SALISBURY A retained their four-point lead at the top of the Absolute Snooker Swansea Clubs Snooker League with a 4-1 home win against Beechwood A.

Martin Tucker made a 38 break in his frame.

Swansea Dockers A remain in second after they won 4-1 at Mumbles Cons A and Swansea Labour A stay third after they beat their B team 4-1.

Cwmfelin A beat Cwmfelin C 4-1. Paul Doughton opened the match with a 32 break and Neil McCarthy won the C team's only point as he knocked in a break of 36 in frame three.

Cwmfelin D beat Cwmfelin B 4-1. Steve Ford made a 30 break in frame four. St Illtyd's A won 3-2 at Penlan A and Swansea Dockers B beat Sketty Club 5-0.

Mansel Workingmen's B continue to lead division two. They found themselves 2-0 down at Beechwood B but rallied to win the match 3-2.

Armine A won 4-1 at Mansel Workingmen's A to stay in joint second place with Sketty Park A, who beat St Illtyd's C 3-2.

Swansea Labour C won 3-2 at St Illtyd's D, Swansea Dockers C beat St Illtyd's B 3-2 and Armine B beat Heathcliffe A 4-1.

THE 2013 South West Wales Association of Sea Angling Clubs Open takes place at Cefn Sidan beach on Sunday.

Fishing starts at 9.30am and ends at 2.30pm.

Anglers are asked to meet at 8am at Pembrey Country Park.

It is a catch and release competition with a minimum fish size of 20cm.

There are prizes for the longest single fish and the longest overall length.

Meanwhile, a qualifying round of the Welsh Carp Championships is being held at the Fendrod Lake in Llansamlet next weekend.

It starts at 6pm on Friday, May 24, and ends on the Sunday.

A number of the anglers are competing in fancy dress to raise money for Golau Cancer Foundation and Neonatal Unit, which are both based at Singleton Hospital.

AT THE FISHERIES

SHIMANO LOOMIS

Fishing has been slow at times, with some anglers doing well and other struggling to get a take.

The browns are still playing hard to get but are very active chasing fry in the margins in the early morning and late afternoon.

Jason Cook fished buzzer under the bob to land four fish for 25lb. Terry Morgan fished hare's ear and landed a nice bag of three fish for 18lb 7oz.

Tony Moor landed three fish for 17lb 4oz, all taken on hare's ear. Wayne Jones fished a team of flies — damsel on the point, hare's ear on first dropper and cruncher on bottom dropper — and landed four excellent fish for 26lb 7oz with a best of 8lb.

Matt Cole landed three good fish for 15lb, all taken on bloodworm. Mike Harrison fished mini-cat to take three fish for 15lb 8oz, and Ken Clay had a good day fishing hoppers, taking four fish from the island.

There has been a variety of fly patterns working but mostly the smaller patterns.

It's approaching the time of year to dump the lures. Dries are also starting to work. Put leader sink on the leader and gink on the fly, leave it sit there and retrieve the fly slowly.

From May 20-27 the fishery will be open from 8am to 5pm.

EGLWYS NUNYDD

Blue rainbows have been stocked in Eglwys — these are prized fish.

Anglers need to photograph their capture and submit them to the club secretary to qualify for a £25 fly-tying voucher from Flyman Ltd.

PAPERMILL

There have been some great catches. The best flies have been buzzers used under an indicator, while various lures have worked.

Michelle Kiley, who fishes on the worm, caught all three of the stocked fish which included a rainbow, blue trout and an 8lb brown, which was returned.

Not many anglers catch all three.

Other great catches were Andrew Griffiths, who landed a 5lb 1oz rainbow caught on a green and orange buzzer.

Lee Hadfield caught a 5lb 1oz rainbow on a white and green lure. Ryan Roberts caught a 7lb 4oz rainbow on a cat's whisker.

John Wilkins caught a 5lb 9oz rainbow on a damsel nymph. Luke Jones also caught a 12lb brown, which was safely returned.

Evening fishing has now started on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-9pm.

Fly: Wayne Davies three fish 9lb 10oz caught on a black buzzer. David Richards three fish 9lb 8oz caught on a green buzzer.

Simon Walters three fish 9lb 4oz caught on a damsel nymph.

Worm: Mark Jones three fish 9lb 3oz. Keith Thomas three fish 9lb 1oz. Paul Carter three fish 8lb 9oz.

