Botham named inWales squad

JIM Botham, the grandson of legendary cricketer Ian, is in line to make his Wales Sevens debut at the Wellington Sevens next weekend.

The Cardiff Blues academy player has represented Wales at under-18s level, scoring a try on his debut against Scotland back in March.

He’s one of two new faces in the squad for the New Zealand leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series, with Newport speedster Elliot Frewen also getting the call-up.

The 18-year-old and Frewen both took their chances in training, having shown impressive form in preparation for the tournament.

“These two new caps are part of the strategy to build depth moving towards next year’s Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens,” says head coach Gareth Williams.

“James Botham’s selection supports the work we’re trying to do in developing players with regions. He’s a very promising player for Cardiff Blues. He’s trained and has earned his opportunity in Wellington.”

Wales have made a promising start to the World Series and currently sit above Australia in the standings after reaching the bronze medal match in Dubai and the quarter-finals in Cape Town.

“We’ve very much set ourselves long-term goals, but to start the way we did with semi and quarter-final finishes in Dubai and Cape Town was way ahead of expectations when you consider how young this group is,” Williams explained.