Messages from ExPupils
Ashford Chelsea Test
Hercules striker 16 years old this week training with the Stamford Bridge club, which paid € 150,000 if he stays with the squad
The tentacles of the most powerful clubs in Europe come to the last football field any location. Only in this way means that Chelsea have set your goal in front of Hercules Juvenile Dawkins Michael Ashford, 16.
The burly striker, who plays for Youth League coaching Adolfo Soto, is conducting a test this week at Chelsea and will return on Friday to Alicante. If the Stamford Bridge club decides to recruit the striker, shall pay an amount agreed upon and close to 150,000 euros to come better than ever into the coffers of the Foundation Hercules needed resource to continue the ambitious project that has been hand under the supervision of Sergio Fernandez, Espanyol sporting director also.
"Ashford is striking because it is very strong, powerful and fast to be still youthful first year", explained yesterday Juanmi Gelabert, former player of Hercules and now coach of the Foundation.
Ashford has eight goals for the Youth League and has entered into several calls for the selection of Valencia. This is one of the youth players with the greatest and yet, the Foundation has caught the interest of Chelsea. Espanyol technicians assume that their march to the prestigious English club would be an important and necessary economic boost, and a morale booster to the good work being played by the team of researchers from Sergio in the lower grades.
The last public reward obtained from the grassroots was the call for a Pepe Sellés working days of the Spanish team led by Julen Lopetegui sub'19.
Adolfo Soto, former player and now coach of Hercules from Ashford, was waiting at the response of Chelsea. "It's a very strong front, hardworking, powerful, explosive and very sacrificed" assessed Soto, who added: "Clearly this is a very important player for us and if he goes to Chelsea will miss him. But here we all want the better for Hercules and for the boy. Ashford deserves everything goes well because he works hard and has a great future. We need to improve a bit in the definition, but that is achieved over the years. "
Kieron Fowler Update May 25th, 2011
Kieron Fowler is a lad on a mission and his target is to make it on to the professional golf circuit. Although he only reached his 16th birthday last December he is heading the ranking list for the region both in the Junior and Adult categories.
A former winner of the CoastRider Pride of Spain Young Achiever award in 2009 Kieron wanted to be a footballer when he was younger but an injury to ligaments meant that any sport involving runnig was out as it would result in a return of the injury and so his father suggested a walk around the golf course.
This progressed to Kieron having a tryout with a hastily modified club with a taped on head and that was the beginning to what has become a driving compulsion, if you will pardon the pun.
Jumping a year at school and taking exams early has meant that Kieron has the whole year in which he can focus completely on his game and a typical day for him will start at 6.30, in the gym at 8.30 and then on the golf course at 10.30 practising until 5.00 pm.
His home course is at Font del Llop where he receives training from the highly experienced course pro, Christian Ziff, who since 2002 has been a trainer of the Federation of the Valencian Community.Kieron had a very good finish to last season including winning the Lacoste tournament in November.
That winning form has continued this year so far with him winning regional tournament near to Bilbao he was top junior, missing out or getting the title of Spanish Champion for the tournament only because he isn’t a Spanish national and that is something he is working on, hopingt to have the paperwork sorted out by the end of this year because that will then give him access to being eligible for the Spanish national teams. Last year Kieron played in the England Under 18 team but did not totally enjoy the environment, “I played for England last year I didn’t like their set up and I didn’t like what they were doing with me. They started to change a lot of stuff and I’m a great believer in if it goes well, keep doing what you are doing.
It’s very technical what they are doing - you have got to play our way, this is England’s way and you have got to play this way. The Spanish way is very different. You turn up to the training and if you have got problems they help you and if you haven’t they leave you. I really like that”. Those reasons plus the distance and cost involved in playing for England have made Kieron look to Spain for his future.
Competing at this level not only requires skill and dedication it requires funding and Kieron’s parents are extremely supportive of his ambitions. This last weekend he was at a tournament in Galicia, an eleven hour drive with his father at the wheel to avoid the extra expense of air flights and car hire. Asked about highlights of his career to date he obviously mentions the trophies but right up there alongside the silverware was time spent playing with Jose María Olazábal two years running as a result of reaching the finals of the Lacose national competition. The next stage for Kieron may well be Tour School if the results keep coming and Kieron is certainly got the right attitude and dedication to go far - Kieron Fowler a name to look out for. Paun Mutter
Kieron won the under 18 Spanish Stroke Play Championship played near Bilbao in Northern Spain April 20th 2011
Kieron ganó el Campeonato Stroke Play cerca de Bilbao en la categoría de menores de 18 años el pasado 20 de Abril de 2011.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our former Head Girl, Krisha Gandhi, who has been awarded a Highest Achiever Award from Edexcel Examination Board for achieving the highest mark in Spain for A level English Language & Literature. This follows a previous award from Cambridge International Examinations for History.
Felicitaciones a Krisha
Felicidades a nuestro Ex Head Girl, Krisha Gandhi, que ha sido galardonada por el Comité de Examinación de Edexcel con el Premio a la nota más alta r de España en los exámenes de A Level de Lengua Inglesa y Literatura. El año pasado Krisha consiguió otro premio en la asignatura de Historia por el Comité Examinador de Cambridge.
Kieron Fowler, Golf Promise
Kieron Fowler (21-12-1994), the Briton who resides in Alicante and who in 2009 finished second best at the Lacoste Promesas tournament even though he was one year younger than his competitors, is no longer just a promising youth but has fulfilled all expectations. Last November Kieron won the 2010 edidion of that same tournament (lying 8 shots ahead!) and two weeks later he won the Double Junior Championship of the FGCV playing as a pair with Pepe Climent.
To those who have had the chance to watch Fowler training at the Font the Llop under the supervision of the professional player Christian James Ziff, his success will not come as a surprise. As Alberto Gómez, manager of the golf course declares: “When I come to work at 8 a.m. Kieron is already shooting, marching to the putting green, going out on the course and back to the driving range… If he goes on like that he will get very far”. Kieron is still learning and has received lessons from Glenn Billington to improve his putt.
Now, Spanish golf has to deal with the problems of Fowler’s nationality, who albeit his 10 years of residence in Spain has only a British passport. If the efforts of the FGCV do not succeed, the young champion will end up representing his victories to the country where he was born and not to the country that has welcome him and given him the opportunity to develop his golfing skills.
Kieron Fowler, Promesa del Golf
Kieron Fowler (21-12-1994), el británico afincado en Alicante que en 2009 fue subcampeón del Lacoste Promesas siendo un año menor que el resto de competidores, ha dejado de ser una promesa para convertirse en realidad: en noviembre ganó la edición 2010 de dicha competición (¡con 8 golpes de ventaja!) y dos semanas después se alzo con el Campeonato Dobles Junior de la FGCV formando pareja con Pepe Climent.
No sorprenderán los éxitos de Fowler a quienes lo vean entrenar en Font de Llop, supervisado por el profesional Christian James Ziff. En palabras de Alberto _Gómez, director del campo, “entro a trabajar a las 8 de la mañana y ya esta Kieron pegando bolas, yendo al putting green, saliendo al campo, de nuevo en la cancha… Si sigue así llegará muy lejos”. Aún en evolución, Kieron también ha recibido clases de Glenn Billington para la mejora de su putt.
El golf español se encuentra ahora con la problemática de la nacionalidad de Fowler, quien pese a sus 10 años de residencia en España sólo tiene pasaporte británico: o las gestiones de la FGCV dan fruto o el joven campeón acabará ofreciendo éxitos a su país de nacimiento en vez de al de acogida y formación deportiva…