WHITE SPRINGS

The weather has put fish on the feed and anglers were reporting good catches in the early part of last week on the pleasure and pit lakes.

Craig Thomas from Newport, having fished the pit for a day session only to draw blank, decided a second visit was due. He used a single-cell boillie on the pit and landed his first ever White Springs carp on his second session, which was 10lb 3oz.

The matches on Wednesday and Sunday saw good results.

On Wednesday there were six bags of more than 45lb and the winning bag fell to Llanelli's Dan Bowen with 90lb.

Second was Ryan Dummer at 76lb 8oz and third was Lew Spinks with 68lb 5oz.

Dan Bowen took third on Sunday, while first place went to James Thomas with 62lb 8oz, with Chris Bradley second on 55lb.

The specimen lake was a little slower until the fishery had strong winds, which put the fish on the move and into a feeding frenzy.

Seventeen-year-old Frankie Shellard from Newport doubled his personal best in strong winds with a 28lb 8oz off peg 13. Ashley Hopkins from Pontarddulais landed a stunning 23lb fish, while peg two produced several fish for an angler who stayed for the week, including ones of 24lb and 22lb, and his nephew on 3A also landed a 24lb 8oz fish.

But the fish of the week must go to Pontarddulais angler Richard Jones. A colleague had been fishing for four days and as nobody was on the next peg to him he had his rods in peg 11a.

When Richard arrived on 11a his colleague reeled his rods in. Richard put one of his rods into the same spot and the next morning was woken at 5.30am when he landed a fish of 41lb 10oz. It was on a cell dipped in a special secret additive and tipped with a plastic corn.

With the Welsh Carp Masters approaching, the management at the fishery have been busy repairing some of the old platforms and pegs.

A BUSINESSMAN who was visiting Swansea was assaulted with a Lambrini bottle by an "institutionalised" offender, a court heard.

Nigel Woodruff, aged 50, was staying at a hotel in the Uplands area when he was assaulted by Jamie Reeves.

Mr Woodruff had been out in the Marina and Wind Street in the city and had drunk up to six pints during the night of September 19, Swansea Crown Court heard.

As he walked back to his hotel, he saw four people on Nicholl Street, and after explaining where he was going, began to walk with one of the group, a woman called Amy Protheroe, aged 21, of Clarence Street, Sandfields.

She told him to take a left turn to reach the hotel, and he followed her, but found himself in a fenced off yard full of rubble.

Reeves, aged 33, of no fixed address, then walked towards Mr Woodruff, punched him and knocked his glasses off. The pair began grappling and fell to the floor.

Mr Woodruff later told police he was hit several times and once with a bottle, which Reeves later said was a Lambrini bottle he had found on the floor.

While he was on the floor, he felt his pockets being rummaged through.

Protheroe has already been jailed for 16 months after admitting theft for that offence.

Mr Woodruff got up after the pair ran off, and went back to the main road where some students called for help.

He was left with a 3cm cut.

The following morning Reeves went to collect his methadone script and told staff he had "done something stupid". He was arrested 30 minutes later.

In his interview, Reeves told police Mr Woodruff had approached Protheroe and asked if she was "a working girl".

He said he attacked Mr Woodruff after seeing them walk off together.

Reeves, who admitted unlawfully wounding Mr Woodruff, said he had picked the bottle from the ground and said he had intended to break it and use it to "stick it in him".

Frank Phillips, for Reeves, accepted his client had previous violent convictions.

Judge Paul Thomas jailed him for 27 months, saying the offence must have "terrifying" for Mr Woodruff.

A COUPLE who were assaulted in the street in a homophobic attack have spoken of the lasting effects of the attack.

Oliver Jones, 25, and his partner Philip Thomas, 26, were at a private family party at the Underground club in St Helen's Road in December when they saw two men begin to shout abuse at another guest.

When Mr Jones confronted them, the pair, who have since appeared before magistrates charged with assault, apologised.

They thought the incident was over, but when Mr Jones went outside for a cigarette, he saw his partner of seven years being assaulted. He tried to intervene but was then butted on the nose.

Mr Jones was left with a broken nose and Mr Thomas had cuts and bruises to the face and a black swollen eye.

Mr Jones said his nose needed hospital treatment but the biggest effect was on their confidence.

"It was all over in a flash. I remember coming round when the police arrived but hearing them shouting abuse still," he said. Ashley Chappell, 18, of Neath Road, Plasmarl and Scott Bowen, 19, both admitted common assault on the day of their trial. Bowen also admitted a second charge of assault.

