Dan poses with coveted Wales cap.

The latest on the conveyor belt of talented young rugby players to set out at Whitland RFC is Dan Newton, who is still a teenager but has already played for the first team at fullback and scored a couple of tries against Crymych in the cup.

This season has seen Dan playing at outside half for a very good Whitland Youth team which has already reached the quarter-final of the Welsh Youth Cup and he has also been chosen to play for the Llanelli Scarlets at under-20 level.

His father Roy was a regular on the Whitland wing for many years. Both he and wife Ceri were thrilled when, in 1999, Dan was chosen to carry the Samoan flag at the World Cup in Cardiff.

Dan is a sporting all-rounder who also plays regularly for Whitland Cricket Club as a fast bowler and batsman, and also joined Howard Pickersgill and his footballing crew at St Clears at every age level from under-nine to under-16.

Dan's rugby started at Ysgol Griffith Jones, St Clears, under headteacher and coach Spencer Jones and set out in club rugby at St Clears for the under-nines, through to under-tens - but at the start of the under-11s (2000-2001 season) St Clears junior section folded, so in October 2000 he joined Whitland RFC, and has been there ever since.

During that period he also played with Carmarthenshire Schools under-11s for three years (aged nine, ten, and 11) under coach Andy Edwards.

The following season saw Dan and co win the Pembrokeshire under-11 cup final and in the following season they were runners-up,. Dan gained some consolation from beings chosen to represent Pembrokeshire and district at under-12 level.

The team was also second in that competition during the next campaign the highlight of which was when Pembrokeshire beat Cardiff and the Vale by 14-10 and Dan was able to show his kicking prowess with a touchline conversion.

At under-14 level Whitland were again winners of the Pembrokeshire Cup and a delighted Dan received the coveted man of the match award in the final.

He was also selected to play for the Scarlets under-14s against French team Agen and was again part of a winning outfit.

The 2004/5 season saw further success for Dan as his team reached the under-15s Pembrokeshire cup final and he was selected a year early for the Llanelli Scarlets under-16 squad, which went on to win the Reebok regional final against Cardiff Blues south.

It was even better 12 months further on because Dan had another runners-up medal in the county final at under-16 level, again played for the Scarlets and was thrilled when he was chosen for Wales under-16s, travelling to Italy to play the Italians under-17 team, England and the England A team in the Millfield tournament.

Dan was also a member of the Whitland Youth team which won the Pembrokeshire Youth Cup in 2006/7 and was again selected to play for the Scarlets under-18s.

He is in his final year at Ysgol Dyffryn Taf and will be jetting off to South Africa to represent the school at rugby in July.

Dan's cricket has followed similar lines as part of a Whitland youth team which won the Ormond Youth Cup from 2004 to 2007 after being runners-up 2003.

He captained the team in 2006 and 2007, and has played for all the senior teams, including the Whitland First XI.

9:56am Tuesday 18th March 2008

Print

Email this