What’s the difference between this year and the next? Well Roughly, it’s about 365 days. That’s a lot of time. A considerable amount of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months to get things wrong, or in some cases, to get it right.

Difference is always fractional. In sport, as in life, the difference between this and that, and winning and losing, can be decided in the blink of an eye, the toss of a coin, the penetrating pass, the calculating catch, the direct delivery, the holding of nerve, the iron in the will, and the belief in the impossible.

And sometimes it’s all down to sheer luck! You can never underestimate the benefit of being in the right place at the right time.

So when the last night of 2017 rolls around, make sure you position yourself well. Both fortune and favour could depend on it.

But before you throw yourself into the new year festivities like a giddy stallion with all the joys of spring burning brightly in the whites of your eyes, why not join Sports Editor Tim Butters and take a red hot minute to reflect on the last six months of sporting action which left the Abergavenny area gobsmacked and drooling like a rabid dog.

Once again the local athletes really excelled themselves as they pushed the boat out and went beyond the pale to deliver the goods.

But alas, all good things are born to an end.

Down the street the dogs are barking and the day is getting dark. The year will soon be freshly dead and no more. And somewhere in some far-flung corner, the sounds of a lone Banjo can be heard plucking out a lonesome and haunting melody from the abyss which awaits us all.

But enough with the existential despair. It is the prerogative of poets, not 24-hour party-people. And as always, the strange limbo which lies between Christmas and New Year must end with a bang, or a least a boogie.

So good luck and god bless. And if you find yourself one too many mornings and a million miles behind on the first day of 2018, then stick something fizzy in a glass of tap water and hope for the best!

A happy sporting new year one and all!

July

Football: A popular Abergavenny Thursdays player who captained the team to winning the Welsh Challenge Cup in 1951 sadly passes away this month. Robert Curzon – known to everyone as Bob, captained Abergavenny Thursdays during some of their most successful years. He played for the Thursdays for several seasons and was nickname “Quicksilver” Curzon. Bob joined the army during the Second World War and served in Burma in the special forces. Whilst serving he played in a number of army teams alongside such luminaries as future England International Tommy Lawton and BBC personality Peter West.

Cycling: A stunning ride from Wigan’s Chris Lawless sees him clinch the UK British Cycling National Circuit Series round three at the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling. The 21-year-old’s dominance is so vast he laps the peloton and finishes almost a minute ahead of second-placed Gibson.

Cricket: The Beavers win big at Ledbury and in doing so deny the home team the opportunity to say a victorious goodbye to 180 years of cricket at their beloved ground.

Crickhowell’s season goes from bad to worse as they lose a crucial, basement battle derby in the Marches League Division One away to local rivals Glangrwyney.

Athletics: Endurance athlete Shelly Kelly is presented with an award by the Cardiff Outdoor Group for completing the Three Peaks Trial Gold Route Challenge not once, not twice, but thrice, in a muscle busting time of of 19 hours and 50 minutes. In other words Shelly climbed over 15,000 feet in 60 miles all in the space of 24 hours. And that’s a lot of ground covered and distance run.

Martial Arts: Abergavenny Karate Club has the honour of being visited by Britain’s Chief karate instructor, Sensei Ohta 7th Dan.

King Henry VIII pupil Cameron Ferrie wins gold in the Tae Kwondo International Open European Championships in Poland.

August

Cycling: Becky James shocks the cycling world and announces she is giving up the bike to concentrate on her other passion - baking! A year on from her silver medal haul at the Rio Olympics, the 25-year-old decides to kiss goodbye to the track and say hello to the world of cakes.

“I have had time to think about my future and have decided to retire from international track sprint racing,” reveals James who says she now intends to set up a business making speciality cakes.

Rugby: The shapely flanks of the Skirrid capture everyone’s attention after a British Lions ‘tattoo’ is stamped there by some artistically-minded rugby fan.The handiwork was etched onto the hillside by Dan Bevan and his tool of the trade was a good old-fashioned topper!

Bowls: 20-year-old Jack Vale is selected to play for Monmouthshire in the Welsh County Championship finals at Llandrindod Wells. He is part of the county team that win their semi-final against South Glamorgan by 129 shots to 104. Unfortunately, they lose to Mid Glamorgan in the final by 117 shots to 106.

Cricket: Abergavenny secure promotion back to Division One at the first attempt with a superb 139 run victory against Lisvane. After losing the toss Abergavenny scored 242-5 from their 50 overs with opening batsman Andrew Jones scoring a fantastic 109 and Adam Harrison getting 51.

