+++ The Radio Cardiff Monday Night Sports Show +++

Martin van Jaarsveld joins up with Welsh Dragons

Glamorgan Cricket have confirmed that Martin van Jaarsveld will arrive in the UK tomorrow (Tuesday 29th May) and will be available for selection for the Welsh Dragons’ forthcoming CB40 matches against the Surrey (Saturday 2nd June) and the Durham Dynamos (on Sunday 11th June).

He will also be available for selection in Glamorgan’s LV= County Championship match against Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay (Wednesday 6th to Saturday 10th June).

Glamorgan Cricket’s Head of Elite Performance, Matthew Mott said:

“Martin is an experienced, quality cricketer and his record speaks for itself. We have been looking for genuine match winners to make us a more potent force and off the back of a very successful season in South Africa with the Titans, Martin fits the bill."

Tickets are available for the CB40 game against Surrey at SWALEC Stadium, the first home game in one-day cricket in 2012 priced £10 in advance for adults, £5 for students and FREE for children aged 16 and under. Tickets purchased after 6pm on Wednesday 30th May are £15 for adults, £10 for students whilst juniors accompanied by an adult can still attend for FREE. So supporters are encouraged to book now to save money. A booking fee may apply.

Book tickets online at www.glamorgancricket.com or call 02920 419 311.

Olympic Football Tournament tickets on public sale

Tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Football matches at the Millennium Stadium will go on public sale from 11.00am tomorrow (Wednesday).

Cardiff’s city-centre venue will host 11 football games between 25 July and 10 August and fans can soon book their place at www.tickets.london2012.com.

The home of Welsh sport will welcome Team GB Women’s team for the first event of the Olympic Games against New Zealand on July 25, while in the Men’s tournament highlights include Great Britain versus Uruguay on August 1.

Football fans will also have the opportunity to watch Brazil, seeded as the "all-time top Olympic performer", play Egypt in Cardiff on July 26.

Tickets start at £20 for adults, with special prices available for people under 16 and over 60 at many matches. ‘Pay your age’ prices are available for those under 16 and tickets for people aged 60 or over will be priced at £16. Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

Millennium Stadium General Manager Gerry Toms said: “Tickets to watch Olympic football at the Millennium Stadium will go on public sale tomorrow and this is fantastic news for the football fans who have missed out during the previous phases of ticket sales.

“With great availability on tickets from £20 for adults and special prices for children, I’m sure sports fans in Wales will want to book their places to be part of the first ever Olympic Games in Wales.”

The Olympic Football Tournament will take place at six iconic venues including the Millennium Stadium across the UK and London 2012 organisers have announced good availability across the football venues.

Customers can purchase between 20 and 30 tickets for the Olympic football matches to encourage groups to attend and LOCOG Commercial Director Chris Townsend is expecting a surge in activity on the official website when tickets are made available tomorrow morning:

He said: "Our priority has been to get as many people who missed out in the sales process last year to the Games. We have delivered on our promise and now another 150,000 people have successfully purchased up to 4 tickets each. We are now putting the remaining tickets back on general sale.

“Customers will be able to browse the website for 24 hours, from 11am today (22 May 2012) to see what tickets are available. Wednesday’s sale is a live sale, and, like other high demand events including pop concerts, we expect the website to be very busy and customers may well be held in queues for over 30 minutes at peak times’

For Millennium Stadium information, please contact Gemma James, MS Communications Manager, on email gjames@wru.co.uk or telephone 07725828498.

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com.

Coming up on tonight's Monday Night Sports Show - 21st May 2012

We’re here on 98.7FM in Cardiff and online at www.radiocardiff.org with award-winning sporting discussion and debate sponsored by Virgin Active Cardiff.

- Coming up on tonight’s Monday Night Sports Show we look back on an extraordinary weekend of sport including.....

- Chelsea’s historic win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final and the future of Roberto DiMatteo.

- Liverpool have already dispensed with the services of King Kenny; we look at possible replacements to fill the vacancy at Anfield.

- We look at Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the Euro 2012 tournament and discuss the inclusions and omissions.

