Ground: Stebonheath Park (3,700)
Coach: Ashley Bateman
Captain: Joe Burke
Last season: 10th League 1

Getting to the start of the 2022 Betfred League 1 campaign must feel like an achievement in itself for West Wales Raiders after a difficult close season for the Llanelli outfit.

Coaching appointments and then departures before and after a heavy Betfred Challenge Cup loss to Swinton Lions left the club in a state of flux. However, a passionate and strongly worded rallying call from Raiders chief Peter Tiffin resulted in a degree of stability and the appointment of club stalwart Ashley Bateman as head coach.

The former Welsh international has a tough task on his hands however and after the experimental signings of former rugby union star Gavin Henson and Rangi Chase didn’t have the desired effect last year, Bateman will once again have to rely on locally based talent.

And after failing to win any of their 18 regular season games in 2021, real progress for the Raiders would be to see that unwanted record bettered 12 months later.

Quick West Wales facts:

• The club were initially admitted to rugby league’s professional ranks as the South Wales Scorpions in 2010. The club used that moniker until 2017 when they were known as the South Wales Ironmen. After just one year known as the Ironmen, the club were rebranded to West Wales Raiders.
• The club’s first ever professional season was without doubt their most successful as they finished sixth in League 1 and qualified for the play-offs before losing to Rochdale Hornets.

Memorial Ground: Round 8; Sunday, May 15; 3.00pm
Stebonheath Park: Round 12; Saturday, June 25; 3.00pm