first place.

Team Sloth 2-0 Ajax Treesdown

In Sloth, the 7ths found a tough opponent and only a last-gasp equalising goal from Matthew Nobbs could salvage a point.

The point was good enough to put them a point clear at the top of the league table as Sketty beat Ajax 3-1.

Clare said: “Pulling it back to 5-5 just came as a relief more than anything.

With Sketty winning we do go top but that’s only by a point.

“If we’d won we would be three points clear.”

At times, especially in the first half, Clare was not happy with his side’s defending and questioned their commitment at half-time.

He added: “As captain of the side I feel a lot of frustration when things aren’t going our way.

“At half-time I felt the players needed a kick up the backside.”

Sloth took the lead some ten minutes in as Sam Buka got on the end of a long throw to prod the ball in at the back post.

In response the 7ths had an effort from Darius Niamir which sailed a few yards wide of the post.

It became 2-0 not long after as Lewys Thomas outpaced 7ths defender number three to a long ball and calmly lobbed over 7ths GK.

The 7ths soon pulled a goal back as no. 9 darted in between two challenges before finding the bottom corner with a placed effort.

Before the half was out Sloth added another as Rich Hayes struck a sweet left-footed volley from outside the box which caught 7ths GK unaware.

Clare’s half-time team talk seemed to have paid off as Darius Niamir made it 3-2 not long after the restart with a header from a free-kick.

It became 3-3 soon after as number nine let fly with a half volley just outside the six-yard box which crept in.

The game proved to be end-to-end for much of the second half.

Sloth regained the lead as a mistake in the 7ths defence allowed Gwenallt Jones to loop into an unguarded net.

The 7ths went down the other end and got the equaliser through Mark Barnard’s back post header.

Unfazed by the quick reply, Sloth went back in front as Jack Taylor’s deflected strike found its way in.

The 7ths appeared to have resigned themselves to defeat until Michael Pritchard’s left-wing cross was nodded in at the near post by Nobbs.

Team Sloth 5-5 Uni 7ths

The throw-in which led to Ajax’s first-half opener was protested, as was the decision to allow a second-half goal which put the game firmly in Ajax’s hands.

Austin said: “I felt there were a number of questionable decisions out there today which went against us.

“Even the linesman said Ajax’s equaliser didn’t cross the line, but what can you do?”

Despite feeling hard done by, Austin still criticised his team for letting their lead slip.

The two-goal Sketty captain added: “I can stand here and criticise the referee all day but we still made some mistakes ourselves.

“Although heads dropped after the equaliser we switched off in defence.”

Sketty begun the game the better side and Nick Hammett looked to be causing problems as he got in behind the Ajax defence on a few occasions.

No. 17 had their first proper effort on goal but his dipping drive bounced past the post.

Against the run of play Ajax took the lead in controversial circumstances.

A throw-in was given and many Sketty players were adamant the ball had not gone out.

From Dan Rudge’s long throw striker Adam Bruton used his aerial presence to force the ball in at the back post.

Sketty felt aggrieved and worked hard to get back into the game.

First, Jassim Al-Jabber hit a shot just over the bar after good work by no. 17.

They were given a chance to equalise from the penalty spot as captain Austin was felled by Zeeshan Goburdhun right in front of the referee.

Austin got straight back up and dispatched the penalty coolly into the right corner.

Not long after, Sketty were given a chance to take the lead, again from the penalty spot.

Nick Hammett took the ball past the Ajax GK, whose trailing leg caught the forward as he prepared to strike.

Austin duly converted the penalty to put his side 2-1 up.

Ajax gained their hotly disputed equaliser some five minutes into the second half.

In the midst of a goalmouth scramble, Adam Bruton smashed the ball toward goal only for Sketty’s Al-Jabber to seemingly clear it off the line.

But the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line and so a goal was awarded.

The Sketty players were furious and made their complaints known to the referee who brushed them aside.

Coupled with the wind suiting their direct gameplan, the decision to award the equaliser now put Ajax in the ascendency.

They made it 3-2 as no.13 prodded home to the goalkeeper’s right as the ball ran loose in the box.

It became 4-2 soon after when a corner was flicked in.

