The Welsh colleges’ hopes of performing well in a selection of sports at the AoC National Championship were rewarded last weekend, as they finished in 8th place.
Celebrating one of the best performances ever at the three-day championship between 26-28 April, Wales’ strong team of approximately 200 students competed in 14 different sports.
Welsh college learners joined 11 regions across three countries to battle it out in a variety of sports, from rugby to hockey to golf and table tennis. The Welsh team really pulled together in all areas showing great team spirit and sportsmanship throughout.
Recognising the effort of all competing learners, Robert Baynham, Sport Coordinator at ColegauCymru who supported the Welsh colleges in Nottingham, said: “what a great weekend of competitions, with Wales winning medals and performing better than ever before”.
Medals won included:
- Women’s Rugby – Gold
- Women’s Hockey – Silver
- Women’s Cross Country – Bronze – team event
- Women’s Cross Country – Bronze – Individual
- Men’s Table Tennis – Silver
- Some notable 4th places also included Women’s Football and Ability Counts football
The full results for the championships can be found HERE
Iestyn Davies, Chief Executive of ColegauCymru added “the opportunity for our Welsh learners to compete against the best from the UK and perform at an event as prestigious as this is fantastic, and certainly something for each and everyone to be proud of. A huge thanks to everyone from Wales, learners, staff, supporting and governing bodies and families of the competitors.”
The team was supported by sponsorship from Cardiff Metropolitan University and CollegesWales Sport. College staff provided some top-flight coaching with a number of former international players and managers getting involved in the squad. Support from governing bodies including Welsh Schools Athletics and the Welsh Rugby Union, in particular, was also an added advantage in identifying athletes for the Wales team.
The success of the team is a real reflection of the opportunities that FE colleges provide in sport, providing learners with access to top-level competitive sport and opportunities to represent their colleges and country. ColegauCymru and CollegesWales Sport would like to thank all of the people involved in achieving this success over the weekend and look forward to another successful championship next year.
The event saw a former Grŵp Llandrillo Menai learner and aspiring Journalist Patrick Hinchcliffe volunteering to report on all three days activities and interviewing competitors. Read more HERE about what Patrick captured from the weekend.
Also please find a full report HERE on the Cross country competition from the Welsh Athletics website.
