Commonwealth Games medalist passes The Queen's Baton

A former Commonwealth Games bronze medalist will be taking part in the Queen’s Baton Relay when it comes to Llanelli next month.

Bowls star Neil Rees is one of the baton bearers chosen to carry the Queen’s message on May 27.

To date, the 35-year-old from Swiss Valley has had an impressive sporting career including representing Wales twice at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and 2006 and scooping the British championship title in 2000. He also won two gold titles as part of a team at the Atlantic Rim Championships, competed three times in the world championships and won the Welsh Open team alongside his father, Brian. Ranked in the top 12 in Wales, he narrowly missed out on this year’s Glasgow games.

Carl Daniels, the council’s senior sports and leisure manager said: “We are really excited to welcome the Queen’s Baton to Carmarthenshire and want to reward the county’s elite sport representatives, such as Neil, by enabling them to carry the prestigious baton into events we are organising to get people active.”

The financial advisor started playing bowls at the age of eight and three years later, aged 11, had beaten all his adult opponents but was turned down by the Welsh team because he was too young.

He said: “I started playing bowls when I was 8 after my grandfather John Harries, the then town mayor, opened the indoor bowls at the Selwyn Samuel Centre. I got into the Welsh team at 16 and have been there ever since playing over 300 games. It’s been a great experience playing for my country which has taken me to some fantastic locations around the world.”

A former Bryngwyn schoolboy and Parc y Dre player, Neil is one of over a dozen sporting talents to carry the baton which holds the Queen’s message to Commonwealth Games athletes.

The owner of Just Financial Services in Station Road hopes to fullfil his dreams by competing in the Olympics Games if moves are made to include Bowls as one of its sporting games.

He said: “As it’s not a core sport it’s not included but hopefully that will change in the near future. Wouldn’t it be great if it did and I had the chance to compete!”

The council’s leisure teams have been working on the relay for six months county and have secured a prime relay display day after the May Bank Holiday for television coverage, with the baton being trailed from the Dylan Thomas’ Boathouse to Carmarthen, Ammanford and then Llanelli before returning to Carmarthen.

The relay, which builds up to the July games to be held in Glasgow, is currently in Africa.