- England have beaten the West Indies in the first test at Lord’s helped by a captain’s innings from Andrew Strauss.

- And Yousef has his regular UFC update.

- And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s studio guest Lee-Ann Falconer from our sponsors Virgin Active Cardiff!

As always you can...

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Coming up tonight's Monday Night Sports Show - 14th May 2012

We’re here on 98.7FM in Cardiff and online at www.radiocardiff.org with award-winning sporting discussion and debate sponsored by Virgin Active Cardiff.

- Coming up on tonight’s Monday Night Sports Show we look back on an extraordinary week in the history of Cardiff City. We have opposing views about investment and red shirts in the studio!

- We also review a dramatic final day in the Premier League which saw Manchester City snatch the title in the dying seconds.

- Yousef Haider and Simon Williams are here in the studio to pick over all of yesterday’s action including Joey Barton’s latest red card and news that Alex McLeish has today left Villa.

- The end of the Premier League also means an end to our Fantasy League; we have the final Top Ten Countdown coming up.

- England have named their squad for this Thursday’s first test with the uncapped Johnny Bairstow set to stand in for Ravi Bopara.

- The Wales squad for the Barbarians game and Aussie tour has been announced, plus we’ll talk about the Blues’ return to the Arms Park.

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WALES v BARBARIANS - 1,000 VOICES RECRUITED TO SING FOR WALES v BARBARIANS

A 1,000 voice choir has been recruited by the WRU to envelop the Millennium Stadium in song when Wales face the Barbarians on Saturday, 2 June (kick-off 2.00pm).

The choristers will raise the decibels at the summer rugby international with some of the all time favourite music which has featured in the history of the game in Wales.

The celebration is planned for the final match on home soil before the Wales’ team that face the Baa-Baas leave for their three-Test, four-match, tour of Australia.

The choir will assemble in the north stand of the stadium where they will be conducted by the stadium’s feature choirmaster, Haydn James, and accompanied by Symphonic Brass Wales.

The choir will unveil a medley of songs which Haydn James is preparing to honour the countries represented by the players in the Barbarian line-up.

Fans will be able to hear the massed choir from 1.00pm which is precisely one hour before the kick-off.

Supporters will be encouraged to join in the singing to ensure the capital city echoes to the sound which will boom out across Cardiff.

The massed choir will also strike up during the match to raise the noise level to a massive intensity as the game unfolds.

Alex Luff, who manages pre-match entertainment at the Millennium Stadium, said: “The traditional sound of Welsh rugby will be at its best when Wales face the Barbarians this summer with a 1,000-strong choir booked to boost the decibels at the Millennium Stadium.

“Welsh rugby fans are renowned for their passionate singing when Wales take on the opposition at the home of Welsh sport and we are expecting an extra special sound for the final home clash before Wales embark on their tour of Australia.”

Tickets priced from £25 for adults and £10 for under 16s can be purchased online atwww.wru.co.uk/tickets or by calling the ticket hotline 08442 777 888 or Ticketline on 02920 230130.

The full list of choirs is as follows:

Cwmbrân Male Choir, Cor Meibion Taf, Beaufort MVC, Caldicot MVC, Aber Valley MVC, Bridgend Male Choir, Gwalia Male Choir, Treorchy Male Choir, Cwmbach MVC, Dowlais Male Choir, Cambrian Male Choir, Cor Meibion Abercynon, Cor Meibion Morlais, Cardigan Rugby MVC, Cowbridge MVC, Neath MVC, Kenfig Hill MVC, Cor Meibion De Cymru, Cor Meibion Dyffryn Aman, Pendyrus Male Choir, Llanelli MVC, Morriston RFC MVC, Glyneath MVC, Treharris MVC

For further information please contact Gemma James on email gjames@wru.co.uk/ or telephone 07725828498.

WALES TRAINING SQUAD FOR BARBARIANS AND AUSTRALIA TOUR 2012

Wales caretaker head coach Rob Howley today named four uncapped players in a 38-man training squad which will prepare to face the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, 2 June, before embarking on a three-Test tour of Australia.

