It's been a long time coming as COVID caused chaos, but our #youngdragons finally took to the stage with their first international fixtures in over 18 months. We caught up with Ewan Bagwell (one of 5 Gwent players to gain their first cap for Wales this summer) to share his experiences on his Welsh debut in a recent series in Ulster.

"June 2021 saw this summer's hockey for the NAG's (National Age Group) boys starting with a test series against a very talented and well drilled Ulster side. For many of us, it was our first cap for Wales, as well as our first time playing as a team, compared to the more experienced Ulster side who had been training twice a week following a lengthy selection process months ago. Despite this, both the Wales U18 and U16 teams put in a big shift, keeping our heads high in each game where they could easily have dropped.

From the Wales U18 boys' perspective we even dominated large portions of the games, but unfortunately failed to convert the chances that we had created. In the end it came down to how clinical each team was, with Wales coming out second best. With this being said, the Wales boys should be proud of how well we performed and how we persevered. We can now look forward to the other competitions across the summer."

Thank you, and congratulation Ewan on your selection, and we look forward to following your continued progress. Congratulations also go to our other #youngdragons selected, Liv Forey, Connie Davies (U16 Girls) and Jack Stransom and Harvey Davies (U16 Boys) who also took part in U16 fixtures against England last weekend. Keep learning, and keep enjoying those experiences.

If you want to keep up with the players in further matches, then please give @HockeyWales a follow on Twitter.

Next up is Ffion Horrell as she heads off to Ulster this weekend with the Wales U19 Girls.

Credit to Andrew McKibbin Photography