Someone who is eagerly anticipating the month of April 2017 is talented young Welsh international rugby hooker Dom Booth because that is the target for his return to action in the oval ball game after a frustrating year out through injury.
 
He sustained his injury as he played for the Tenby United under 16 team which was playing against Llandovery College at the Cardiff Arms Park when he went into a tackle, felt pain in his left leg almost immediately and had to be stretchered off the field.
 
"I knew something was definitely wrong as soon as I hit the floor and I was taken to hospital, where it was diagnosed that I had torn the meniscus in my left knee.
 
"Prior to that happening I had signed a contract to play for the Scarlets' Academy and they have looked after me really well, starting with my operation at the Vale Hospital, with all my physio and support afterwards as I was initially bandaged up and on crutches for some time.
 
"But now I'm gradually improving my condition and beginning to see the light of what has been a very long tunnel."
 

Special day playing for Wales . . .

 
Dom gained his Welsh under 16 cap when he was selected for the squad to play against England at Ystrad Mynach and enjoyed a memorable day which started when he and the rest of the squad, which was captained by Gethin Davies of Crymych, received their Welsh strip from former international Ryan Jones.
 
"Running out onto the pitch before a huge crowd that included my family and friends was amazing, as was having our team photograph and singing the national anthem before we got stuck in.
 
"I came on as a replacement with 30 minutes left as we led 23-22 and that is the way that the scoreline stayed until the end - as we defended really well when we had to after Gethin Davies had scored a vital try to lead us by example.
 

. . . And memorable moments afterwards!

 
"Hearing the final whistle was another memorable moment and after having a meal at nearby Penallta RFC we had our caps presented by Robert Sidoli, the ex-Pontypridd second row who was our coach.
 
"We were allowed to keep our jerseys, shorts and socks and now they are all in a drawer at home, just waiting to be framed."
 

Early start at Heywood Lane

 
Such a wonderful occasion for Dom was a million miles from his gentle start in the game when he set out at Tenby as a seven year old with school friend Harry Williams, whose father Chris was coaching the basic skills through tag rugby.
 
When they moved to the full contact game Dom initially played in the centre as Chris Williams switched to team manager and the coaches were Robbie Hicks and John Sparey - and they eventually moved him to the pack to play at loose head prop.
 
"It was quite a change," admitted Dom with typical understatement,” and we had Crymych as our main rivals for a Tenby team which included Iori Hicks, Harry Williams, Ben Millward, Billy Kinnear and Tom Hardy-Jones."
 
He stayed at loose-head until midway through last season, when he switched to hooker, with his commitment to his new position clearly paying dividends.
 

School and county involvement

 
Alongside his involvement at Heywood Lane, Dom also played for Greenhill School and with great coaching and support there from Messrs Phil Williams, Chris Oliver, Mostyn Richards and Matthew Davies: as well as by Jonathan Jones and Adam John, plus Johnny Llewhellin and Mike Jones respectively at county under 11 and under 15 levels.
 
"The county under 15s' team included players of the calibre of Gethin Davies, Harry Williams, Jacob Lay, Garin Gardiner, Owain Evans, Tom Carrington and Matthew Iorwerth-Scott - and we won our warm-up matches against Mynydd Mawr, Llanelli and Carmarthenshire to qualify for the latter stages of the Dewar Shield competition.

 "We had really tough fixtures as we beat Newport and Pontypool but lost to Cardiff, Rhondda and Pontypridd before a defeat against Bridgend finally put us out of the competition.
 
"One of the highlights for me was scoring two tries against Newport on my home ground at Heywood Lane, the first from a driving lineout maul and the second after Gethin Davies made a powerful break and I managed to get up in support from the 22 metre line."
 

Family matters – and cricket too!

 
Ask Dom about family and he would be quick to praise his father Michael, who played rugby and cricket as a youngster in Yorkshire, and mother Nina, who he says has acted as a personal taxi driver for him in support of his sporting action. His sisters Jessica, Kimberley and Annette have also shown an interest and were delighted for him when news of his Welsh selection came through.
 
During the summer months Dom relaxed from his rugby by playing cricket for Carew up until his knee injury, playing mainly for the seconds or thirds under the captaincy of Dai Rees or Jeremy Griffiths, with a top score of 65.
 
He also played for the village side in the Ormond Youth Cup Final on their own ground alongside other good all-round young sportsmen in Iori Hicks, Max Brindley, Harry Cook, Jacob Knox and Dafydd Bevan but they lost to very strong opposition from Kilgetty.
 

Playing for Scarlets (West)

 
Back on the rugby front, Dom has really missed being so heavily involved at school and county level, as well as with Scarlets (West) after attending a series of summer trials where he survived the cut off at 50 and then 35 players, most of them coming from a squad coached by Mike Jones, Barry John and John Evans.
 
"We played three pre-season friendlies in the Gloucester area and then beat Scarlets (East) before taking on RGC, Blues (South), Ospreys (East) and Dragons (South); all of which were lost by narrow margins.
"After Christmas we lost to Blues (North) and Dragons (North) before drawing with Ospreys (West) at BP Llandarcy.
 

And finally . . .

 
"But then came my Welsh debut and once I'm back in action I would love the chance to play for my country again.
 
"I'm trying to learn all the time in my relatively new role as a hooker and I'm pleased with my tackling and ball carrying - and I'm working at throwing in at lineouts, using a stand similar to those in netball to throw as many balls in as possible..
 
"I can't wait to get back in action because it's been a long year out!"
 
Chat to Dom Booth for a short while, as we did, and his total commitment to rugby, allied to his immense enthusiasm for the game, is very evident - and we wish him every success, plus more Welsh caps in what will hopefully be a long career!