Chappell received a 12-week term suspended for 12 months, including a six-month supervision order and curfew for eight weeks, plus compensation and costs.

Bowen, of Aberdyberthi Street, Swansea, was given a 12-week term suspended for 12 months, as well as 200 hours' unpaid work, and a curfew for eight weeks, compensation and costs.

But Mr Jones said the biggest effect was on the couple's confidence.

"I have never had this before and I am quite scared of going out now," he said.

"I think everyone has the right to be who they are and if anyone beats up somebody because they're gay or they're black, I feel they should be named and shamed. I think that's part of the healing process for me," said Mr Jones.

He said the couple's family had also been affected after witnessing the attack.

"It was hard for them. We have been together for nearly eight years and we have never experienced anything like this," he said.

He said he had never felt the need to hide his sexuality but said: "It has been difficult but it has changed me. I will never hide from anyone but it has made me think about it. Before it wasn't an issue," added Mr Jones.

He said the pair were happy with the sentences passed down by city magistrates but urged other victims of hate crime to come forward.

"Please report it to the police as they do take this kind of crime seriously," he said.

THE end of another season — time to reflect on how the campaign has unfolded over the past nine months, and look ahead to what is in store for next term.

It has been a remarkable time in many ways, with Wales recovering from their winless autumn to secure another Six Nations title and 15 Welsh players included in Warren Gatland's Lions squad.

Yet the regional game is about as healthy as a 100-a-day smoker with a hacking cough.

None of Wales's four professional teams reached the Heineken Cup knock-out stages and we have an all-Irish Pro12 final to look forward to on Saturday week.

There has also been one row after another between Regional Rugby Wales and the WRU, disagreements that have invariably found their way into the public domain, staining the image of the game this side of the Severn Bridge.

Unless something dramatic happens, these arguments are going to rumble on into next season.

There was scheduled to be a meeting between the two sides yesterday, and before it David Pickering took to the airwaves to warn that he was not prepared to "bankrupt" the union to keep leading players in Wales.

Fair enough — you wouldn't expect the chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union to say anything else.

But I can't see how you can have a conversation about central contracts while failing to properly debate the issue of whether players who opt to move away from the regional scene should be allowed to feature for Wales.

Pickering stresses the union, who have offered to centrally contract the Wales squad, cannot compete with French clubs with budgets of "26 to 28 million euros".

Here's the breaking news: New Zealand can't compete with those budgets, nor can England, nor can Australia.

But those countries ask players to make a choice between moving away and playing Test rugby.

I'm not for a minute suggesting this is a panacea, because it could well be the case that some players would opt to take the euros on offer, in which case you would be limiting the pool of talent available to the national coach.

It could be that Test rugby would become a young man's game, with players opting at 27 or 28 to see if they can stock up their bank balances ahead of retirement.

Whatever, we can't go on as we are, with the regions struggling desperately to keep their heads above water.

Welsh rugby should be better than that.

Would a change in personalities help? Hard to say, because the same old arguments would be there even if the faces were different.

But it shouldn't be beyond the people concerned to work out a solution so that the national team can enjoy success and the regions have a fair chance of flourishing.

What we have at the moment is Wales going from strength to strength while the Ospreys, Scarlets, Blues and Dragons struggle to do themselves justice.

Roger Lewis can point to all the significant achievements of his tenure — two Grand Slams and a Six Nations title, a falling Millennium Stadium debt and World Cup games secured in Cardiff.

All these are massive positives, evidence in many ways of a golden era at the highest level of the Welsh game.

I don't say that lightly. Some of us played during a time when consistent on-field success proved elusive and the default setting was struggle.

For Wales to be winning titles and filling Lions squads is clear evidence that a lot of good things are being done at the top. But it isn't enough. The ends have to justify the means, and I don't think they do in Welsh rugby at present.

Wales are hugely important, but there should be more to our rugby than the Test game.

The Ospreys, Scarlets, Blues and Dragons matter as well. Their supporters matter.

Somewhere out there is a compromise, a key that can unlock a settlement to the rows that have blighted Welsh rugby during the Roger Lewis era. It will invariably involve give and take.

In the meantime, I'd like to know why the union are reluctant to flesh out a debate on Gatland's Law, whereby the national coach would favour home-based players in the event of 50-50 calls with rivals in the same positions.

