FOUR Amman Valley schoolgirls have been flying the flag in Barbados after being selected to take part in the Commonwealth Youth Games for the Wales U18 Rugby Sevens squad.

The team returned from the Caribbean with a bronze medal, after a physical play-off against Fiji.

The squad won Wales’ first medal ever in a team event at either a Commonwealth Games or Youth Games.

They lost their first game against Canada, but went on to an impressive 58-0 win against Bermuda and 53-0 against Trinidad and Tobago.

The fourth match against Australia was lost 26-0, but Wales won their final match against Fiji 26-7 to secure bronze.

Caitlin Lewis, from Ammanford, Lucy Packer, from Garnant, Megan Williams, from Betws, and 18-year-old Maisie Mackenzie from Llandeilo were selected to represent their country after phenomenal performances in inter-school competitions.

Caitlin, 17, Lucy, 17, and Megan, 18, are all pupils at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, and play for the school’s rugby sevens team.

The school’s superb sevens team are reigning holders of the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens title, having won the tournament for the last three years.

The event is the world’s largest school rugby tournament, with some 7,000 boys and girls aged 13 to 18 competing annually.

Ellie Morgan, also a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, was selected for the squad too, but at 15-year-old, the youngster was ruled too young to take part in the competition.

The girls were welcomed home with a party at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant last Monday, where they were each presented with a commemorative coin to mark their achievement.

Since returning from the Games, Maisie, a pupil at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, Caitlin and Lucy, along with Ellie, have been selected for the UK School Games in Loughborough in September.

Some 38 young Welsh athletes competed in six sports over six days at the Commonwealth Youth Games, delivering outstanding performances and medal wins and smashing Welsh and British junior records.

Team Wales returned home with a total of 13 medals; two gold, six silver and five bronze.