Steve Cram has described Welsh teenage middle distance prospect Jake Heyward as a “championship runner” who has the potential to make it to the top of his sport. There can be few greater judges of middle distance running than the former 1500m and mile world record holder turned BBC television commentator.

Welshman James Williams and English co-driver Ross Whittock are the first recipients of a test with Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing in the latest specification Hyundai i20 R5, their prize for leading the Prestone MSA Motorsport News Junior British Rally Championship after the opening two rounds. The prizes, which are supported by Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, will offer two successful crews a chance to join the manufacturer for a day-long test in southern Europe. The winners will sample the latest i20 R5 from the Korean firm – a four-wheel-drive machine all of the junior competitors will be hoping to step into, in the coming years.

The former Wales Rugby League board member Martin Roscommon Roddy MBE sadly passed away on Monday night aged 63 following a 20-month battle with cancer. His wife Tessa made the following announcement early on Wednesday morning…

Welsh oarsman Graeme Thomas will get some vital practice ahead of this year’s European and World Championships when he chases more World Cup glory in the quadruple sculls at Lucerne (13-15 July). Thomas joined forces with John Collins, Jonny Walton and Cardiff University alumni Tom Barras to strike gold in the opening World Cup event in Belgrade this summer and will be among the favourites to add a second in round three.

Rhys Enoch has earned his ticket to the 147th Open Golf championships at Carnoustie after finishing third at the final qualifying event at Notts (Hollinwell) golf course. The Cardiff-based Enoch carded a two under par 142 over the two rounds to squeeze into golf’s greatest event for only the second time in his career. English duo Ashton Turner (-6) and Oliver Gibson (-3) took the other places.

Luke Rowe will complete his incredible comeback from a career-threatening injury when he lines up at the Tour de France start on Saturday. The Cardiff-born rider was warned he could be out for at least a year when he shattered his right leg in 20 places in a freak accident last August.

Non Stanford has been named in Britain’s team for the European Triathlon Championships in Glasgow. The 29-year-old from Swansea will be one of the main contenders for the title at the multi sport Games which start on August 2.

All the headlines in Welsh table tennis this year have been grabbed by the now 12-year-old Anna Hursey for qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, but take a bow Wales No 1 Charlotte Carey for breaking the mould. There may be no doubting the huge potential of Hursey, but Carey has just made history by becoming the first Welsh woman player to reach the top 100 in the world rankings in the current era.

There were plenty of medals for Welsh athletes at the British Championships in Birmingham last weekend, but there was more success to shout about at the European Mountain Running Championships. Bronwen Jenkinson (12th) was the second British athlete home in the senior women’s race in Skopje, Macedonia, to help steer her team to a bronze medal behind France and the Czech Republic. Fellow Welsh athlete Heidi Davies was the fourth and final runner home in 35th.

Gareth Furlong’s red-hot goal streak continued in the end as he hammered home four more to earn Wales a 9-0 final round victory over host nation Croatia to guarantee promotion to Hockey Open Series 2 next year. The only blip during a near perfect week for Furlong and his team mates was a 3-0 defeat to Austria, the only team ranked higher than them in the World Rankings, and their top-two finish means they will move up another level to give themselves the perfect build-up to their EuroHockey Championship campaign in Belgium next year.

The Worcestershire Black Knights watched video footage of their heavy home defeat to the South Wales Warriors and then acted out a repeat performance in Llanharan. The Warriors returned from Worcester with a 0-48 victory a fortnight ago and achieved the exact same score in this return fixture, running in six touchdowns to maintain their perfect start to the season. Black Knights defensive coordinator Alex Grimsley, in charge due to head coach Rich Smith being unwell, felt his team had been better prepared for the division leaders who, in June, steamrolled their way through the visitors. 

As Wimbledon gets underway, one thing is certain there will be few headlines written by Welsh players over the coming two weeks. But, as Rob Cole reveals, there has been Welsh success in the past on those famous grass courts – though some of the links are tenuous.