Ned Rees-Wigmore – already a huge hockey success at 15 years of age

 

Ned Rees-Wigmore is a talented sporting all-rounder and at 15 years of age he has already achieved considerable success in his chosen main sport of hockey, where he was captain of the Welsh Under 16 squad, despite being one of the youngest members of the team. But he has also enjoyed playing tennis, golf, cricket and rugby at other times, alongside clay-pigeon shooting.
 
But it is hockey where he is doing amazing things because he has captained Wales under 16s in international competitions abroad, is already competing for a place in the Welsh under 18 team, including playing for them in a ‘Talent Academy’ festival in Beeston, Nottingham - and scored goals galore for Swansea Hockey Club.
 

Early start at Fishguard 

 
Ned started out in hockey as a six year old at Fishguard Hockey Club under the watchful eye of Angela Miles until he was about 11 - playing up front from the outset. As Angela told PembrokeshireSport.co.uk,
 “He showed real potential from his first day at the club and was very skillful, as well as totally committed, even at that young age.”
 
Then he joined Pembrokeshire HC (Haverfordwest), mainly in junior mixed-ability matches organised by Becky Thomas and Dave Millar, until about two and a half years ago when he moved to play for Swansea so that he could play boys’ hockey, although it is good to report that still trains with Pembrokeshire when the chance arises.

 

Playing in Swansea pays dividends - and Wales’ selection follows

 

He has had to travel a great deal to play in Swansea but it has certainly paid off because last season has seen him score more goals than any other player in the club, including the five senior teams, and he has also won his team’s ‘Player of the Year’ award. For the 2024/25 hockey season, Ned has just been selected for play for Swansea Men’s 1sts with Captain and Coach, Callum Chapman, and he will be travelling over the Borders for some matches this year!

 
Ned has been equally impressive with Wales, so much so that he captained Wales at the Hockey Fives European Championships in Croatia.
 

“It is a bit like five a side in football,” explained Ned,” and far more intense than the 11 a side hockey we also play. We played seven times in five days against Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey and Croatia - and with games played in heat of 34 degrees it is fair to say that it was very hard work!”
 

Ned also captained Wales for two of the games in a test series over four days in Lausanne, Switzerland, scoring a goal on his international debut! His next target is the Welsh Under 18s after a number of trials held at Sophia Gardens, in Cardiff.



 

Wonderful family support – and a Platinum Ambassador

 
Such is the esteem that Ned has already earned is the fact that he was also chosen as one of the youngest players chosen as a Welsh Hockey Ambassador - and at the highest level of platinum, too! He is also on the panel for the Hockey Wales Steering Group, helping to shape and improve their Young Ambassador programme and has recently been appointed by Hockey Wales as an assistant coach for the U15/U17 Girls Afan Nedd Tawe (Swansea) County hockey pathway.
 
His commitment to his chosen sport is total and he would be the first to say that he has had wonderful support from his parents Jo and Alex, especially with regard to all the travel that he has had to undertake.
 
As well as seeing that all Ned’s sporting needs are met it is good that they also have sporting interests of their own. Mum, Jo Rees-Wigmore, has also played a lot of hockey and was also interested in athletics in her younger days, winning the county sports in shot and discus. Dad, Alex Rees-Wigmore, is very much an outdoors man because his interested include as much shooting and fishing as his other commitments allow!
 

Other sports galore (1)

 
Tennis is another game that Ned has been successful at and he recently played for Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi’s quartet of players which won the All-Wales Tennis Championships at under 16 level, with Ned winning all his matches, as they beat Cathedral School from Llandaff, in the final, which was held at Whitchurch Tennis Club in Cardiff.
 
Nearer home, Ned also won the Pembrokeshire Under 18s singles, where he beat Eddy Brown at Haverfordwest Tennis Club. “We are old friends,” Ned told us, “and it was a real battle which I was pleased to win, but Eddy pushed me all the way.” In previous years Ned has also been successful at both doubles and singles in younger age groups.
 

Other sports galore (2)

 
Ned also enjoys his golf at either Haverfordwest or St Davids but his commitment to hockey inevitably means that he can’t play as much as he would like and reduce his handicap even further than his current 19 handicap.
 
In 2023 he won the Haverfordwest Junior Championship, held over the Stableford format - and reached the finals of other competitions, too.
 
Like dad, Ned enjoys clay pigeon shooting, and played cricket at junior level as an all-rounder with Hook CC. He has also represented Pembrokeshire in rugby, where coach Ken Davies described him as an excellent player who was eager to learn all about being a better prop and soaked advice up like a sponge, until he broke his arm and decided to focus solely on his hockey playing.
 
As he told us, “I’m not in the least surprised that Ned is doing so well in another sport because he has natural talent and supportive parents as a bonus.”
 
 
High praise indeed from someone who has also seen Ned recently in the gym, and we can only join him in wishing Ned all the best for his future, because he really is flying the Pembrokeshire Flag brilliantly in his chosen sport of hockey!