Allen family serve up a weekend to remember
Joe retires from football as Jane leads Wales to tennis victory
THE BANK HOLIDAY weekend was one to remember for the Allen family, as both Joe and Jane Allen made headlines in their respective sports.
Joe Allen brought down the curtain on a glittering professional football career by captaining Swansea City in their final game of the season at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday (May 4). The 35-year-old was given a guard of honour as he led out his boyhood club, calling time on a career that spanned nearly 600 club appearances and 77 international caps for Wales.
A key figure in Wales' golden era, Allen featured at Euro 2016, Euro 2020, and the 2024 World Cup. He will be remembered as one of the finest midfielders to have worn the red shirt.
Meanwhile, his mother, Jane Allen, led Team Wales to victory in the prestigious Senior Four Nations tennis tournament in Wrexham. A stalwart of Haverfordwest Tennis Club and captain at county level, Jane has twice had the honour of leading Wales in the bi-annual tournament, which features teams from Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland.
The Welsh team got off to a flying start, defeating Scotland 3-0, with Jane partnering in the doubles and teammates Elinore Lightbody and Jenny Burrows claiming singles victories. A 2-1 win over Ireland followed, setting up a title decider against England. Wales triumphed 2-1 to secure the age-group title—becoming the only Welsh team to do so in this year's event.
The standout player of the weekend was Swansea's Elinore Lightbody, who remained unbeaten across all six of her singles and doubles matches, dropping just 13 games.
Jane said: 'When I saw I had Elinore and Jenny in the team, I knew we had a real chance—they're both quality players. Elinore was simply in a league of her own, and Jenny played a stormer in the all-important decider.
'I couldn't be prouder of them. It was an honour and a privilege to have played a small part in the victory.
'In the 30 years I've played tennis, I've been lucky to partner some outstanding players—none more so than Laura Davies, who remains one of the best veterans players in the country.'
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