Latest news with #Huw
The Sun
13-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Shocking moment ‘mini tornado' spins through field picking up loose grass as young lad watches on in amazement
A FAMILY was blown away when they spotted a mini tornado spinning through the countryside. Matt McMillan, 41, was out for a walk to a stream near Llanfrynach in Powys with his daughter and twin boys when they came across the amazing natural phenomenon. 7 7 7 7 Footage shows the spiral of wind picking up loose cut grass and spinning it around in the air. Matt can be heard saying to his son: 'Are you going to have a look at it Huw.' Huw, 7, replies: 'Is it going to lift me off the ground?' And Matt says: 'I don't think it will lift you off the ground but you can go and try.' The lad then approaches as the whirlwind passes across the field towards some woodland. Matt who lives near Brecon, south Wales, told The Sun: 'We headed out to our local stream today for a little paddle and swim in the warm weather. 'My daughter saw some grass flying around in a nearby field and asked what it was. I grabbed my phone and ran to the field, along with one of my twin boys, Huw. 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it looked like something out of a film. 'There was a tornado lifting the dry grass off the ground into a swirling vortex. 'We watched the tornado travel slowly across the field, it is a lot quieter and more serene than the scenes you see in a movie. 'As the tornado approached the edge of the field it dissipated and we left to go swimming in the stream. It was a magical moment that was truly once in a lifetime.' 7 7 7 What is a Tonardo The Met Office says: "A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that reaches between the base of a storm cloud and the Earth's surface. They form in very unsettled weather conditions as part of severe thunderstorms. Many conditions need to be present for a tornado to form but, when these conditions are met, a violently whirling mass of air, known as a vortex, forms beneath the storm cloud. "A funnel cloud usually develops as the vortex forms due to the reduced pressure in the vortex. Strong inflowing winds intensify, and the spin rate increases as the vortex stretches vertically. If it continues stretching and intensifying for long enough the vortex touches the ground, at which point it becomes classified as a tornado. The tornado then moves across the surface causing severe damage or destruction to objects in its path."
Powys County Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
600 sheep sheared as British record broken in Powys
A 27-year-old shearer from Machynlleth broke a British record by shearing over 600 ewes in eight hours, beating the previous record by more than a hundred. Eyes turned to Machynlleth over the weekend as 27-year-old Huw Jones was successful in his attempt to break a record in sheep shearing. His eight-hour solo session saw him shearing 663 ewes, beating the previous record held by Martin Howlett, who sheared 539 sheep, with Huw starting at 7pm and finishing at 5pm. The record attempt took place at Hendreseifion, the location of another record achieved by local shearer Meirion Evans 12 months ago. After months of preparation hundreds of well-wishers had turned out to support and congratulate Huw, who described it as an 'amazing' day. At the end of the record, he said: 'Today has been an amazing day, thank you to everyone who has helped me achieve what I have here today. 'There are too many people to name individually, but you all know who you are. Records are not just about the shearer attempting but are very much a team effort. I could not have achieved this today without so many people. I thank you so much for the support you have given me.' 'My family has always supported me to get me where I am today, no matter what I wanted to do, my family has always been there, and I thank them, it means so much. I'd like to mention my grandad, who is sadly no longer with us, but hopefully looking down on me today, he was the one who started me shearing.' He also thanked everyone who had attended on the day to support him, as well as the charities supported by the record, the Welsh Air Ambulance and Aberdyfi Search and Rescue. Gareth Jones, Head of Member Engagement, British Wool said: 'On behalf of British Wool we offer huge congratulations to Huw on his successful record attempt. This was a display of high-quality shearing, and Huw should be very proud of his achievements.' 'We appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes in holding a record and therefore offer congratulations to everyone who has helped and supported Huw in successfully setting a new British Shearing Record.'
Wales Online
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Top Cardiff City star set to leave imminently as missing team-mate's absence explained
Top Cardiff City star set to leave imminently as missing team-mate's absence explained The latest round-up of Cardiff City transfer news Warm up led by Callum O'Dowda of Cardiff (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency ) Senior Cardiff City star Callum O'Dowda is set to complete a move away to a European club, WalesOnline understands. The Bluebirds winger, who has predominantly played his football at left back in recent times, has been missing from pre-season training this week, prompting many supporters to speculate over the reason why that might be the case. And the Republic of Ireland international will be the first senior, contracted star out the door. Cardiff allowed nine players to leave earlier this week upon the expiration of their contracts, with Michael Reindorf and Roko Simic also securing loan moves away. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. The Bluebirds are focussed on trimming down their squad, but are also rightly adamant that they have to make additions in order to address key weaknesses. Left-back now looks a curious position with O'Dowda's exit imminent. They have Joel Bagan, who is now the longest-serving member of this Cardiff senior squad, Ryotaro Tsunoda, who is predominantly a left-footed centre-back, and Luey Giles, a promising if green academy product. Article continues below O'Dowda, 30, signed a new Cardiff deal at the beginning of the year, which sees him contracted to the Bluebirds until 2028 and would see him command a fee should he seal his exit. There were also concerns over two other senior stars who were absent from training this week, however sources claim both Perry Ng and Callum Robinson are actually injured. In the case of Ng, the right-back sustained an injury on the first day of pre-season and is likely to be out for as long as five weeks, which means he will miss the start of the League One season. Cardiff are already light in that area, however Ronan Kpakio, who was promoted to the Wales senior squad by Craig Bellamy in the most recent camp, will now likely get an opportunity to impress new head coach Brian Barry-Murphy. Robinson, meanwhile, is in the final stages of rehabbing an injury. Last year's player of the season winner missed the final four games of the campaign through injury and is still working his way back to fitness. It is understood the aim is for him to be back with the squad during the pre-season training camp in Spain. Article continues below As for incomings, it is likely Bluebirds fans will have to wait until after Cardiff return from their trip to Spain to see signings made. Some supporters are understandably growing restless over the lack of activity, however the club have held the stance of placing more importance on keeping a core of players who they believe will be central in helping the team achieve promotion back to the Championship. Transfer activity in terms of incomings is expected to pick up towards the end of the month when the squad return from Spain, though. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.
