By Anwen Francis

Past Preseli School pupil Lleucu George is one to watch. Not only has the 17-year-old just played her first game of rugby against Japan over the weekend as part of the Wales first XV Ladies team, where she was highly praised by her coaches, she has also been selected to take part in the Youth Commonwealth Games Rugby 7s in the Under 18s ladies squad in the Bahamas this summer.

On top of that she's a mean cricketer too.

The future is most definitely glowing for Lleucu, whose grandmother Beti Lewis lives in Llangoedmor near Cardigan. Lleucu, the youngest daughter of Hefin and Jacqueline George of Clover Hill Farm, is currently a Level 3 Sports student at Pembrokeshire College and is a keen sportswoman.

Her rugby career has taken her far afield and she has won numerous awards for her achievements. In 2016, Lleucu had her first season with the U18s Scarlets Girls as a blindside flanker, winning the regional championship and receiving the Players' Player award for the season. She also played for West Wales at the Principality Stadium, winning against East Wales. Lleucu is currently training with the ladies first XV World Cup Squad.

In the rugby 7s world, she was part of the West Wales team playing in the UK school games at Loughborough University and this year gained a Welsh cap for playing 7s rugby for Welsh Colleges at Nottingham, winning and becoming British champions.

Lleucu also plays for Whitland U18s girls rugby team who, in 2016, won the league and Welsh Cup, she was awarded Players' Player and Player of the Year by the club.

Lleucu will travel to the Bahamas to the Youth Commonwealth in July and will spend eight days there playing rugby.

"It's an unbelievable feeling and probably the best career achievement so far, especially being the only player from Pembrokeshire to be selected," said Lleucu, who will be joined by her parents.

Her cricket career has also seen Lleucu travel the globe, having played cricket in Sri Lanka for the Wales U19s in February this year. On the Sri Lankan tour she was awarded for being the highest run scorer where she played against the Royal Air Force and the Sri Lankan ladies development squad among other teams.

"The conditions were tough and the humidity was worse than the heat. The Sri Lankans live and breathe cricket, even though volley ball is their national sport. They are mad for cricket and a large majority seem to play it in their spare time. It was a great and exciting experience and I was very proud to have been a part of it all," said Lleucu who has recently been presented with two awards – the Pembrokeshire College Girls Academy Player's Player and Best Performance across all Academies including the boys academies for her all round sporting achievements.

In August 2016, she was also awarded the title of Best Wales Female Cricketer for that month.

Her interest in sports began at a young age and plays an important part in her family. Her father Hefin is a keen road rally driver, while her mother Jacqueline enjoys her equestrianism and while at school travelled extensively taking part in athletics and was a keen hockey player.

"When I was nine years old I started playing rugby with the boys at Crymych RFC and at the age of 11 years started playing cricket for the Crymych boys cricket team also the Pembrokeshire girls county cricket team. As a 12-year-old I was selected to play for Wales in the under 13s girls cricket team and it had all evolved from there," said Lleucu.

She added: "I was friends with a lot of the boys in school and they pulled me on to play rugby and cricket with them. I really enjoy both sports, but the training is mainly based around Cardiff and quite far away when you have to train three or four times a week. I can't thank my parents enough for taking me to training sessions over the years. Without the support of my parents and all local coaches as well as current coaches at Whitland and the Scarlets, I wouldn't be where I am today."

This year Lleucu has been selected to play cricket for Wales Ladies.