Sketty threw on Laurence Hodgkins to give the side some renewed vigour but Ajax further extended their lead through Bruton’s low strike after he got on the end of another effective longthrow from Redge.

Ajax Treesdown 5-2 Sketty Bolognese

Captain Bethan Rudge admits the step up to 2B Division has been a challenge for her side but is hoping to avoid an instant return to 3A Division.

“It’s always difficult after you get promoted, especially this league as it’s such a big difference to the 3A Division,” said Rudge.

“But we knew our must-win games were against Swansea Met and so far we have beaten them when we needed to.

“The final game against the Met is definitely the biggest game of my captaincy, but I’m confident that we are good enough to stay up.”

The 1sts made the breakthrough after 10 minutes when midfielder Talitha Drennan scored from a corner, and then the flood gates opened.

Reagan Healey added three more before Victoria Bodington scored her first ever header.

The 2nds attempted to fight back with two quick counter-attacks from Rudge and Jodie Thomas, but could not find the net.

And after the break substitute Sasha Bailey increased the lead further with a hat-trick to make it 8-0 on the hour mark.

Lauren Walker, Sue Fitzpatrick and 1sts captain Ria Llewellyn scored five more between them to cap off the win.

Llewellyn paid tribute to her team. “I’m really pleased with the team’s performance,” she said.

“We particularly picked things up in the second half but attacked well throughout.”

“I’m really pleased with both league and cup performances,” he said.

“Our recent run speaks for itself; the whole team has been fantastic.”

Thomas Kavanagh has been in form this season, with nine goals in nine.

Evans added: “Tom Kavanagh has been excellent up front, leading the line.”

Their successful rise is remarkable given their course constraints.

Evans said: “As the team is made up primarily of medical students, it’s difficult getting everyone together.

“We’re often all scattered about Wales on placement.”

Hopes are high in the team camp.

“Hopefully we can push on and finish as high as we can,” Evans added.

“We’re still to play some of the teams around us so it’s all to play for.”

The captain is hopeful for the future.

He said: “Swansea Medical School will double in size over the next two years, meaning more potential players.”

Ajax Treesdown and the 7ths staged a memorable final last year.

But a 4-2 defeat for the 7ths ended their hopes of facing Ajax again who in turn went through to the semis with a 5-3 win over Clinical Finishers.

The semi-final line up sees Sketty take on Ajax and Photosinthesis up against Crayola.

Photosinthesis overcame Team Sloth 4-0 and Crayola defeated Kay FC 2-1.

Head of Intramural Laurence Hodgkins still expects the latter stages of this year’s competition to provide a lot of excitement for supporters and players alike.

He said: “The semis provide two fantastic fixtures ahead of us with the winners creating a massive final for St. Helens in just under a month’s time.”

Dates for the semi-final fixtures are to be confirmed shortly.

Taylor’s long range piledriver and an equally impressive strike from Lewys Thomas proved to be enough for Sloth to take home a share of the spoils.

Taylor said: “When the ball came to me there was only one thought in my mind really.

“I saw the gap open up in front of me and just put all my weight behind the shot. Luckily for me it flew into the net and we’ve managed to gain a point from the game.”

6ths captain Rich Fulton bemoaned the loss of all three points, but said his side could have done nothing about the two Sloth goals.

“I’m disappointed that we lost our two-goal lead but I can’t take much away from my defence because the two goals we conceded were both really good strikes,” he said.

“Perhaps a draw was a fair result on reflection.”

The 6ths started the game strongly and scored after five minutes when Josh Kirby got his head on the end of a free kick hit deep into the area.
Before Sloth had a chance to regain some composure, the 6ths added their second of the game, again from Kirby.

A long throw was helped on into the Sloth box by Paul Gregson and Kirby was there on the end to score his second header.

It was followed by controversy soon after as a Sloth ball was seemingly handled outside the area by 6ths goalkeeper Eric Antunes.

Referee Daniel Lewis gave a free kick to Sloth but ruled Antunes did not handle the ball deliberately and did not produce a card.

Sloth made their feelings known but Lewis waved the protests away.

From the ensuing set piece, James Mahoney failed to test Antunes as his near-post effort was comfortably saved.

