Ospreys youngster Kyran Bishop is a bit of a youth tournament veteran. The 15-year-old has been a key figure in the last two events, playing at the Copper Box Arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2015 and at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in 2016. He is now ready for his third youth tournament where he will be switching colours and rolling out with Saracens here in Aylesbury.
Following his exploits in the youth team, Bishop has recently graduated into Paul Jenkins’ senior team, making his BT Super Series Division Two debut in Stoke Mandeville in September this year, scoring his first goals for the adult side and playing alongside the likes of London 2012 star David Anthony and Denmark international Kristian Bak Eriksen.
Wheelchair Rugby has changed Kyran’s life according to mum, Rachael: “To see Kyran give it a go and all of a sudden be part of a team is a strange and amazing feeling. It is a massive learning curve for him and it has been a massive life changing experience for Kyran in terms of life skills, diet and influencing his dreams and aspirations.”
“Before, he was happy coming home from school and sitting in front of the TV eating his tea, now he lives for training, he wants to train and improve, be part of the Ospreys family and that is something that had never ever happened in his life before.” She added.
Kyran, who has only being playing the sport since 2015, was the first to agree that without his experience playing in the youth tournaments, he wouldn’t be the player he is today: “These events have been really important in my development in wheelchair rugby and in my preparation for the senior side. It has really helped me a lot in learning the game.” Said the teen.
He continued: “I love bashing into people and I have become a better player thanks to playing in this tournament. I am fitter and stronger which helps me stop the opposition on court.”
Mum, Rachael continued: “It has been a massive help for Kyran because he struggles with lots of different things and it has given him the confidence to come and play with the seniors, learn the game and physically get fitter, so playing for the youth team has made a massive difference.”
“There are a lot of people like Kyran, not just in wheelchairs but children who may have behavioural issues or learning problems that struggle to fit into a team environment and in schools they tend to not be included in those teams, so these kind of events are fantastic.” She concluded.
Kyran, who has cerebral palsy, is a great example of the success of these youth tournaments and we hope that his peers can be inspired by his story and his journey and we look forward to following his progress within the sport for many years to come.