Howley will officially gather his troops for the first time on Monday, 21 May, with the exception of Ospreys players who will have the full weight of the Wales national squad behind them as they bid for RaboDirect Pro12 glory in the competition final the following Sunday.

Scarlets players’ player of the year, full-back, Liam Williams, his regional team-mate, prop Rhodri Jones, Ospreys centre Ashley Beck and Blues wing Harry Robinson (promoted from the Wales U20 squad) are the four uncapped players named, although all four have figured in previous national squads – as recently as the 2012 Grand Slam winning RBS 6 Nations campaign in the case of Williams and Robinson.

Back in contention – called up from outside of this season’s all conquering 6 Nations squad - are Ospreys backs Dan Biggar, fly half, and Andrew Bishop, centre, Scarlets flanker Josh Turnbull and Dragons wings Aled Brew and Will Harries, alongside Blues flanker Martyn Williams who is set to win his 100th cap against the Baa-Baas.

“The Ospreys will have our full backing in their bid for silverware in a fortnight’s time so we will not be asking them to join us until a week after everyone else,” said Howley.

“They are playing very well at the moment, a win in the final would be a great starting point for our own campaign this summer and the call ups for both Dan (Biggar) and Andrew (Bishop), in particular, reflect the good form the Ospreys are in.

“Elsewhere we have been pretty consistent with selection, it’s now down to these players to pick up where we left off in the 6 nations and prove to us that they should be on that plane to Australia.

“We hope to get the summer off to a winning start against the Baa-Baas and everyone who figures in that game will be playing for a place on the tour.”

Whilst Wales’ Ospreys contingent will not be in camp until Monday 28th May, Howley is confident he will have a full strength squad to choose from by the time he comes to select his side to face the Baa-Baas, with his overseas contingent available and fitness worries over certain players abating.

“Both Mike (Phillips) and James (Hook) will be with us from the start, Sam (Warburton) is still on track and we are optimistic that both Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams will have reached full fitness and be able to play their part in the tour,”added Howley

“We have a tough series ahead of us with five matches in four weeks and two games in two separate Hemispheres in the space of seven days, but we are fully focussed on the prize of that elusive Southern Hemisphere scalp.”

Clermont Auvergne fullback Lee Byrne is not selected as he is still likely to be involved in domestic competition in France right up to the date the tour party leaves (the Top 14 players Final, for which his club are still in contention, will be held on 9th June), however, he will remain on standby for the tour.

Unavailable due to injury are Blues centre Jamie Roberts and Ospreys hooker Huw Bennett.

Wales’ fourth capped meeting with the Barbarians (the Baa-Baas currently lead the series 2-1) will be sponsored by Under Armour under the tagline – ‘Wales v Barbarians, powered by Under Armour’ – it was announced today. Also confirmed this morning is the mid-week fixture on tour between Wales and the ACT Brumbies, who are leading the Australian Conference in the southern hemisphere provincial championship. Wales play three Tests against Australia in Brisbane on June 9, Melbourne on June 16 and Sydney on June 23 and will take on the Super 15 provincial team at Canberra Stadium on June 12 to complete their largest ever one-nation tour.

Extended Training Squad For Baa Baas & Australia Tour 2012
FORWARDS: Ryan BEVINGTON, Luke CHARTERIS, Bradley DAVIES, Ian EVANS, Toby FALETAU, Rhys GILL, Richard HIBBARD, Paul JAMES, Gethin JENKINS, Adam JONES, Alun Wyn JONES, Rhodri JONES, Ryan JONES, Dan LYDIATE, Ken OWENS, Matthew REES, Aaron SHINGLER, Justin TIPURIC, Josh TURNBULL, Sam WARBURTON, Martyn WILLIAMS

BACKS: Ashley BECK, Dan BIGGAR, Andrew BISHOP, Aled BREW, Alex CUTHBERT, Jonathan DAVIES, Leigh HALFPENNY, Will HARRIES, James HOOK, George NORTH, Mike PHILLIPS, Rhys PRIESTLAND, Harry ROBINSON, Rhys WEBB, Lloyd WILLIAMS, Scott WILLIAMS, Liam WILLIAMS

+++ Cardiff Blues to return to Cardiff Arms Park +++

Cardiff Blues is delighted to announce today that their matches for the 2012/13 season and beyond will once again be played at Cardiff Arms Park.