The second half saw a number of feisty challenges being put in, with referee Lewis producing a yellow card for Sloth’s Gwenallt Jones for a late challenge.

Sloth gained in confidence as the second half wore on and pulled one back when Lewys Thomas hit a 25-yard drive beyond the reach of Antunes.

Taylor then equalised by drifting past two tackles before driving his shot into the bottom corner.

Team Sloth 2 – 2 Swansea University 6ths

It is the History and Economics student’s first season involved in intramural, and his first experience of refereeing.

When asked what made him want to take up refereeing in the intramural league, Akhtar replied: “I wanted to do some sport at Uni and my favourite sport was football.

“I tried out for 2 teams and didn’t make it but luckily I heard they needed referees this season and jumped on it straight away.

I just wanted to do anything with football, and also the pay is definitely a big bonus.”

Akhtar made it clear he was not thrown straight into the proverbial deep-end without training, however.

He said: “We had a local Welsh FA registered referee, who had over 25 years experience, come in and teach the course.

“He taught us everything to do with refereeing, but nothing practical. After that we had to sit an exam to qualify to be level 8 Welsh FA referees.”

Refereeing has not come without its difficulties though, Akhtar says: “I suppose I’ve realised how easy it is to miss something, for instance, with corners in a crowded box, on TV you can see it all but as a referee it’s much more difficult to spot fouls and the like.”

Akhtar added: “The biggest mistake I made was when one team scored, but I gave a goal-kick thinking it went out.

“There was a hole in the net right by the post which the striker’s shot went through! They were livid but I stuck to my decision.

“You will always get at least one tough offside call each game because we don’t have proper linesmen. The linesmen we have are substitute players, but they are only allowed to dictate throw-ins, it’s the ref’s decision to call offside.”

There have been many positive experiences in refereeing, Akhtar maintains, saying: “On the second week of matches, I was asked to referee a big game as the initial ref couldn’t make it.

“The game was between last season’s cup finalists who have a big rivalry. It ended 4-3 but I was told after the game I handled it well.

“Getting praise from the losing side after a game is definitely a great feeling.”

And Akhtar insists he plans on sticking with refereeing beyond this year.

He said: “I’m planning on doing it until I leave Swansea. I will also start refereeing locally as I’m now qualified to do so, but I want a bit more experience first.”

Wilcox, who graduated from Swansea University last year, tragically passed away on the fifth of February after a motorcycle accident.

He was a regular fixture in the Hardly Athletic line-up between 2009 and 2011, and a familiar face in the Intramural Football League.

Laurence Hodgkins, Head of Intramural, said: “It [Jack’s death] was a sad day for Intramural and our condolences go out to the friends and family of Jack.

“We held a personal tribute in the form of a minute’s silence before Sunday’s games to show our respects.”

Current Hardly Athletic captain Alex Doney remembered Wilcox fondly: “Jack was one of the nicest and genuine guys anyone will meet, and would help anyone out if he could.

“Down to earth, driven, the ladies loved him but he couldn’t dance! This sums him up quite well; he will be missed by all his friends and family.”

And former captain Arwel Davies expressed similar thoughts: “I’m honoured to have led such a guy who certainly wasn’t afraid to voice an opinion. I wish he played more games really.

“I remember one Wednesday I asked ‘where’s Jack boys?’ as he hadn’t turned up. It turned out he got a flight to Austria the night before for a random two-week holiday. Gutted I didn’t get to know him on a more personal level.”

Friends and fellow footballers took to the Intramural Facebook page to offer their condolences.

Richard Fouracre stated: “Terrible news, a top bloke. Condolences to all friends and family. R.I.P”

Sion Rhys Davies added: “Solid player both in the Intramural League and in UK Beach Sports, and just a top bloke. Huge loss.”

Many showed their appreciation for how Jack’s on-field positivity was mirrored in everyday life.

Paul Banfield said: “RIP Jack-trick Swayze! A top bloke, always with a positive attitude in life, you will be missed.”

Amy Dibble added: “Always one with the jokes and made us laugh, we will all miss you and your smile and charm.

“Love you Jack, will definitely have a few for you tonight.”

A minute silence will be performed before the next round of matches in memory of Jack Wilcox.