Ceredigion athletes to take part in the Queen’s Baton Relay

16 Ceredigion athletes, who have gained international honours in their chosen sports are gearing up to be Baton Bearers on 30 June when the Birmingham 2022  Baton Relay will visit our county during its journey through Wales.

Here’s a closer look at the athletes taking part and their achievements:

• Cameron Allen, Penglais Secondary school pupil, was selected for the Welsh School Football Association U18 squad. Cameron has recently returned from Rome with the squad where he played in the Roma Caput Mundi Tournament. Cameron’s goal is to be a professional footballer. 
  
• Ruadhán O’Regan, Penglais Secondary school pupil, has represented North Wales Hockey since Year 7 (now in Year 11) and was selected to play for Wales in the National Age Groups U16s in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Ruadhan has had International Caps for playing in 3-day test series held in Belfast, Glasgow and England. He is a Hockey Wales Ambassador and assists with coaching and umpiring juniors at his local hockey club and secondary school. He now plays for the Swansea Men’s team, is part of the Hockey Wales development pathway, and aims to progress to the U18 squad.
  
•  Órla O’Regan, Penglais Secondary school pupil, is in the Welsh U18s Hockey squad and has recently returned from an international 3-day test series against Scotland in Glasgow. Orla has represented North Wales since year 8 and now plays for their U18s squad. She is a Hockey Wales Ambassador and assists with coaching and umpiring juniors at her local club and school. She has also played for Aberystwyth University Ladies and currently playing in the South Wales Ladies League for Swansea Hockey Club

Both Órla  and her brother Ruadhán  started playing hockey at St. Padarn’s Primary School, progressing on to club hockey with Bow Street and then Dysynni hockey clubs.

• Fin Tarling, Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron pupil, is a member of the Welsh U16 team for cycling and has represented Wales at the UK School Games and the Tour of Scotland. He is the British and multiple Welsh champion on the track and road and is a Gold medallist at the UK Schools Game riding for Wales. He’s part of the Belgian Flanders Color Team, and has won multiple races in Europe.

• Josh Hathaway, a former pupil at Penglais School plays rugby and received a rugby scholarship to study the Level 3 National Diploma Sport (Rugby) at Hartpury College. He helped the Hartpury Ace U18’s team go undefeated all season and the winning the ACE League Championship Final in December 2021. Josh, having only just turned 18 was selected for this year’s Wales U20’s 6th Nations Squad, where he gained his first cap against Italy in April. He now looks forward to being part of the squad for next year’s 6th Nations and the Junior World Cup in France 2023.
  
• Daniel Henchie Jones, from Swyddffynnon joined Aberystwyth Basketball Club just before lockdown and has now earned a place on the Wales U16 boys Basketball team and has already represented Wales at the Four Nations Tournament in Dundee in May 2022. Daniel enjoys volunteering to support younger players to learn and play and hopes to have a future career in sport.
  
• Jade Whitlock moved to Aberystwyth for university in 2015 and played for the university Dodgeball team. She represented Aberystwyth University in major tournaments around the country and was fortunate enough to be selected for the Wales Dodgeball Squad in 2020. Jade maintains her place in the squad for 2022 and looks forward to representing Wales in future tournaments and events internationally.
  
• Alex Hammel currently plays football for Penrhyncoch and basketball for Aberystwyth Basketball Club. He was a member of the U12 and U14 Wales Basketball Squads and got selected to represent Wales with the U15 Boys Basketball National Team. Alex got his first cap against Scotland in May 2022. He is an Ambassador at his club, helps to teach primary school children basketball and started coaching at Penglais School reaching the Junior NBA finals in Wales with his team.
  
• Casi Gregson, Ysgol Gyfun Bro Pedr Lampeter pupil, competes in many sports, including athletics having competed in West Wales athletics competitions, Ceredigion Schools and the Welsh Championships in the past. However, her most recent success has been with football after securing a place in the Wales’ Girls Football Under 16’s squad and was fortunate enough to play for Wales in November 2021. Casi’s highlight on the football field was the victory of Tim Under 16 Wales in the 2-1 championship against England, scoring a decisive goal. 

• Daniel Berry moved to Aberaeron over four years ago to live with his grandmother and started to play Wheelchair Basketball in Aberystwyth. He now represents Wales in the under 14’s junior squad, the Welsh boys’ team for the school Games. He has also trained with the men’s commonwealth qualifier team. Daniel was born with a rare neurological condition called Dystonia which sends all his muscles into spasms.

