Leo Power – a talented sporting all-rounder

16-year-old Leo Power is one of those talented teenagers who seem able to turn their hand to any ball sport and he has already received more than his fair share of trophies, especially as the captain of the Neyland Pirates’ team which rampaged through the junior age groups in football, as well as doing well in cricket for Neyland, indoors and outdoors, and also a few miles away with rugby in Milford Haven with their under 16 rugby team.

In football he has already started playing senior football for Neyland and is one of the youngest ever to play for the Nomads first team, either out wide on the right or left wing alongside skipper Mike Chandler, Sean and Patrick Hannon, plus other youngsters in Taylor Collins and Mason Morgan-Hurley.

 “Leo is a very useful player already for someone so young in senior football and if he stays at it will be a very good player indeed,” Patrick Hannon told us.




 

Pirates sweeping all before them in West Wales

Going back to his junior football days Leo led a very successful Neyland Pirates’ team that swept all before them from under 12 to under 14 levels that was coached by his father Craig and Martin James – and they didn’t lose a game in his final season.

“Our biggest opponents were Hakin but in our very best season we beat them twice to win the league and also beat them in the cup semi- final, where my father shouted at me and I answered back loudly, which didn’t make him very pleased with me but he we were soon pals again after we’d won!

“So, then we made it a special season as we reached the West Wales Cup Final for our age group, against Ystradgynlais at Stebonheath, Llanelli, and we beat them to give us a great treble. It was a real battle against a very physical side but we won 1-0, thanks to a goal by Zac Owen, making us Neyland’s first treble winners and the club’s first West Wales Cup. But only a few weeks later, our under15s also won the West Wales cup and I was sub in that match as well and came on in the second half and scored the only goal in the game. So, collecting a double West Wales cup winner’s medal for under14s and under15s in the same season was a highlight of my football.

“I also had trials with Swansea City and I was disappointed when I didn’t make the cut but I returned to Haverfordwest County’s academy set-up where I played since the under 9s to under 15s and I was captain of the team that was coached by Gareth Lewis and my father – and we played lots of teams from across South Wales, which was a great experience.”



 

Started rugby as an All Black but now a Mariner!

Leo also started his rugby at Neyland, with Mark James and Mark Riley as good coaches but moved to The Observatory Field to play for Milford Haven because Neyland didn’t have enough players in the age group.
“I play full back in a team coached by Anthony Thomas, Andrew Williams and Anthony McGuire that also has another player from Neyland in Cory Riley and so far, we’ve won all our home matches but lost in an away match at Tenby, who are another good team.

“I also play for the county team, coached by Aled Waters, and we take on strong sides like Llandovery College and other county teams like Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, South and West Glamorgan- and we’ve done well to win about half of our games.”

Leo has recently been selected as part of the Scarlets (West) squad which trains on Mondays and Fridays at Haverfordwest, alongside regular work in the gymnasium to build upper body strength so these sessions have to be fitted in to his busy week where so much is going on sports-wise – but Leo is a determined young fellow and he is already committed to giving it his best shot.
 

Enjoys his cricket – indoors and out

On the indoor cricket front it is to Leo’s credit that he helped out Neyland Firsts in their opening match and so has become cup-tied for playing in the second or third teams but still sometimes pops along to score for them – which is good to report.

He has also made his debut for Neyland Firsts in the outdoor game as a useful fast bowler and middle-order batsman, with their long-time skipper Sean Hannon telling us, “Leo has great promise with the ball and is developing his batting skills as he likes to smash big sixes!”

So far, his best bowling figures are 6 for 11 in six overs against Saundersfoot Seconds and his top score is 35, which is something he definitely aims to improve next summer.

He is clearly competitive in nature but is aware that he still needs to work hard at all his sporting activities to keep making progress – and we at PermbrokeshireSport.co.uk are confident that we are going to hear a great deal more about Leo Power in the future in rugby, football or cricket (whichever he decides to focus his undoubted talents on) – and we wish him well!