4:30pm Wednesday 23rd December 2009
By Dan Barnes
FOUR youngsters from Corsham Rugby Club could be just a handful of games away from playing for England’s U16 squad.
Sixteen-year-olds Jack Beazer and Jake Oldaker, who go to King Edward’s school and 15 year-olds Tim Norton and Adam Jamieson, who attend Corsham School, have all been picked for the South West U16 squad.
John Beazer, who is chairman of Corsham and the father of 16 year-old Jack, says that the call-up is one of the club’s proudest moments.
“It’s unprecedented to have that many young lads called up for the regional squad,” he said.
“They’ve come all the way up from under 8’s level and now they’re effectively two games away from playing for England. It speaks volumes for our youth section and it’s a fantastic achievement for them.”
The Corsham youngsters will join up with the rest of the South West team in the New Year before playing games against the Midlands and the North of England.
At the end of January, the most impressive players will be drafted into the England under 16 squad and the reserve A squad.
The call-up is an even bigger achievement for Jamieson, who was told he may never play rugby again after a ruptured brain aneurysm two years ago.
The Neston teenager was given the all-clear by doctors just last week.
Coach Tim Unwin has worked closely with the four young rugby stars and believes that they all deserve their place in the South West squad.
“They’ve all bounced back from various setbacks and it’s great that they’re all involved now,” he said.
“They’re now in the top 120 players in the country. They’re all very competent at their own positions and they’ve all got great core skills.”
Unwin also says that playing in a strong Corsham side has aided their development.
“They’ve all got experience of being in a successful club team at their age group,” he said.
“They play for a team that has developed more than others around them.”
With the four starlets due to be away on regional duty, Corsham are on the lookout for talented and experienced youth rugby players.
Anyone interested should contact Unwin on 07786194464.
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