Dai Sport

Welsh Gymnastics have released their long list of gymnasts who are eligible for nomination and potential selection for Team Wales for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Announced on Commonwealth Day, the list of 21 squad gymnasts includes four bidding to secure their spot at a second Commonwealth Games, having competed on the Gold Coast in 2018. Two of those are in women’s artistic. Bridgend’s Emily Thomas – who also has hopes of making the Great Britain squad for the postponed Tokyo Olympics this summer – and Holly Jones were both part of Team Wales in Australia three years ago.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Welsh Athletics has announced the launch of a new initiative to celebrate, encourage and support female coaches in Wales.

Meg Lanning is determined to use her status as one of the biggest names in women’s cricket to inspire the next generation of young girls when she brings her unique talent to Cardiff. Australian captain Lanning has been an international star for the last decade and is the youngest centurion – male or female – in her country’s history. Now 28, and with 82 one day internationals and 107 T20 internationals on her CV, Lanning will play for Welsh Fire this summer in The Hundred – a new competition in which players from both sexes will play on an equal footing.

Rhys Enoch has revealed his victory at the Sunshine Tour's Kit Kat Group Pro-Am event in South Africa felt like reward for overcoming tough times during lockdown. The Welsh golfer shot a final round of 67 on Sunday to win by one shot on 12 under par and claim his second victory on the Sunshine tour, which is based in southern Africa. Enoch has played very little tournament golf over the past 12 months and the 32-year-old – who played at the US Open in 2019 – admitted the victory at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club felt a huge relief.

Andre Ayew could miss at least two and possibly three of Swansea City’s key Championship matches if he goes away on international duty with Ghana. The Swans striker is due to captain his country in an African Nations Cup qualifier in South Africa on March 25. Unless the tie is moved elsewhere, then if Ayew played he would be forced to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days on his return and miss games against Birmingham City, Preston and possibly Millwall.

Training partners Joe Brier and Owen Smith blasted Great Britain's 4x400m team on their way to a brilliant bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Poland on Sunday evening. The Welsh speakers, who train in Cardiff under former Wales and Great Britain 400m international Matt Elias, produced excellent first and second legs to set up a thrilling medal winning performance in Torun.

When Alisha Butchers went over on her ankle in training with Bristol Bears Women last Tuesday, there was no way she could have foreseen the trouble, stress, and financial worries ahead. The 23-year-old Wales international has been forced to raise funds online for the surgery required to fix her ankle after falling foul of a medical insurance loophole. Butchers - who reached her £4,995 GoFundMe target in just five hours on Friday - wants her fellow female players to ensure they do not end up in the same position and liable for thousands of pounds of medical bills due to circumstances outside of their control.

Kris Jones finished an agonising three seconds outside the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000m qualifying standard in Newport on Saturday. Competing at the Elite Winter 10k event, Jones smashed his 10,000m personal best of 29.05.66 set in Highgate back in 2017. The Swansea Harrier finished second to Leeds AC athlete Emile Cairess, clocking a time of 28:33.17 - just outside the Birmingham qualifying standard of 28:30.00.