A talented teenage rugby player and his mum are searching for a size 16 pair of boots after he grew out of his size 15s. Elliot Beavan, from Cwmbran, only turned 15 in December but stands at 6ft 5in tall and is still growing. The Cwmbran High School pupil was previously scouted by the Dragons and plays for his local club as well as Pontypool District. But the gifted player and his mum, Sophie Beavan, are worried he may have to give up the sport if they can't find the correct sized boot.
Sophie, 35, said: "He's only been a size 16 for a couple of weeks. At a game [on Sunday] he said his boots were hurting him and you could see a split at the front of them. I've managed to get him normal trainers but I had to scour the internet for hours and couldn't find anything branded. They are a size 16 and they fit him perfectly. I've managed to find a size 16 pair of school shoes on Amazon as well but rugby boot-wise there's nothing at all."
She said that although rugby boots are sold by many suppliers, including all well-known sports shops, most lines go up to a size 14 or 15. Although larger shoe retailers do exist they generally make formal shoes rather than rugby boots, said Sophie.
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If Elliot isn't able to find size 16 boots she said his future in the sport he loves looks uncertain. At present he trains at least four times a week and plays a match at the weekend. He hopes to be selected again to play for the Dragons.
Sophie said: "A couple of months ago he got selected for the Dragons so they put him up a year. He did it for a few months but as he didn't know anyone he pulled back. They've been scouting so we're hoping he will be picked again with a couple of his friends this time.
"However if we can't find his boots in a big enough size he's really going to struggle to train and play. Everyone who has ever seen him play has said he has the potential to go really far with rugby. I just don't want him to give up rugby because we can't find a pair of boots to fit his massive feet."
Sophie said their lack of luck so far makes the future seem "daunting". She said: "He has such a good future ahead of him with rugby but if we can't find him rugby boots it is a bit sad and emotional that he might potentially have to give it up because of this. He would be devastated."
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