Other countries are on that beat. And if it's good enough for the All Blacks, tell me why it's not good enough for Wales.

UNLESS it has escaped the attention of the world's media, no-one had his head flushed down the toilet when the 2013 Lions met up for the first time, but, according to Justin Tipuric, the get-together was like the first day at school.

A different environment, wariness of the unknown, anxiety about meeting the rest of the new intake.

But then by lunch-time everything's okay.

"It's going all right," said Tipuric at the Lions' media call this week.

"When you're meeting up initially, it's like your first day at school, a bit nerve-wracking and a bit scary, but once you get used to it and speak to a few of the boys you are fine.

"It's good to meet the other guys and get to know them."

Like the rest of the Lions' class of 2013, Tipuric knows the hard word starts here before the end-of-term exams against Australia.

The 23-year-old is in the least enviable position in Warren Gatland's squad, playing in the same spot as the captain, Sam Warburton, but ever since he appeared on the professional scene Tipuric has shown himself to be a player who thrives on challenges.

Turning up at the Ospreys in 2009, he had Marty Holah, Steve Tandy, Jerry Collins, Filo Tiatia, Ryan Jones and Jonathan Thomas for company in the back row, his chance of regular rugby appearing distant.

But the multi-skilled openside worked his way through the crowd and hasn't looked back over the past two seasons.

"It's been unbelievable," he said.

"When I joined the Ospreys they had people like Marty, Filo, Jerry, Ryan, JT, Tandy — the list just went on. I remember wondering as a kid how the heck I was going to get into that team.

"I've had a lot of luck, lucky with injuries, and it's all about taking your chances."

It says everything about Tipuric's form that he has made the Lions squad.

How tough is it, after all, to get a game for a national team when you are competing for a place with the captain?

He sorted out that problem by seizing his chance when it came. Indeed, it is hard to remember one man changing the sporting weather in the way that Tipuric did after coming on as a 43rd minute replacement when Wales played Ireland in February.

At that point Rob Howley's side trailed 30-3. Over the next four-and-a-half games Wales piled up 119 points and conceded just 36, scoring nine tries and leaking none en route to the Six Nations title.

It was a huge team effort, but Tipuric's introduction was like a shot of adrenalin for Howley's side and they went from strength to strength, the season culminating in the victory over England which saw Tipuric and Warburton playing in the same line-up.

So the Osprey isn't daunted by the scale of the challenge that faces him in the weeks ahead.

"I've become used to playing in the same position as the captain," he said.

"You just have to stick to the basics, work hard and play the game with a smile on your face. If you're not enjoying yourself playing rugby there's no point bothering. Selection will be about form and the game-plan the coaches put in place."

John Eales has suggested that picking a lot of Welsh players in the Test side could backfire on Gatland, given Wales's losing run against Australia in recent years, but Tipuric doesn't buy the idea.

"Form will dictate who plays in the Tests, not nationality. Warren is not going to take into account which country a player is from. He is going to look at how well he is playing. It is about trying to get the best side on the pitch, after all. I don't think it is about worrying where people come from."

Tipuric hopes to watch Trebanos, the club he helps coach, when they play a promotion play-off against Pontyclun tomorrow.

"I enjoy being involved with the club, because I like being with my mates more than anything," he said.

"I've grown up with them all, so it's just nice to be around them, having a good laugh and a bit of banter. Trebanos are a great club, a family club, and it's great if I can help them out in any way."

Does he have scope to improve as player? "Everyone can get better," he added. "I'd never think I was the perfect player. I have a lot of things I want to work on. You have to keep working on your game otherwise you'll be left behind."

It's hard to see anyone leaving Tipuric behind this summer.

MICHEL Vorm should be fit to return when Swansea City bring the curtain down on the Premier League season against Fulham this weekend.

Swansea's first-choice goalkeeper missed the narrow defeat at Manchester United last weekend with a head injury.

Vorm suffered mild concussion in an ugly collision with team-mate Ben Davies at Wigan Athletic last week.

But the Dutch international looks set to be declared fit to feature when Swansea sign off for 2012-13 against Fulham on Sunday.

And though Gerhard Tremmel did nothing wrong at Old Trafford, the likelihood is that Vorm will be reinstated.

There could also be a changes in Michael Laudrup's back four, with Angel Rangel and Ben Davies both contenders to return to the starting XI having started on the bench at United.

