8:00am Wednesday 24th February 2010
By John Boyman
A TOTAL of nine players from Basingstoke’s youth set-up have been picked to represent Hampshire this season.
Jonny Till, George Hemmings and Oliver Germain impressed at trials to earn their places in the under-15 squad, while under-14s Charlie Eves, Chaz Sylvester, Ross Catlin, Ben O’Shea, Tommy Edwards and Ian Bennett have also made the cut.
The boys will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of England star Tom Rees, who played his youth rugby at ’Stoke before moving on to greater things and Russell Amos, head coach of the under-15s, says the future of the club looks bright.
“The whole club is really pleased that the boys have got into the squads,” he said. “It all bodes well for the future of the club in the long-term and the academy in the next couple of years.
“It’s also possible that some of them could go even further in the game. If we can produce another Tom Rees, that would be fantastic.
“To be part of something like that would be really special and two or three of the boys, particularly in the under-14s, are looking like they could really do well. The under-14s are a very strong side who are looking good in their league and they should be strongly represented in the county team.”
The under-14s are wearing pink socks in memory of Wendy Moore, the mother of one of the squad, who sadly passed away earlier in the season after losing her battle with breast cancer.
The boys decided to pay tribute to her by wearing the special socks for the remainder of the campaign and are also planning to hold an event in her memory later in the year, with the proceeds going to St Michael’s Hospice.
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