Ned continues to make news in hockey at club and national levels

 
As you are reading this article its talented young subject, Ned Rees-Wigmore, is in Alanya, Turkey, playing hockey for the Welsh Under 18 team in an eight-country tournament.

 
Ned is only 16 but is already a seasoned player in terms of experience as a regular first-teamer with Swansea Hockey Club which is one of only three Welsh clubs, alongside Whitchurch and Cardiff Hockey Clubs that play in  the West England Division 1 North League that includes English clubs from Swindon, Ross-on-Wye, Cheltenham and Gloucester amongst others, where they just missed out by a whisker on promotion.

 
Ned and Co also beat Whitchurch in the Wales Cup Final and their reward is qualification for the European Club Champions in May 2026, at a location still to be announced.

 

Award-winner again this season

 
Staying with club hockey he has been the youngest regular in the first-team squad and in his role as a striker just finished the latest campaign in the first team as top scorer and winner of the 
‘Player of the Year’ award that was presented by Callum Chapman, the team captain and coach, at the annual awards evening.
 
Ned’s Under 18 Swansea Team also won the Wales Cup Final in May of this year after a thrilling penalty shuffle shoot out in which Ned was elected and scored the winning penalty flick in front of a large crowd at Swansea Bay Sports Park.
 
He was also runner up in the Sport Pembrokeshire Under 16s award, as further proof of his outstanding contribution to local sport.
 
Ned captained the Welsh Under 16s on an Easter Series in Switzerland in 2024 and captained them again in the European Fives competition held in Zagreb, Croatia, in July 2024 and was involved in a thrilling shoot out against Slovakia and the squad reaction alongside their coach, speaks volumes for how thrilled they were!

 

Total commitment shown at trials to earn selection

 
To reach his selection for the Welsh under 18s needed total commitment towards the regular trials, which started as long ago as last September, and were held at the National Hockey Centre in Sophia Gardens.
 
There was also a testing three-day camp at Christ College, Brecon, and the exciting end-product was to be told he was in the squad (the second youngest) that has hosts Turkey, Italy and Ireland in the same pool, with Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Ukraine in the other one in a battle to reach the final.
 
The squad flew out on the 11th July to acclimatise, with their first game against Turkey two days later - followed by Italy and Ireland, with a day’s rest in between - and all games played over four periods of 15 minutes and in temperatures of 34 degrees!
 
There’s also been a three-match series against Ulster - and as well as that he has also relaxed in his other sporting interests, which are tennis and golf - but without time to push his skills any further because of his commitment to hockey, fully supported by parents Jo and Alex.
 

And finally . . .

 
Ned has recently completed his GCSE examinations at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi and has to decide where he should go next, but although Millfield and Whitgift might be choices he enjoys his playing for Swansea Hockey Club so much he will probably study in this area - but that’s still for the future.
 
Whatever he decides it is a fair bet that we will hear a lot about Ned Rees-Wigmore in the future with regard to hockey - and we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk wishes him every success because he is a modest but talented sporting teenager who deserves to go even further than he has done, so far!