If Swansea's regular full-backs are reinstated, Dwight Tiendalli and Neil Taylor are likely to drop down to the substitutes' bench. Swansea say they have no fresh injury concerns in the wake of last Sunday's 2-1 reverse, but Ki Sung-Yueng may again miss out against the Cottagers because of a dead leg.

The South Korean international has not been seen since playing 90 minutes in the defeat at Chelsea at the end of last month, although he has done some light training this week.

Chelsea was one of only two losses Swansea have suffered in their last six games and, though Laudrup's men could hardly claim to have finished the campaign with a flourish, they know a victory over Fulham could see them end up in eighth place.

That would be a spectacular achievement — and Fulham's recent form suggests they may be there for the taking. Martin Jol's team have taken only one point from their last seven games — and have lost all three of their matches with Swansea in the last two seasons.

Nevertheless Cottagers left-back John Arne Riise reckons they can end their season with a morale-boosting win.

"Swansea have had a bit of a slump after winning the League Cup, but they're still a great side," said the former Liverpool man.

"It's a hard place to play, but we want to finish on a high."

TEAMS will be out patching up the roads in Swansea neighbourhoods in the coming weeks.

Road repair teams are continuing their work to improve roads in Swansea throughout May.

The communities of Cwmbwrla and Clydach are the latest parts of the council area where motorists and road users will have seen a difference in the streets.

And other areas in the city and county are set to follow throughout the year.

The Patch (priority action for community highways) initiative was introduced by Swansea Council to help target and repair some of the worst sections of road in Swansea.

The scheme started in March and is included in the council's £3million investment in highway maintenance in 2013-14.

June Burtonshaw, Swansea Council cabinet member for place, said: "We developed the Patch programme to ensure roads in every part of Swansea would benefit from highway improvements.

"The scheme has been a great success, enabling us to make sure the resources we have are targeted to roads that are most in need of improvement."

The work taking place in May includes Pentregethin Road, Manselton, and Heol Graig Felen in Clydach.

Mrs Burtonshaw added: "There will be some disruption for traffic where larger repairs require us to close roads, but I'm sure motorists and residents will be patient while the works are completed."

Townhill, Landore and Uplands will be targeted at the end of May/June as part of the Patch scheme.

The rolling programme will also takes in the likes of Cockett, Gorseinon, Penclawdd and Dunvant, to name but a few.

It will come to an end for this year in Oystermouth on December 16.

Swansea Council is also calling on anyone who spots a road in need of repair to contact them.

SWANSEA Council has promised to minimise any disruption to motorists when work on the next phase of the city's £8 million boulevard project begins.

Work will start next week on widening and upgrading footways as part of first phase of the boulevard project.

Traffic from Princess Way to The Strand will be moved into new temporary areas created by the removal of the central reserve along the route from Tuesday.

Two narrow lanes of traffic will again be open in both directions at all times during peak hours.

The footways will be laid with natural pennant stone to match what's already in place on pavements close to the River Tawe bridges. The wider footways will eventually be shared by pedestrians and cyclists.

Nick Bradley, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: "The boulevard project has been a success so far in terms of limiting disruption for the many thousands of motorists who use the route every day.

"It's vitally important that disruption continues to be minimised, so our designers have come up with a way that they can work on the pavements while keeping two lanes of traffic moving in both directions during peak-time hours.

"The footway widening and upgrading works will start to show tangible progress for a scheme that will vastly improve what's a major gateway in and out of the city for commuters, pedestrians, cyclists, delivery drivers and visitors."

A temporary road closure will also be introduced on Burrows Place outside Swansea Museum to cater for resurfacing works there, but diversions will be in place.

Changes to bus stops will also be introduced.

A second phase of boulevard works will follow next year between The Strand and the river bridges. The completed scheme will also include new pedestrian crossings and over 80 new trees along the route.

The boulevard project is funded by the Welsh Government's Regeneration Area programme, the European Regional Development Fund and Swansea Council.

TODAY the Evening Post is backing the re-launch of a fundraising campaign for the new lifeboat house in Mumbles.

The RNLI wants to raise £136,000 towards the costs of the exciting project, which has been under way since last year.

The money will help fund the operations room, galley and mechanic's workshop.

Fundraising activities include a sponsored walk tomorrow at 10.30am from Ripple's Ice Cream Parlour, Norton, to the inshore lifeboat house in Mumbles.

