This week we congratulate six of our Pembrokeshire Sport people who are jetting off to the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia – and to every one of them we say well done and enjoy your competitions!
 

Ben Llewellin (Olympic Skeet Clay Pigeon Competitor)

 
Ben Llewellin goes into the International Skeet Shooting competition at the Commonwealth Games as one of the favourites after the ace marksman from Rudbaxton recently won the trial competition at the Belmont Shooting Complex venue on the Gold Coast in Brisbane, Australia, which aimed at ensuring all went well in the games.
 
And it certainly went very smoothly for Ben because he saw off the considerable challenge of all his main rivals to gain the gold medal as reward for his consistency, concentration and a very steady hand/eye co-ordination as he equalled the world record of 59 hits in 60 clays!
 
Ben showed he is in a rich vein of form because in the week before he also journeyed to India for the World Championships to take on the world’s best in a 12-gun invitation event and also achieved a score of 59 – but only missed out on a second gold medal in a shoot-out after a tense tie with Riccardo Fillipelli (Italy).
 
But it is worth recording the fact that Ben has to put in an immense amount of hard work to complement his natural skills, with weekly sessions to the game and a lengthy period on the range established at the family farm in Rudbaxton.
 
On the day that we popped in to chat he had already shot a massive 250 clays over a two-hour period – and was then preparing to hale dad Dai on the farm for the rest of the day, alongside brother Tom, who is also making a name for himself in a car.
 
The range follows the needs of the competition in the sensed that from each of eight bases around a semi-circle, he must hit either one or two clay targets fired randomly out at 60mph, with just a split second to focus and shoot.
 
The aim has to be total concentration and Ben is pleased with his form, and will use the same technique to block out any talk about being favourite because he knows it is all on the day – and we wish him every success when he steps up to the first base and hopefully does really well as reward for his dedication to his sport!
 

Heather Lewis (Athletics – Race Walker)

 
Being selected to represent Wales in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia is fitting reward for Heather Lewis because she has been totally involved in race walking for almost a decade.
 
Now she will join her training partner Bethan Davies (Cardiff) in the arduous 20Km where participants could outpace most of us mere mortals trying to jog as a means of keeping up with them over such a long distance.
 
But it is not only the distance which puts participants under pressure but the fact that the technical demands are such that they must ALWAYS have one foot in contact with the ground at all times and make sure that their leading leg is straight in every stride – just try it for a minute and see how tough it is!
 
This inevitably puts pressure on back and hips in physical terms but there is also the added mental pressure that throughout the 12.5 miles of the race’s duration there are kerbside judges strategically placed to issue warnings about failure to comply with the race’s demands – and three warnings in a race mean instant disqualification!
 
Coincidentally, Heather began race walking almost by accident in her mid-teens after previously being a useful cross-country and long distance runner under the watchful eye of Peter Freeman at Pembrokeshire Harriers, and volunteering to enter the walk in the Gerald Codd Memorial meeting at STP School as a means of collecting a bonus point for taking part.
 
Heather did well on her debut, loved the challenges it thrust at her – and she still enjoys regular training sessions with Mt Freeman at the Harriers, alongside Chris Jones, the endurance coach.
 
She now trains 12 times a week and can often be seen walking around the streets of Haverfordwest – and her reward for such dedication is to have been awarded her Welsh vest on a number of occasions, as well as representing Great Britain in Russia and Portugal.
 
Ask Heather about ambitions and the forthcoming trip to Australia features highly but there are other possible targets, like the forthcoming World Team Championships and the European Championships.
 
It goes without saying that we wish Heather every success because no-one could show more commitment than she does!
 

Jonathan Hubbard (Para Bowls Player)

 
Jonathan Hubbard’s long flight to the gold coast in Australia on 27th-28th March is understandably one that he relishes because it is the climax of a long-held dream for someone who is a credit to his sport.
The bowler from Tenby has been involved on the greens for a long time and as he told us,
“The Commonwealth Games is the pinnacle of every bowler’s dream because it is not a sport that is played in the Olympic Games.
 
“So I was thrilled when I was told that I was in the para bowls triple team alongside my bowling friend Raymond Lillicrop and Pauline Wilson (from Builth Wells).
“The three of us had previously been out to the Gold Coast late in 2017 as part of the Welsh team to compete in what we were told was a test event for the actual games in April.
 
“The flight took 22 hours as we went via Dubai, Sydney and then on to Brisbane so it was then a matter of trying to get over our jet lag, the heat and the playing conditions quickly because our first match was only 24 hours later.
 
“We lost to host country Australia but fortunately we will have lots more time to adapt in the actual games, and did well afterwards as we only lost one more game, to runners-up New Zealand – and came home with bronze medals.”
 
Before they jet off in late March the Welsh trio hope to be given the chance of being coached by Welsh ‘greats’ John Price and Steve Rees as part of their build up.
 
“We have all worked very hard in training, with me as lead bowler, Raymond as No 2 and Pauline as skip – and we have talked about our tactics against each team.
 
“Now we have to be patient and it has been a real boost for me that I have received so many people contact me to say ‘well done’ and wish me ‘good luck, not only from my friends at Tenby BC but across the county.
 
“There will be more training sessions before we go and aim to do our very best in the competition so we fly the Pembrokeshire and Welsh Flags well!”
 
