This week Bill Carne chatted to Kieran Smith, who attends Pembroke Comprehensive School and has recently taken on the role of Gold Young Ambassador and set with the challenge of inspiring those who are not keen on sport or leisure activities to find something for them which they might enjoy whilst raising their fitness levels . . .

Kieran Smith loves playing a range of sports but it is great to report that as well as taking part in rugby and football, plus tennis to relax in the summer months, he has taken on the important role of being a Gold Ambassador with Sport Pembrokeshire.

It will involve Kieran in helping to encourage others less keen than he is to take part in sport or leisure activities at Pembroke School with a view to getting involved in activities that will hopefully not only give them a wider range of interests in readiness for when they leave school but also help to improve their general fitness.

He started out in the scheme, run by Matthew Freeman in County Hall under the watchful eye of Sport Pembrokeshire manager Ben Field, after being nominated by his teacher Mr Davies and supported by the school's 5x60 officer Craig Butland, who organised for Kieran to join fellow Gold Ambassador Lowri Hart on a day-long conference at the Cardiff City Stadium on the outskirts of the city.

"We were the two chosen for our school and we joined students from other schools in the area as we travelled up in a minibus and joined over a 100 other students from all over South Wales as we spent almost the whole day on a series of courses after being split into groups.

"Some of these groups were run by s tutors and others by Platinum Ambassadors who had already worked at the Gold stage and talked to us about things like good communication skills, taking sessions at a range of sporting activities, especially with younger children in our school and its junior schools.

"There was a fair bit of brainstorming so we could pool our ideas and we left feeling tired but knowing a lot more about what we are expected to do in lunch-time clubs and after-school sessions.

"We will also be expected to go into classes to take assemblies and tell the groups what is on offer with sports, not only the usual ones but others like dodge ball, badminton and even rock climbing if they fancy it.

"We've already had donated two squash nets which allows them to be used on court as well as the ordinary wall - and we are looking forward to getting started on them."

Kieran and Co were presented with a certificate to mark their attendance and now he is looking forward to using some of his sporting experience to encourage others.

He has the total support of his parents Emma and Jamie in the venture, with Jamie having played football, hockey and tennis, and with Kieran’s  brother Courtney (13) also involved in sport - and younger brother Dexter (2) looking sure to follow in the family footsteps!.

If pushed Kieran would say that football is currently his favourite sport after starting out as a nipper of seven years old at Hundleton and playing central midfield for them and current club Angle, where the team is well looked after by Andrew Thomas and Adrian Davies as coaches.

"We haven't played much football since Christmas, which has been disappointing," he admitted," and at the moment we are in mid-table and itching for some action."

Ask him for some highlights and he would immediately plump for winning the final of the under 14 age group last season when they beat a strong Milford United side at Monkton Lane.

"It was a great match where we were level at full time and when we finished extra time at 2-2 we went into penalties and finally won 4-2.

"I took the third penalty and although I was nervous I managed to send their keeper the wrong way and it was great to celebrate winning our medals together."

This season has seen Kieran join coach Steve Batty in the academy at Haverfordwest County but postponements because of the weather has meant they have played all five matches so far away from home against clubs who have 3D pitches, like Cambrian & Clydach, Carmarthen Town, Barry Town and Llanelli, with one win and a draw so far.

"It's been faster and more physical," Kieran told us, "but we can't wait to get started again as soon as possible."

Kieran has also enjoyed rugby at Bierspool with a Pembroke Dock Harlequins' team coached by Andrew McDonald, Gary Boswell and Neil Spencer, where he plays at scrum half alongside Euan McDonald as No 10.

"We reached the county finals for our age group two seasons ago but we lost 32-14 to Tenby - though we played really well against their very strong squad."

Kieran also has three winners' medals for the county tennis tournament which is held annually at Haverfordwest Tennis Club, winning the junior boys' singles for three years on the trot. He still plays for relaxation during the summer but with his other commitments can't spend as much time on it as he used to.

At one time he was also involved in cross country at Pembroke Dock Junior School and competed for them in the county at Oakwood.

But now he is ready to start helping out others in his current school and when he is older one of his ambitions would be to go back into the education area as a PE teacher so he could impart his sporting know-how to youngsters so his current role will give him good experience there.

It is great to see his eagerness in what is a key role in his current schools' sporting set-up - and we wish him every success because the Young Ambassadors are a bonny bunch and Kieran Smith is sure to play an integral role!