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Luke leads the way as a Scarlets centre
Luke Harvatt is a talented young rugby player from Haverfordwest who is already making a name for himself as a centre in the Scarlets under 16 squad, having played in all their matches this season, including the final of the competition where they took on Cardiff Blues North at Aberavon RFC.
There was a disappointing conclusion in that match for Luke and his team-mates because they lost 16-13 after a tremendous tussle where the scores were locked on 13 points apiece until the very last minute, when the opposition were awarded a penalty which they kicked to snatch the verdict. But they played their hearts out and it was another part in the learning process for the talented young centre from Haverfordwest.
He was invited to join the Scarlets squad for his age group after a busy season at under 15 level where he captained STP School and the County Schools team, plus the District team as a representative of Haverfordwest RFC. He was coached by Andy Barlow and Phil Viol in the schools’ set-up and Kim Norkett and Alan Phillips at district level, and is full of praise for the hard work they do. The Scarlets watch performances in the Dewar Shield and the District games and although five Pembrokeshire players were invited to join the Scarlets only prop Nathan Bowen (Cardigan) and co-centre Michael Johns (Fishguard) are still there with him.
Scarlets’ success
At the Scarlets he plays under head coach Rob Walters, plus forwards’ coach Gary Price and backs’ coach Deiniol Thomas and he has enjoyed the experience of playing against quality teams like Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Dragons. He scored a good try against the Ospreys at Stradi Park in a 40-point win and the Scarlets arrived at their last match, against Cardiff Blues South, needing to win by seven points to reach the final.
They eventually squeezed home by 10-0 in a very tense tussle to deny the opposition a final place, having to defend really well at the end as the Blues South players seemed sure to score but were prevented by last-ditch covering by Luke and Co.
Following in dad’s footsteps
That Luke is rugby player is perhaps only natural because his dad Simon, who was known to all as ‘Tiny’, was a very good rugby player who represented Pembrokeshire Schools as a flanker alongside the likes of Geraint John and Randall Evans. Luke and younger brother Noah (now 13) always had a rugby ball to throw around in the family home and Luke would nominate mum Janice as ‘amazing’ for all the support she has given him.
He started out from the age of six in tag team matches and eventually progressed to county level at under 10 where he was coached by Andy Grey. From there it was a natural progression through to leading the schools’ team after starting out as a flanker when he was a nipper but switched to outside centre, although he also plays at outside half or inside centre in schools’ matches. Luke captained the schools’ team on a marvellous tour to Canada where they won both their matches and also visited superb places like Niagara Falls and the CN Tower in Toronto, as well as watching Toronto Blue Jays in a top baseball match.
Sporting all-rounder
Like a lot of talented young sportsmen, Luke’s skills are not just confined to rugby because he is a useful footballer who played as a centre half for Camrose until under 14 level before he decided to focus on his rugby. He is also a very good surfer who spends a great deal of time in the summer at Newgale and Broad Haven, trying hard to be a ‘beach bum’ - and loves snow-boarding after learning the technique on family holidays abroad.
But it is rugby that has always been his favourite and is eager to mention others who have been a great help to him over the years, like Jonathan Dodd in school, Kim Norkett, Kenny Davies and Alan McClelland at county level, plus Andy Curtis at Haverfordwest Rugby Club. They would say that he is a strong tackler, cuts good angles of running and has deft handling skills, all of which should serve him well in the future.
Future hopes
Having just completed his examinations, Luke is eager to take ‘A’ levels in PE, Welsh, Business Studies and RE before hopefully progressing to a degree course in Sports Science at Cardiff University, having a level head on young shoulders so that he has something to fall back on if the rugby doesn’t work out. He aims to do as well as he can in the oval ball game and if commitment and rugby ability are anything to go by then we are sure to hear a great deal more of Luke Harvatt in the future!
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