Ethan Lewis – going great guns with The Seasiders!

Ethan Lewis certainly hails from a rugby-playing family in Tenby and following in his father Mike’s footsteps by playing in the middle of the front row for The Seasiders but for two years was heavily involved with the Pembrokeshire Schools’ under 16 team that did so well in the National Dewar Shield competition.
 
Not content with that little lot, Ethan also played some football with Tenby and in the summer some cricket at Cresselly, as part of their youth team which won the 2025 Ormond Youth Cup.
 

Ethan followed his parents into the oval-ball game

 
Like a lot of youngsters from the area, Ethan started to visit Heywood Lane because dad Mike, who is known to all at the club as ‘Penfold’, was a regular for Tenby United before he had to retire at 32 because of work commitments.
 
His mum Shelley, sister to retired prop Scott Payne,  also played some rugby at Pembroke Dock Quins before she got married and would now be nominated by everyone else in the family as a top organiser and taxi driver to the two men in the family, plus Ethan’s sister Caitlyn, who plays in the centre or on the wing for the Pembrokeshire Sharks under 14 team coached by Ben Wright and Gary Burns.
 
Ethan started playing tag rugby at 6 years of age and really enjoyed himself when the tackling component of the game was introduced at under 9 level coached by his dad, Mike Evans and Mark Heywood.
 

Dewar Shield – what an epic season!

 
They did well each season in the junior set-up as they reached lots of finals and claimed some silverware as he joined Madoc Evans, George McDonald, Rhys Barnes, Tyler James, Ollie Tucker, Alex Rigby-Stock and Jack Henson, most of whom played in that fantastic Dewar Shield team that won all five of its regional games against Carmarthen West and East, Ceredigion Carmarthen and Mynydd Mawr, against whom they won the coveted decorated sword on offer.
 
That set up that momentous last-eight clash with Swansea (West), who had second rows of 6’6” and 6’5”, one of whom was only 14 - and at 5’5” himself Ethan had the unenviable job of throwing in at his own team’s line outs!
 
In a momentous match at Heywood Lane, Ethan and Co literally came within inches of snatching victory in a pulsating clash, nominated by some pundits (including me!) as the best game at this age level they could remember seeing.
 

Shattering defeat but battled on regardless

 
The defeat was hugely disappointing but the squad, which included those previously mentioned, was joined by other talented players in Ollie Tucker, Madoc Evans, Josh James, Daf Williams, Harvey and Alfie Thomas, Rhys Lewis and Niall Smith in showing their commitment to the cause, went on to beat Newport and the Rhondda in other matches to claim their fifth spot in the seedings. 
 
And such was the camaraderie shared by the players and their families showed because there were reluctant to leave the Haverfordwest clubhouse after their final win, because they all enjoyed each other’s company so much.
 

Played for The Scarlets and football for The Saints

 
Ethan went on to play at hooker for the Scarlets’ (West) squad and then the full Scarlets’ team as they beat the Newport Dragons, RGC (North Wales) and the Ospreys - Now being included in the Scarlets Under 17s for the April block alongside Tenby teammates Spencer Odley and Bradley Williams. 

He has also been able to manage to fit in a few games of football with St Florence in a team coached by Neil Findlay and Mark McSweeney, playing at centre half or right back - and he laughingly describes his one goal as coming from a ‘brilliant shot’!
 

Gaining experience in youth rugby – and at Coleg Sir Gar

 
But Ethan now is playing his first season for Tenby United Youth, who are currently in third place in the Pembrokeshire League but missed out by a single point in a cup semi-final defeat against old rivals Haverfordwest - and has continued his chosen sport by playing at Coleg Sir Gar, where he is studying Sports Coaching Level Three Course over his two years in Llanelli, which is the equivalent of three A Levels if he is successful. 
 
The coaches are Euros Evans, Matthew Williams, Rhodri Lewis and ex-Scarlets’ centre Scott Williams and the team did well against the likes of Llandovery College, Glantaf, Whitchurch, Coleg Cymoedd and Coleg Gwent but fell at the semi-final hurdle and so missed out on an appearance at the Principality Stadium.
 

And finally . . .

 
Ask Ethan about his ambitions and he’ll say that he would love to continue his rugby at senior level and perhaps test himself at a higher level with a team like Llandovery or Carmarthen Quins. But he’s equally proud to represent Tenby United and relishes every opportunity to play at Heywood Lane, a place he thoroughly enjoys being part of.
 
And we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk are already confident that we will hear a great deal more about Ethan Lewis’s involvement in the oval ball game for many years to come because he is an excellent team player who shows total commitment to the cause and a spirit that is summed up by his ability to tackle opponents much heavier than he is, which really endears him to supporters of whichever team he plays for!