RUGBY UNION: TEENAGE rugby player Alex Bartley earned his first England cap earlier this month when facing France Under 17s.
The Solihull School Sixth Form pupil, who has been part of the Worcester Warriors academy since he was 14, first started playing rugby at Eversfield Preparatory School when aged 11.
He then went on to play for Silhillians Rugby Club before it became clear the talented winger had the chance of creating a bright future in the sport.
Incredibly, Bartley scored on debut for England Under 17s – and now he’s eyeing more caps for the national squad at his respective age category.
He said: “It’s an amazing feeling to represent my country and gave me a huge sense of pride.
“I’ve been part of the Worcester Warriors academy since I was 14 – I train there once or twice a week plus commitments with my school team and club.
“During the season I played for Worcester Warriors Under 18s against all the other Premiership academy teams, that’s where I got my England call-up.
“Following that I attended two England training camps consisting of more than 50 boys.
“That figure was whittled down to the final squad which represented England in the game against France Under 17s.”
Though Bartley got on the scoresheet, it wasn’t enough to help his country defeat the French as the home side won 47-26 in Geuegnon.
A stronger second half for the French saw them extend their half time lead to three points to win the game convincingly.
Alex said: “I started the match on the wing and scored on my debut.
“I would like to become a professional rugby player and combine this with studying economics or maths at university.”