Contractors, meanwhile, have been working in all weathers on the £9.5million project at the end of Mumbles Pier, which will be a slightly smaller version of the lifeboat house at Tenby.

Construction is going well, said the RNLI.

A spokeswoman for the maritime rescue charity said: "All piling works are complete, the concrete boathouse slab has been cast and the installation of first elements of the timber frame to the new boathouse are under way.

"The slipway installation works have started and should be completed by the end of June."

Next month the "jack-up" barge is set to leave, and the boathouse building — plus pier head restoration works — are due for completion by Christmas.

The current all-weather lifeboat house is adjacent to the pier and home to a Tyne class vessel, Babs and Agnes Robertson, which is 14m long, has a range of 240 nautical miles, can reach 18 knots and weighs 27 tonnes.

The £2.7million replacement Tamar class lifeboat — to be named Roy Barker IV — is 16m, has a 250-mile range, reaches 25 knots and weighs 32 tonnes.

The current all-weather lifeboat launched 19 times from Mumbles last year, while the station's inshore lifeboat launched 29 times. A total of 57 people were rescued, including a yachstman stuck in the Bristol Channel in stormy conditions on August 15.

Mumbles has 28 volunteer crew members. Six are needed to crew the Tyne class lifeboat. Only the coxswain and mechanic are paid.

Once someone is taken on as a crew member they join for a probationary period, usually around a year. The RNLI provides regular training.

Asked about the Tamar class vessel, second coxswain James Bolter said: "It's going to be spot on.

''Getting to an incident a lot quicker will be a massive plus."

Details of further fundraising event, which will include the Mumbles Raft Race, will be published in due course.

A 60-YEAR-OLD man with "a high sex drive" performed a sex act on himself in the toilets of a department store twice on the same day — with a trip to the bank in between.

Swansea Magistrates' Court heard security staff in Debenhams in Swansea Quadrant shopping centre were alerted to "inappropriate behaviour" in one of the cubicles by shop cleaners.

They closed the toilets to the public and confronted Thomas David Cooper when he emerged.

The police were then called and he was arrested.

Dennis Davies, prosecuting, said that in his police interview Cooper, of Cwrt Isaf in Birchgrove, had told officers he went to Swansea on the morning of Saturday, April 27, and went straight to the toilets, where he performed the sex act.

He then went to the bank but returned to the Debenham's toilets an "hour or two later" and did the same thing. He also admitted doing the same act in the same toilets on April 13, an incident which had not been reported to the police at the time.

Mr Davies added: "He said he had a high sex drive and had to relieve himself."

Embarrassed

Cooper pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in a public place contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Rachel Elimelech, in mitigation, said her client was deeply remorseful for what he had done. She said: "He has been in a relationship with his partner for the past 17 years — his partner has not been in the best of health and it has been a non-sexual relationship for a number of years.

"He says he is deeply remorseful and embarrassed about what happened."

Cooper was fined £137 and told to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

A FAMILY sit down to a posh picnic on the sands of a Gower beach — and millions of people around Britain watch.

Retail giant Marks and Spencer has chosen Llangennith and Rhossili as the backdrop for its new advertising campaign in the latest seal of approval for that very special corner of Wales.

The inspirational M&S ad comes hot on the heels of other recent accolades — Rhossili Bay was named Britain's best beach, the third best in Europe and the tenth best in the world by travel site TripAdvisor earlier this year.

It has also been hailed by The Independent newspaper as the "British supermodel of beaches".

Now its charms will be seen by millions of viewers in the UK thanks to the high-profile television campaign — and a potential global audience on its website.

Adrian Short, proprietor at The Worm's Head Hotel in Rhossili, said such positive publicity was good news for the area.

He said: "As residents and businesses we are fortunate to live in a beautiful area — and time and time again we are reminded of that when we pick up another accolade or award.

"I try to talk to as many of our guests as possible, and this kind of publicity is a real boost to people coming here.

"There is lots of picturesque scenery in this country, and we are privileged that a firm like Marks and Spencer chose to come to our little bay to film their new advert."

Those sentiments were echoed by Swansea Council's cabinet member for regeneration, Nick Bradley, who said the fact that M&S chose Rhossili spoke volumes for the Gower.

He said: "These adverts are watched by millions of people throughout the UK, but their availability online means many more people from across the world will be watching them too.

"This helps give Swansea Bay and beauty spots like Rhossili and Llangennith a tremendous amount of positive exposure that will attract even more visitors here in future, helping boost the local economy."