The Blues moved from the Arms Park to the newly built Cardiff City Stadium in the summer of 2009. In February 2012 the Blues played two games, Ulster and Connacht, at the Arms Park, which proved popular with supporters.

Following these games, and subsequent consultations with supporters and sponsors, Cardiff Blues CEO, Richard Holland, has negotiated a release from the Cardiff City stadium lease.

Speaking of the move, Richard Holland said:

“We are putting regional rugby back in the heart of Cardiff.”

“The move to the Cardiff City stadium was done for all the right reasons. But having listened to supporters, sponsors and reviewed the financial position of the business, the board and I believe the Cardiff Blues should be playing back at the Arms Park."

“This move is important for our future sustainability, important to our supporters, and good for Cardiff Blues.”

“I would like to thank the board of Cardiff City Football Club for their friendliness and openness during our negotiation over the release from the Cardiff City lease. We will still have the option of playing games at the Cardiff City stadium when demand for tickets dictates. So we look forward to seeing them again in the future and wish them the best of luck for the coming football season.”

“We will be investing in improved facilities at the Arms Park over the summer, and Phil Davies our new Director of Rugby has already taken the reins of the rugby department. These are exciting times for Cardiff Blues. Our current season ticket holders will have first choice on season tickets for the forthcoming season which have been priced very competitively.”

“They will receive direct communication during the next two weeks with season tickets going on sale to current season ticket holders on Monday 21 May and on general sale on Monday 28 May. Further details of corporate packages will be communicated directly to sponsors and partners.”

Of the agreement, Cardiff City Chief Executive Alan Whiteley said, “This is a decision that will allow Cardiff City Football Club to take positive steps forward in terms of celebrating the stadium as the sole home of the football club, while also assisting Cardiff Blues to maintain their future stability.”

“It’s with the full support of our Malaysian investors that this agreement could be reached and facilitated. Satisfactory financial terms have been reached with the Cardiff Blues to allow their exit, which coupled with the Premier League aspirations of this football club and a need therefore to be in sole control of our stadium, makes this a good solution for both sides. It also provides the ability and impetus for us to fully brand Cardiff City Stadium, celebrating our history and heritage across concourses and other supporter areas, which I am sure all our fans will welcome and embrace.

“We wish Cardiff Blues every success back at the Arms Park and thank them for their openness during negotiations. The agreement will still provide the Blues, in consultation with Cardiff City Football Club, the opportunity to play occasional higher profile games at the Cardiff City Stadium. We now turn our focus to a comprehensive review of all football club operations, as is the case every close season, from which we can look forward to the new season with renewed confidence.”

Cardiff Blues 2012/13 Season Ticket Prices

Season Tickets 2012/2013

Price
Central Seats Adults £ 245
Seniors £ 200
Junior £ 60

Price
Reserved Seats Adults £ 215
Seniors £ 165
Juniors £ 60

Price
Terrace Adults £ 180
Seniors £ 140
Juniors £ 40
Students £ 80

Price
Family Ticket Family Stand (A) £ 295
Winged (B) £365

The Blues will hold number of open evenings at the Arms Park over the summer months giving current season ticket holders, sponsors and official partners the chance to talk about the plans for the ground as well as giving the Blues the chance promote the packages that will be available.

ROB HOWLEY ON BARBARIANS CHALLENGE

Rob Howley will become Wales’ 22nd head coach when he assumes caretaker duties against the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, 2 June and for the following three-Test, four-match, tour of Australia.

The former Wales captain and British and Irish Lions backs coach, today made the first expression of his intent to pick up exactly where Warren Gatland left off, before enforced absence, by confirming he will retain Sam Warburton as his tour captain.