• Kai Frisby from Aberystwyth first tried wheelchair basketball at the age of seven after having hip surgery due to being born with Cerebral Palsy, affecting all of his right side and his left leg. Since then, he has represented Wales at the Lord Taveners Games in 2018 and again in 2019 (under 15’s) in wheelchair basketball. He represented Wales at the school games in 2021 and was part of the Welsh senior wheelchair basketball team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games trails.

• Jac Sheehan, Penglais Secondary school pupil, is a member of the Disability Sports Wales and has won several medals for Wales whilst competing in Discus, Shot put and Javelin. Jac was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at a young age and later developed Epilepsy; both conditions affect his coordination and mobility. He is currently in training to prepare for trails for the Wales Wheelchair Basketball Team.

• Melanie Thomas from Lampeter, has competed in many sports over the years having gained her first Welsh cap playing football for the Welsh Women’s Under 16’s team and went on to represent the Under 19’s age category. Following this, Melanie took up bowling and has represented Wales in many national competitions, winning the Welsh Women’s singles title, winning an Atlantic Championships Gold with teammates in the rinks competition and gaining a Silver medal playing pairs at the World Youth Championships in Australia.  She is a member of the Women’s Elite Squad and a non-travelling reserve for Birmingham 22. Melanie is a Welsh Government Civil Servant currently working in the Health and Social Services division.
  
• Alis Butten is an Under 25 and senior Welsh lawn bowls player from Lampeter Bowling Club. During her bowling career so far she became the youngest woman to play for the senior international team, has won numerous county and Welsh titles and has recently been selected to represent Wales at the European Championships in Ayr in July. Her proudest bowling achievement was winning the Welsh pairs competition with her mum, Anwen Butten.
  
• Hari Butten is an Under 25 Welsh lawn bowls player from Lampeter Bowling Club. He has earnt caps for Wales during the U’25 lawn bowls international series over the last few years and has also won numerous Open competitions across Wales as well as being reigning County Triples Champion. Outside of bowls, he is a Victim Care Officer for Dyfed Powys Police and also volunteers as a Special Constable at Cardiff Bay with South Wales Police.
• Anwen Butten plays lawn bowls for Lampeter Bowling Club and has represented Wales since 1988 at Junior, Senior and Elite level. She has been to four World championships, five Atlantic Championships and five commonwealth games. She has been fortunate to travel the world representing Wales. Anwen has won over 16 medals during the last 20 years and won Welsh and British Isles titles. Anwen will represent Wales in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this year, which will be her sixth consecutive time competing. Anwen works as a Head and Neck Cancer Specialist Nurse with Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Joining them will be Jamie James of Aberystwyth Bowling Club and Hawys Medi Richards of The Vale of Rheidol Railway in recognition of the contribution volunteers make in the county making a total of 18 Baton Bearers

• Jamie James from Aberystwyth has been playing bowls since the age of 14 and has represented Ceredigion for the last 15 years. In the last two years, he’s played the position of skip for Ceredigion. During the 2021 season, Jamie won the County pairs championship and was a singles finalist.  Jamie is a Support and Attainment Co-ordinator, managing the provision for the most vulnerable pupils in primary schools throughout Ceredigion.
  
• Hawys Medi Richards from Ciliau Aeron is the 13years old daughter of Aled Richards one of the engineers on the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Hawys is a member of West Wales Cycling Club and in the last 15 months together with her family has raised nearly £7,000 to 3 charities close to their hearts due to her sudden kidney failure in December 2020 ( Noahs Ark, Kidney Wales and Ronal McDonald). She has had a kidney transplant only 6 months and her donor was her mother.

The schedule of activity for the Baton’s time in Ceredigion includes:  

• Baton Relay, from Plascrug Leisure Centre to Aberystwyth Bowling Club (Plascrug) (14:15 to 14:30) 
• The Baton Relay continues from Aberystwyth Bowling Club (Plascrug) to the Vale of Rheidol Railway (14:45 to 15:30) 
• The Baton  will go on a train ride to Capel Bangor (15:45) 

The best locations for spectators to view the Baton Relay are Plascrug Avenue and The Vale of Rheidol Railway although the Baton will also travel along the pavements of  Alexander Road and Park Avenue.

Following its time in Aberystwyth, the Baton will then travel to the Gwersyll Llangrannog Urdd Centre at Llangrannog where it will stay overnight before moving onto Pembrokeshire on Friday 01 July.

Catrin M.S. Davies, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Customer Services, said: “It’s great to see so many residents of the county being part of welcoming the baton to Ceredigion. Each is a great ambassador, whether it is a champion in sport, athletics or cycling; or has shown courage in receiving medical treatment. They are an inspiration to us all.”

The Team Wales website will be updated with information over the coming weeks, with further detail on the events and where to line the route: https://teamwales.cymru/en/events/queens-baton-relay/