The same bay featured in a very different promotional film last year, when popular indie rock folk band Mumford and Sons filmed the video for their single Lover of the Light in the area.

Within 24 hours of the video going online it had received more than 20,000 hits from music fans.

ROBERTO Martinez may just have taken Wigan into the Championship, but he is a fantastic manager and is sure to be in demand this summer.

After the Swans, Everton are my team, and I think Roberto is an excellent option to replace David Moyes.

Never mind the fact Wigan were relegated with him at the helm, there are other reasons to explain their poor season.

Roberto has not had much money to work with and the Latics have suffered terrible luck as far as injuries are concerned.

I wouldn't blame Roberto for their predicament.

And a lot of other people seem to share my opinion because he is always being tipped to take over when a top job becomes available.

I'm not surprised by that having played alongside Roberto before he became my manager.

His calmness and vast football knowledge are his biggest strengths.

Roberto was never a ranter or a raver, he'd leave that down to Graeme Jones!

Instead, he was methodical. You were expected to do your work in the week then on matchday the message was to go out and express yourself.

I've never met anyone with such an encyclopedic understanding of European football.

He not only knew about players from across the Continent, operating in every different league, but also youngsters who were just breaking through.

I spoke to Roberto before last Saturday's FA Cup final and he was really relaxed.

There was an air of confidence in his voice even though Wigan were massive underdogs and no-one expected them to beat Manchester City. I'm not going to say I fancied them after that conversation, but I was a little less shocked than others when Ben Watson headed in the decisive goal with one minute remaining.

And it was a deserved win — Wigan were the better side.

Roberto was a little bit upset when I left Swansea for Bristol City in the summer of 2007 because there was just a week to go before the start of the new season. He felt I'd left him in the lurch and always said he didn't replace me because there was no time.

Instead Swansea decided to play a different system and ended up winning League One. Who knows what would have happened if I'd stayed, there's no guarantee Swansea would have got promoted at all.

I know Roberto has moved on since then and we're on very good terms these days.

He's been through a similar thing himself when he left Swansea under controversial circumstances.

Some Swansea fans are still bitter about that departure, but I've never blamed him.

In football you have to take opportunities when they come along — moving to a higher division, especially the Premier League, is hard to turn down.

And, similarly to my situation, who's to say Swansea would have continued on the same trajectory had Roberto stayed?

He undoubtedly deserves huge credit for putting in place the football foundations on which future managers have built.

But no-one can claim with certainty that Roberto would have led Swansea to the Premier League.

As I say, sometimes you have to put your own career first in football, and that is why I expect Roberto to leave the DW Stadium this summer.

He is too good a manager with too fine a reputation to be operating in the Championship.

And I think he would be a great man to take the reins at Goodison Park.

When I've been out and about in Liverpool recently, loads of people have come up to me asking about Roberto because of our Swansea connection.

He seems to be a popular choice among Everton supporters.

As well as David Moyes did, the style of play has not always been that attractive.

Often the Toffees have played long balls up to Marouane Fellaini which are more effective than eye-catching.

Roberto would bring his trademark passing style, and I'm sure he could work wonders with the substantially bigger transfer kitty he'd have on Merseyside.

SWANSEA City bring the curtain down on a sensational campaign this weekend with Michael Laudrup admitting it will be "nearly impossible" to improve next season.

Swansea host Fulham on Sunday knowing victory could see them end 2012-13 as the eighth best side in the country.

Laudrup's men have also won the Capital One Cup — and qualified for the Europa League as a result — in what will surely go down as the best season in their history.

And the Swansea manager concedes that given the strides made this term, it will not be easy for his team to make further progress next year.

"That's a problem isn't it — how can you better this?" Laudrup said.

"It's nearly impossible.

"That is the only downside of this season — that is it almost impossible to do better.

"You always have to try to find a mark, and a mark for this club, with the lowest budget in the Premier League, is to try to consolidate in mid-table.

"I know it sounds a little bit arrogant for a club with our budget to try to do that.

"But after two seasons in the Premier League we will have finished 11th and either eighth or ninth, so we have to try to aim for that.

"It won't be easy because I know clubs below us will want to do better than they have this season and they will spend heavily in the summer. That means it is going to be another huge challenge for Swansea City next season."

Laudrup will attempt to boost Swansea's chances of progressing next season by bringing in up to six new faces this summer.