 

Raymond Lillycrop (Para Bowls Player)

 
At 21 years of age Raymond Lillycrop is one of the younger members of the Welsh contingent making the long trek out to the Gold Coast, in Brisbane, Australia for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.
 
But the para bowler from Milford Haven can’t wait to finally step from the plane so that he can realise his long-held dream of representing his country, as part of a triple alongside his local bowling friend Jonathan Hubbard and a young lady named Pauline Wilson (Builth Wells).

It will continue an eventful journey for Raymond because it will be his second trip to the sunshine of the Gold Coast, the trio having been out there last year as part of the test games to make sure that the forthcoming games will run smoothly.
 
They had a terrific time on and off the greens, making plenty of new friends whom they will meet up again with in May for a round-robin event where Australia and New Zealand are favourites to be amongst the medals.
 
“We lost to both on our previous trip but were really delighted to win bronze,” he admitted.
 
It was fitting reward for eight years’ involvement in the game after he had been encouraged to play by Jim Lewis, who was a disability bowls coach of the time, and who taught him the basic skills that have helped him in his rise through the game.
 
“I took to it straight away although I made basic errors, like misreading the bias on the woods, but over the past two years I have been part of the Welsh Academy and played against some of the top English counties and so gained more experience.”
 
It is good to report that as well as his own playing he is already doing some good work as a coach after passing the beginners’ course organised by the Welsh Bowls Coaching Association, which was held at Heatherton.
 
It is small wonder that Raymond has received loads of ‘good luck’ messages from his friends at Milford Haven Bowls Club, his colleagues at work, and even further afield – and there is no doubt that he will give 100% effort to the Commonwealth Games and enjoy every moment of a special deserved selection!
 

Micky McDonagh (Amateur Boxer in the Lightweight Class)

 
Micky McDonagh can’t wait for the plane to jet off to Brisbane so that he can compete in the boxing championships at the Commonwealth Games, where he will be representing Wales after a decade of involvement in a sport where he has a pile of gold medals at Welsh and GB levels, and the experience of boxing all over the world.
 
Micky will box in the lightweight category and his selection for the Welsh team comes as reward for a commitment that normally includes staying for three days and nights at the centre for Sporting Excellence in Sophia Gardens and then travelling up to Sheffield for a similar spell with the GB elite squad in anticipation of taking part in future European and World Championships.
 
But at the moment he is spending most of his time in Cardiff in readiness for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, but still managing to squeeze in a weekly training evening with Merlin’s Bridge head coach Graham Brockway, who has mentored the Pembroke Dock pugilist for more years than either can remember!
 
In 2017 Micky had 15 bouts at destinations like Russia and a number of other Eastern European countries where he has won 14 of them but lost a narrow points’ verdict against the current world champion.
 
But it is typical of Micky that there was no fuss, no complaining; just an awareness of what he needs to do when next they meet, which he hopes will be soon after the games.
 
At the moment Micky’s training regime in Cardiff includes a five mile run after a 6am light breakfast, followed by some heavier gym work where his coaches make sure that he is tested to the full as a means of maintaining his incredibly high fitness levels – and a tough evening session where the emphasis is often on sparring so that he keeps his reactions and concentration levels at their sharpest.
 
At 19 he has the boxing world at his feet and the obvious progression would be eventually competing in the professional game. “It is a long road but I still love the training,” admitted Micky, “and I’m feeling really good.”
 
But for now he can’t wait for the opening ceremony to get under way because then he can start out on his quest for a medal, hopefully of the gold colour, before more challenges at European and World levels for this modest old head on young shoulders!
 

Simon Roach (Team Manager/Coach for the Weightlifting Squad)

 
Simon Roach must be delighted to have maintained a strong family tradition because he follows his late father Lyn and brother Mark in being involved in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games as he sets off for Australia with the Welsh Weightlifting and Para Powerlifting squads.
 
Simon’s terrific work at the Strength Academy Wales at the Sir Thomas Picton School complex in Haverfordwest was recognised as he was appointed coach/team manager for the ten weightlifters and the three para powerlifting competitors, charged with the responsibility of their welfare as well as training avenues, which will eventually result in his being involved in the tactical side of things in discussion with each team member about the weight they choose to lift once they ultimately get on the mat in the glare of the lights and in pursuit of a medal.
 
“My father Lyn did the same job in the 1990 Games in Auckland, New Zealand, whilst my brother won the bronze Medal in the Lightweight Category as well as being third in the clean and jerk, which was brilliant, whilst dad also carried on in the role four years later at Victoria, British Columbia, in Cardiff.”
 
It will be Simon’s first games but he reluctantly admits that as well as his undoubted coaching prowess he was a top weightlifter in his own right over a ten-year period. In that decade he was a regular British and Welsh champion and represented both in loads of competitions, including the junior European and World Championships.
 
But now he is busily preparing for the range of work he knows awaiting him on the Gold Coast, and it is one of his talents that he is a terrific organiser who will serve the squad well.
 
He will also be joined by former Haverfordwest lifter Steve Donovan as a technical official and Jim Horner as the coach to the para powerlifting trio – and we hope Simon and Co has a wonderful trip as reward for his major contribution to his sport.