Bill Carne recently met up with Kyle Hamer at the ‘Pembrokeshire Pathway’ dinner and chatted to the talented young rugby player about his career so far – and his hopes for the future . . .

The Pembrokeshire Pathway scheme in local rugby is producing very accomplished rugby players and one of those is Kyle Hamer, who has played for the Haverfordwest Juniors for several seasons but is also heavily involved with the Scarlets West squad that is coached by Jonathan Llewellin.

Kyle plays for the development squad as a blind side flanker but for the Young Blues, who have been coached throughout by Jeff Clout, he showed his versatility by playing as hooker and can also play at scrum half in an emergency!

There has been considerable success for Kyle and Co with Haverfordwest Juniors because in the past five seasons they have won their age-group final four times on the special finals days that are so well organised by Kenny Davies.

Their only set-back came in the under 13s when they bowed out in the semi-final as they lost to Narberth. But a year later they were back with a bang. Kyle had started the semi-final in the back row but was called in to play hooker when the No 2 was injured – and he really enjoyed the action there.

They won the rest, with Kyle grabbing the opening try in a 13-12 win a year later, and it was around this time that he started out in the front row after the club hooker was injured. One of the undoubted highlights was beating old rivals Pembroke in Haverfordwest.

“Now that was a great win for us because we all played so well,” said Kyle with a chuckle!

Kyle first went to Haverfordwest RFC when he was a nipper but readily admits that he wasn’t over-fussed on playing in the team, but enjoyed just throwing a ball about on the field.

But then the Young Blues won the under 12 Cup Final and from under 13’s onwards his playing began to take off, so much so that he won the ‘Most Improved Player’ in the under 14s and the ‘Players’ Player’ a year later as a compliment to the hard work he had put in, and the progress he had made as a result.

Kyle represented Pembrokeshire at under 15 level against the likes of Mynydd Mawr, and North Wales with Blues team mates of the calibre of Jonathan Clout, Jake Evans, Kyle Williams, plus Jake Jenkins (Crymych) and Iwan Owens (Pembroke Dock).

His name was then put forward for trials with the Scarlets development squad but when he didn’t make the final set-up he joined the Scarlets West squad coached by Jonathan Llewellin, where he clearly settled in well. They have taken on the Dragons, Cardiff Blues, North Wales, whom they beat at Colwyn Bay and Scarlets Youth, where they won at the home of Carmarthen Quins.

Since then Kyle has moved up to his first season of youth rugby and joined the likes of Jonathan Clout, Jake Evans, Kyle Williams, Ryan Palmer and Ollie Hughes in a Blues’ side which is fourth in the table behind a very strong Crymych team at the top.

“We are still coached by Jeff Clout, along with Andrew Thicker and Peter Hughes, with Craig Jones as team manager.

“We train at Merlins Bridge on Thursday evenings from 7-8.30pm and we play our league matches on a Saturday afternoon. The coaches do a great job and we are lucky to have them,” added Kyle.

“Then we play our representative games in midweek and our training takes place at the Strength Academy Wales training facility on Mondays and Wednesdays, followed by skills training on the grass on the inside of the running track at STP School.

“I also train for an hour on a Friday evening in the gym, just to keep things ticking over.”

That Kyle should be so involved in rugby is perhaps only natural because his dad Steve is a highly respected player still doing a good job for Neyland First XV, and able to play in a variety of positions.

His mum Gaynor has always provided total support and his step-father, Arthur Daye, played for Narberth. Both Steve and Arthur are very happy to give advice after watching Kyle play but he says he is very much his own man and only takes on board some of what they say!

Then there’s younger brothers Josh (13) and Owen (12), who play respectively at flanker and scrum half in the Haverfordwest junior section.

There has been good progress as well with the Pembrokeshire Youth XV because they have just won their first game for a while by beating a strong Neath and Port Talbot team by 41-27 in an entertaining tussle at Crickmarren, Pembroke RFC’s ground.

“It was fast, furious and physical,” Kyle told us, “and I think it was a great performance from our boys which will really boost their confidence.”

Kyle recently showed his commitment to the ‘Pembrokeshire Pathways’ scheme in a totally different way as he was recently in attendance at the scheme’s 2nd Annual Dinner where Welsh coach Warren Gatland and ‘Scrum Five’ presenter Rick O’Shea were special guests alongside 210 paying customers.

Kyle and Co acted as wine waiters at their chosen tables, with all the tips helping to swell the considerable sums raised by Jonathan Llewellin and his young troops.

“It was good fun and we got to hear what Warren Gatland had to say, as well as a meal and a pint for our involvement, which was an even better surprise!”

Pembrokeshire’s WRU Player Development Officer, Jonny Llewellin, told us,

“If Kyle can maintain his current momentum we are going to hear more of him in the future because he has good skills and a work ethic which is bound to help. He is a valued member of our squad.

So what of Kyle’s future in rugby terms?

“I would love to make it into the Scarlets’ Development Squad next year – and who knows from then on,” he says, “but I am ready to give it my best shot, which is all I can do.”

We wish Kyle Hamer every success because he has worked really hard to get where he is – and we hope he can build on this very solid platform.