The first of those is likely to be Real Betis midfielder Jose Canas, while Swansea are also lining up deals for Celta Vigo frontman Iago Aspas and Chelsea powerhouse Romelu Lukaku.

Inevitably there will be departures too, and it could be that one or two players say their Liberty farewells on Sunday.

Mark Gower has already departed this week, and Laudrup says more players must go to make room for new faces in what he hopes will be a streamlined squad.

It would be a surprise if Itay Shechter is retained after his season-long loan from Kaiserslautern, though Swansea do want to keep another of their loanees, Jonathan de Guzman.

The future of Dwight Tiendalli remains uncertain, while there are a number of fringe players Laudrup will probably look to move on.

Among them is Leroy Lita, who it seems is wanted on a permanent deal by Sheffield Wednesday following a successful loan spell at Hillsborough.

The striker has one more season to run on his Swansea contract.

Swansea winger Wayne Routledge, meantime, was overlooked by Roy Hodgson yesterday despite suggestions that he might be in line for a first call-up to the England senior squad.

MICHU ended a season-long stream of plaudits by bagging The Evening Post Supporters' Player of the Year trophy at Swansea City's annual awards bash last night.

The prize, voted for by our readers, was recognition for a campaign in which the Spaniard dumbfounded opponents and pundits up and down the country.

Since early August last year, the Premier League has been asking how Swansea managed to bag this gem for such a paltry price.

And why was no-one else tracking a player with such obvious ability?

If you believe Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, some of the biggest clubs in the land have launched internal investigations to answer just those questions.

Scouts throughout the league have apparently squirmed through awkward interrogations about how exactly a player who has scored 18 top-flight goals slipped through the net.

Michu made a low-key arrival in South Wales, signing in a £2.2 million deal from Rayo Vallecano without much fanfare.

Despite the fact Michu finished up as the highest scoring midfielder in La Liga last season, scouts on these shores seemed to have missed, or dismissed, the likeable frontman from Oviedo.

But Michael Laudrup knew all about his attributes and it didn't take the forward long to repay the Dane's faith.

Swansea's opening game of the season was just eight minutes old when Michu struck from the edge of the area, Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Rob Green fumbled and the ball nestled in the net.

If the effort that opened his account owed something to good fortune, Michu's second Swansea goal was breathtakingly emphatic.

The Real Oviedo youth product raced on to Wayne Routledge's pass and swept the ball into the top corner with devastating accuracy.

Laudrup's men went on to triumph 5-0 in that first match, and Swansea fans left suspecting their side might have also been big winners in the transfer market.

Their hopes proved to be well founded as Michu scored another five goals in his next eight matches.

Further strikes followed in victories over Newcastle and West Brom before Michu's growing reputation rose another few levels.

With time running out at the Emirates, Swansea were on course to record a famous draw away to Arsenal.

Then, as the clock ticked down, Michu exchanged passes with Luke Moore and found himself bearing down on goal.

While visiting fans held their breath, their new hero was ice cool.

Michu stared into the whites of Wojciech Szczesny's eyes then calmly planted the ball past the Gunners goalkeeper.

But he wasn't finished there.

After Nathan Dyer chased down Carl Jenkinson, Michu found himself in the same position.

And again the former Celta Vigo man was unflappable, slowing to a stroll before finding the bottom corner.

Michu's scoring streak continued — there were four goals in the following seven matches — before his next headline-grabbing act arrived in January.

Swansea travelled to Chelsea for a Capital One Cup semi-final as massive underdogs against the reigning European champions.

But Stamford Bridge was stunned into silence when Michu collected the ball from Jonathan de Guzman before expertly dispatching at the near post.

Danny Graham's goal completed a victory which ultimately sent Swansea to Wembley, and Michu was again on target in the 5-0 win over Bradford in the final.

Talk of an international call-up followed the 27-year-old around all season, with Spain coach Vicente del Bosque suggesting Swansea's new star would win a first cap this spring.

In the end that failed to materialise, and Michu was also controversially left off the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year shortlist.

But he was never likely to be overlooked by Swansea, to whom his value is undeniable.

In a campaign where the likes of Ashley Williams and Leon Britton have again shone, Michel Vorm has attracted admiring glances from top clubs and Ben Davies has come from nowhere to be a top-flight star, Michu stands apart.

And after he this week promised to ignore any possible attempts to prise him away from the Liberty during the summer, it seems Swansea fans can look forward to more golden moments next season.