page revision date : 30th June 2010
George is following in dad’s footsteps
George Kenniford is one of those talented youngsters in the county who play several sports well and George is beginning to make a name for himself as a fine No 8 in rugby at Pembroke Dock Harlequins and as a goalkeeper with Monkton Swifts.
He is certainly following in dad’s footsteps because his father is Richard Kenniford, who also played at No 8 with the Quins and was a very good goalkeeper in local football. Richard was known to all as ‘Clover’ and George has already assumed the same nick-name, but he is very much his own young man and is already focussed on the hard work necessary to do well in rugby, which he has decided will benefit from his sporting prowess.
George began playing the oval ball game at Bierspool after watching his dad play there – and started out himself when he was eight years old and played second row in a side coached by current first-team coach Paul Rogers. It certainly wasn’t a case of instant success because George admits that he sat on the bench for most of the season and things weren’t much better the following campaign because he had an ankle injury – but after that his game seemed to come on in leaps and bounds so that he was selected for the county team at under 12 level which was coached by Kenny Davies and Paul Rogers.
Footballing ability and choice of sports
George was also beginning to make a name for himself as a footballer after starting out by just kicking a ball around with old friend Craig Butland at Bush Camp. He started playing for the Swifts as goalkeeper and still turns out for their under 15s team that is coached by Chris Stapleton. He was drafted into the county team at 13 and spent some time training at the Swansea School of Excellence at Llandarcy and with the maturity that is part of his make-up was soon aware of how good some of the players were but also of the way that every player had to do everything to catch the eye if they wished to stay in contention.
It was the time that he had to decide which sport would take priority and he was persuaded by Kenny Davies, after talking to his very supportive parents, Richard and Tracey, that his future lay in rugby. He had switched to the No 8 berth where he still plays and is now captain of the Pembrokeshire under 15s who made a great start to the campaign by beating Cardiff (away) by 34-12.
Dewar Shield highs and lows
Then they took on a powerful Rhondda side which has been tipped to win the Dewar Shield and although Pembrokeshire lost by 17-0 at Haverfordwest, George would say that it was their best performance of the season, and it seems his assessment is spot-on because the Rhondda coaches were also full of praise for George and Co’s endeavours.
They got back on the winning trail when they travelled to play Cynon Taf and won 24-10 but then played Aberavon in Port Talbot and produced a below-par performance to lose against a side they should have beaten to retain an interest in the Dewar Shield.
This meant that they were allowed to play in the Plate Competition and after a number of postponements because of the weather they finally beat their counterparts from Llanelli by 21-3 in Llanelli, to show again their true capabilities. Their opponents in the Dewar Plate are Newport (away), Neath (home) and the Vale of Glamorgan (home) so they face three very competitive matches if they are to make progress – but George is already looking forward to the challenge!
Quins’ silverware
At club level, a highlight was undoubtedly winning the county competition at under 13 level as they beat a strong Narberth team in the final, with George playing as a 12 year old and thrilled to see some silverware going to Bierspool since he is very much a Quins young man already and especially enjoys local derbies against Pembroke as one of the high points in any season.
And finally . . .
Ask George about his qualities in rugby and he would say that he is a good ball carrier, a strong tackler and is strong in rucks and mauls, as well as being a very keen trainer who gives everything in the regular training sessions because he knows that fitness is the key to success alongside the development of skills. At 5 feet 10 inches and weighing in at 12 stone he is clearly going to be a strong forward and his ambition is naturally to become a professional rugby player. The next step would be to gain entry in to the Scarlets Academy and is hoping that he will be chosen so that he can show his considerable promise.
George would say that he receives every help from coaches Kenny Davies and Andy Barlow, total support from parents Richard and Tracey, plus grandmother Alice Watts, who is herself a very well-known netball player and coach. He is ready to work very hard to achieve his aims and PembrokeshireSport.co.uk only had to talk to George Kenniford for a short time to see his focus – and we wish him every success in his rugby-playing future!
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