Wales Online
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Wales' World Rugby rankings problem reaches critical stage as World Cup draw looms
Wales' World Rugby rankings problem reaches critical stage as World Cup draw looms Wales are 12th in the rankings as things stand, but defeat would give them a big World Cup problem Wales' results over the next two weeks will have a huge impact on their 2027 Rugby World Cup ambitions (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) Wales will fall down to 14th this weekend in World Rugby's rankings should their 17-Test losing run be extended by Japan in Kitakyushu. The last time Wales were on the island of Kyushu, they were second in the world - having not long briefly scaled the heights to the summit of World Rugby's rankings. Now, as they return to the city that adopted them in 2019, they do so at an all-time low in the world rankings - a nadir that could have disastrous connotations down the line. The 2027 World Cup in Australia will see rugby's showpiece tournament expanded to 24 teams. And, unlike in previous years, all 24 qualified teams will have been confirmed before the draw takes place later this year. All the teams who qualify will be seeded based on their rankings at the end of the November internationals window, with Wales currently 12th in the world. With the next World Cup boasting six pools of four teams, the seeding bands are broken down by every six teams. Article continues below So the top six would be top seeds, with those between 7th and 12th in the second banding of seeds. However, another defeat this weekend would see Wales drop to 14th in the world - with Japan and Samoa moving above them. With just five Test matches for Wales - one more in Japan and then four difficult November internationals against South Africa, New Zeanad, Argentina and Japan again - before December's draw, that would pile the pressure on them in terms of their World Cup seeding. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia. As well as a new low, it would also mark the first time Japan would be ahead of Wales in the rankings. However, Wales could also move up the rankings this weekend, but it would require them to win by more than 15 points at Mikuni World Stadium - providing Ireland beat Georgia. "It's massive," said Wales No. 8 Aaron Wainwright about Saturday's clash. "The Welsh public deserve it. Article continues below "All the Welsh fans that are going to be out here and back home deserve it. Our minds are fully set on bringing home not just one, but two wins from this tour. "(It's about) Bringing that pride back to Welsh rugby fans and the Welsh public. "Going so long without a win, being able to put an end to that this weekend is something that we're all aiming for. As a collective, we're hoping that's the outcome."
Powys County Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Shearer to attempt British solo shearing record in Powys
A 27-year-old Mid Wales shearer will attempt to beat a solo shearing record in Powys next month. Huw Jones, from Abergynolwyn, near Tywyn, will attempt the eight-hour solo ewe British record. Huw's record attempt will take place at Hendreseifion Farm, Llanwrin, near Machynlleth, on Saturday, July 5, beginning at 5am. Live streaming will be available through the Huw Jones - 8 hours British Shearing Record Attempt Facebook page, where Huw explains that he will try to beat the solo record currently held by Martin Howlett. In recent years, many shearing record attempts have been attempted, including Lloyd Rees in 2022, who broke the nine-hour British solo record at Blaenbwch Farm, near Builth Wells. These feats have inspired Huw, who said: 'Seeing Matt Smith, Rowland Smith, Gareth Daniel and Ian Jones achieve their records planted a thought in my mind that I would like to do something like that one day, but realised I was years away from it. 'I finally achieved a long-term goal two years ago in New Zealand, shearing 554 lambs in eight hours. 'But I still wasn't satisfied. I wanted to do 600, so when I got home, I asked my brother if I could try and do a personal best on his sheep. He agreed and in July 2023, I shorn 704 ewes in nine hours. 'That was the big motivation to attempt a record. I set my goal for about two years and chose the record I wanted to attempt to break.' For approximately six months of the year, Huw's normal shearing routine sees him split time between the UK and New Zealand. The rest of the year he is on the family farm, along with some contract sheep dipping alongside his brother. 'Farming has always been my main passion,' said Huw. 'I would always be outside farming with my parents and when staying with my grandparents. Luckily for us, mum and dad have always included me and my brother in a lot of farming decisions from a young age (sometimes too young), but it helped us learn how important it is to consider all aspects before making a decision.' Shearing normally starts for Huw at the end of April, in England, before coming back home to Wales to shear from the end of May. Huw shears with his friend Gwydion and they've shorn together for several years on local farms. The aim is always to finish shearing at the Royal Welsh Show just outside Builth so he can enjoy the week. An agricultural engineering graduate from Harper Adams University, Huw added: 'I have a few proud moments in shearing, and winning the Senior Championship in Corwen Shears was a personal highlight. 'There are many shearers and people outside of shearing who have inspired me in different ways, but for me, Rowland Smith has always been a big inspiration. 'Not only is he an outstanding shearer in shows, records and in the shed, but he also has an incredible work ethic. 'I could never manage lamb shearing until I watched 'Rowly' shear lambs in front of me; that is when I finally stopped making excuses of being too tall for lambs and found a way to get it done.' Proceeds from the event will be shared between the Wales Air Ambulance and Aberdyfi Search and Rescue charities.
