Bill Carne nips down to Saundersfoot to chat to Gemma Amos, a talented young Welsh international bowler . . .

It is every sports man or women’s dream to represent their country and for Gemma Amos of Saundersfoot it has been realised early because at 21 years of age she has already had five seasons of indoor bowls and four outdoors for the Welsh Junior (under 25) team.

Gemma is one of several players at Saundersfoot Bowls Club who has achieved international status and she still has time to add to her junior tally in the next four years, as well as joining the likes of Ceris Hewlings, Anne Lewis and Gemma’s mum Steph in gaining Welsh senior team status.

Gemma was a very good competitive swimmer after taking up that particular sport as a four year old since her dad John was the club coach. She swam for Pembrokeshire and was Dyfed junior captain at 16 but by then she had been well and truly bitten by the bowling bug and decided it was time to focus on it as her main sport.

Her first visit to the lovely bowling green in Saundersfoot came when she was a ten year old in the local primary school and Mrs Lloyd, her teacher, took the class down to try the game. Although Gemma didn’t find it easy at first as a left hander she enjoyed it immensely and it wasn’t long afterwards that she was back for Sunday morning coaching sessions with Tony Shaw and was soon bowling well for a nipper.

She began playing competitively for Saundersfoot Ladies by the time she was 15 and well looked after as the lead bowler in a rink (four players) that included Marion Evans, Lorna Bissell and Angela Roberts – but at that time her appearances were limited because of swimming and school work.

When she decided to focus all her sporting energy on bowls Gemma came runner up to Hannah Thomas in the county under 25s singles – and soon afterwards was selected for the county ladies’ team in a rink that included Diane Davies (Pembroke Dock), Jo Shewry (Whitland) and team mate Anne Lewis as skip.

They play against all the other bowling associations like Mid Wales, South Wales & Mon, Glamorgan and Swansea, and she was naturally delighted when she made a winning debut. Now she plays in a rink with Katy Thomas, Marion Evans and Ceris Hewlings, and enjoys every minute of it.

Gemma uses ‘Drake’s Pride Progressive’ bowls in a sparkly colour and her performances with them eventually caught the eye of the Welsh selectors so she was invited for trials – and thrilled when she was told she had been selected for the Welsh junior team.

“It was brilliant when we received our shirts and fleeces and I will never forget the first time I put them on and walked out onto the green.

“So far I’ve played against England, Scotland and Ireland in the Home Countries Indoor Championships at Mountain Ash (Wales), Arbroath (Scotland) and in England at Bristol, Birmingham and Nottingham – and we’ve done quite well.

“Next winter I hope to make it six seasons on the trot when the trails start for the indoor game in October.”

In the meanwhile, Gemma has the outdoor campaign to enjoy with Saundersfoot, Swansea and hopefully with Wales for a fifth season.

“In my first season outdoors I was picked for the Welsh trials and then selected as reserve for the Home Countries competition but was called into the team for the final match, where I played alongside Hannah Thomas.

“I went straight into the team for the next year after doing well at the trials in Llanelli, where the Home internationals were being hosted.

“We beat Scotland and Ireland so had a 30-shot advantage over England before we met them in our final game, with them having already lost to Scotland.

“But we somehow managed to lose to them by a bigger margin than that so came second overall – but my only consolation was the fact that at least our rink was the only winning one!”

Ireland didn’t have a squad for 2013 so Gemma and Co not only played England but took on their development squad and Scotland, winning against the up and coming English team and Scotland but again missing out on the trophy as they lost to England in a tight finish.

As well as looking to do well outdoors in 2014 locally she has again been selected for the Welsh under 25 team after playing in the recent Welsh trials. The matches are to be played in Ballymena and it is planned that the Welsh team will be bussed to Birmingham and then fly out to Northern Ireland.

“Ysie White and Katy Thomas are other players chosen from Pembrokeshire and I’m really looking forward to it.

“It is amazing when you see the Welsh flag flying and the national anthem is played, it just brings a huge lump to your throat!”

Not content with that anticipation, Gemma has set herself a personal challenge back in swimming because she has entered the ‘Welsh Swim’ challenge in Tenby, over a 3.7Km triangular course around the North Beach water in July.

“I always swam 800 or 1,500 metres in competitive swimming,” Gemma told us, “So I thought it would be nice to see if I can still do it.

“I need to get in some practice but I’m sure it will be alright on the day!”

She will be guaranteed support from mum Steph, dad John and brother Carl, who was also involved in swimming. Steph took up bowls relatively recently and has done so well she has achieved Welsh status indoors for the Home Countries competition at Stanley, near Newcastle. John has also taken up the game on the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ basis and is beginning to show promise.

Talk to Gemma Amos for just a short time and it is easy to see her genuine enthusiasm and love for bowls. Watch her play and her competitive spirit comes to the fore in that characteristic left-hand pose. We wish this modest and popular young lady every success for the future – and we are quietly confident that we will see her gaining Welsh senior honours in the world of bowls in the near future!