Wales’ tour ambitions have received a significant boost with the news that inspirational leader Warburton has been declared fit and available to travel Down Under and it has also been announced that fellow Cardiff Blues flanker, veteran Martyn Williams, will join him as a part of Howley’s summer training squad (to be announced on Monday, 14 May)

“The tour needs some careful planning, we have two games in seven days in two different Hemispheres,” said Howley.

“The clash with the Barbarians in Cardiff kicks everything off and when we get to Australia we have three Test matches and a midweek game.

“Sam’s captaincy credentials are there for everyone to see, we saw his worth in the World Cup leading us to a semi-final and in leading us to a clean sweep at this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship and it is a major boost for us to hear he will be back from injury and ready for Australia.”

Williams, who earned the last of his 99 caps against Argentina last summer, will be handed the chance to win his elusive 100th against the Baa-Baas at the Millennium Stadium on the first Saturday of next month – Williams is likely to be asked to make an impact from the bench, as his illustrious career turns full circle in a repeat of the fixture which saw him make his international debut in 1996.

With Wales’ first Test on Australian soil coming just seven days after the warm-up fixture in Cardiff, Howley says a number of key players must be sent down under to acclimatise before the Barbarians arrive in town.

Places in the tour party squad will still be up for grabs during the Cardiff Test – the 2012 summer tour will be the largest one-nation tour a Wales team has ever embarked upon – with a total of around 34 players in the eventual party.

But Howley says the opportunity to boost his squad for the Baa-Baas game with the experience of Williams is one that was too tempting to miss, as his captain, Warburton, is likely to be one of those on the early flight to the Southern Hemisphere.

“We have taken the decision to ask Martyn to come in and do a job for us for sound rugby reasons,” said Howley.

“We need to start off the summer with a win against the Baa-Baas, but it is also fitting that he will have the chance to run out in front of a Millennium Stadium crowd one last time to say goodbye.”

Williams, who will become only the third Welsh player in history to reach a century of caps alongside Gareth Thomas (100) and Stephen Jones (104), has announced his retirement from Regional rugby and already played his last match for Cardiff Blues.

He lines up against another retiring legend in Shane Williams, who is also most likely featuring for the final time in a Test match at the Millennium Stadium, and fellow centurion Jones, with the trio bidding against each other to steal the show.

“Martyn is the ultimate professional, he will be a proud man on the day, but once the whistle goes he will be one of 15 players looking for victory and he will do the jersey proud, just as he has done 99 times before.”

Howley, who has been appointed as caretaker head coach for the tour whilst Gatland recovers from leg injuries sustained in an accident at home, added: “In these unforeseen circumstances I’m delighted and proud to have been given the opportunity to be the interim head coach.

“The fact that I feel both ready and able to take on the challenges ahead is testament to the integrated approach Warren Gatland has taken to building his international squad and coaching team over the last four years.”

Coming up on tonight's Monday Night Sports Show - 7th May 2012

We’re here on 98.7FM in Cardiff and online at www.radiocardiff.org with award-winning sporting discussion and debate sponsored by Virgin Active Cardiff.

- Coming up on tonight’s Monday Night Sports Show we review Cardiff City’s defeat to West Ham this afternoon and assess their first season under Malkay Mackay. Our man Simon Williams was at Upton Park and brings us his match report shortly.

- Yousef Haider is also here in the studio to pick over what went wrong for City over the two legs.

- The Premier League title and relegation race is going down to the wire with Manchester City ahead on goal difference over Man Utd and the top and Blackburn facing Wigan tonight at the bottom, it promises to be a dramatic final Saturday.

- Plus, we have our big Mixed Martial Arts competition with your chance to win one of FIVE PAIRS of VIP tickets for The MMA Show Live in Birmingham this weekend on May 12^th-13^th. A reminder of the question follows shortly.

- It’s also been an exciting Gameweek in the Fantasy League with matches still to be played so we have our provisional Top Ten Countdown.

As always you can...

Give us a call on: 02920 235 664

Send us a Text: 07728 758 759