Llanarth welcome Cardiff to the LCG for the final league game of the season. The hosts collapse like a pack of cards with four batsmen failing to trouble the scorer and the innings finish an agonisingly 12 runs short of victory on 107 all out. Relegation looms.

September

Cricket: Abergavenny win the South East Wales Cricket League Division Two title at Barry Athletic with a convincing 105 run win.

Rugby: Abergavenny usher in the new season by welcoming old rivals NHSOB to Bailey park, hoping for a good start under new coaches Nathan Thomas and Simon Williams. However, the away side have the last say when a poorly defended scrum allows them to finish the scoring for a well deserved 13-32 victory. After the match two members of ARFC are presented with life membership - Mr Ian Wylie and Mr Brian Griffiths. In their next match the Clarets take a trip up top to face Tredegar Ironsides and return from the heights with a hard-fought 17-28 victory.

Football: Despite missing three regulars, Abergavenny Town enjoy a 7-0 goal feast against AFC Porth at Pen-y-Pound.

Martial Arts: Gilwern Karate club’s Rhiannon Rogers shows a lot of heart and determination to battle through a leg injury and take gold at the Continental Cup Championships in Belgium.

October

Cricket: Llanarth Cricket Club are awarded the Groundsmen of the Year Trophy for their picturesque ground.

Rugby: The last recorded fixture between Crickhowell RFC and the then Crumlin Excelsiors took place 104 years ago in 1913. On that day, Crickhowell received a telegram stating “the motor conveyance in which the team had intended to travel to Crickhowell had broken down”, and the match, consequently, had to be postponed. Mechanical failure was not a problem when Crick travelled to Crumlin in October and beat them 19-26.

Abergavenny hadn’t played Usk in a league fixture in over three decades. This changed when the Clarets took on Usk and took home the spoils to the tune of 17-25.

Football: STM Sports arrived at Pen-y-Pound with Lamin Conteh in their ranks and the former Sierra Leone international produced a virtuoso performance of pace and finishing as the visitors destroyed the Town, 0-7.

With no league games scheduled, Abergavenny travelled to Hereford to face a team flying high at the top of their league, and returned with seven goals and a clean sheet.

King Henry VIII pupil Josh Edwards is picked to represent Gwent FA in the South and West Counties Championship. The under 16 player stormed through his trials and was selected as part of a 21-player squad who will play group matches against Gloucestershire, Dorset, Devon, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

November

Cycling: Abergavenny’s hugely popular Crosstober event sees visitors from far and wide taking a trip up to the ‘Gateway of Wales’ for a weekend of two-wheeled action. Ffion James (Abergavenny Road Club) is the popular winner of the senior ladies race, while Clare Hoskins (Cardiff JIF) takes the honours in the women’s vet race.  

Football: Rumours are rife that Abergavenny Town have signed a new player in the form of former Manchester United winger and England international Lee Sharpe.

But after the Twitter storm blows over and the dust settles, it’s revealed that the Red Devil was merely in town to give a well received talk at the Pen-y-Pound club house.

On the pitch Abergavenny Town return to winning ways in a seven-goal thriller against Croesyceiliog which they win 4-3. In their next match, an in-form Sean Feeley fires home an impressive hat-trick in the second-half to win the day for his club in their clash against Aberdare.

Abergavenny Women blast their way into the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup with a thumping 11-0 victory against a Barry Town outfit who were looking to protect a 100 percent winning record this season

Rugby: The Clarerts returned from their trip to Fleur De Lys with a resounding 32 points to seven bonus point victory.

Cross Ash live-wire Hallam Amos blazes a trail and makes a name for himself in this year’s Autumn Internationals.The former Monmouth School Head Boy scores the crucial try in Wales’ narrow 13-6 win against Georgia and also had another other try ruled out after racing 70 metres to the line.

December

Motorsports: Abergavenny based speedster Leon Window roars to a full throttle victory at Brands Hatch when he bags first place in the Mini SE7EN Dunlop ‘0’ Cup.

Athletics: Runners of all shapes and sizes lace up their trainers and go charging through the hills this month in the first of Element’s scenic but tough nine-mile Black Mountains Trail Race.

Boxing: Some boxers box for fame, some for glory, some for the prize, and some because the fighting spirit flows through their blood and is locked into their very DNA. Kieran Gething is one such boxer. He comes from a well-established family of fighters and is fast making a name for himself as one to watch in the world of the professional pugilist.

Football: Abergavenny turn the style on and walk all over their big city opponents (Cardiff City) to secure a league cup semi-final spot.

Abergavenny Town could have and should have won their game against West End Town, but they give away a soft penalty in the final few minutes and pay the price.