Wednesday 27 March 2019 20:48, UK
James Botham, grandson of cricket great Sir Ian Botham, has signed his first professional deal with the Cardiff Blues.
Botham, who plays in the back row, made his Blues debut against Connacht earlier this season and has also represented Wales at U20 level.
He was born in Cardiff while father Liam was playing for the club - Cardiff RFC - which morphed into the Blues when Welsh rugby was reorganised.
"It's great to sign my first professional deal and I'm really happy it's at Cardiff Blues, where I've spent the last three years in the academy," he said.
"It was a massive honour to make my PRO14 debut earlier in the season having played a lot in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, in the A-League and Cardiff RFC - now I am hungry for more.
"You only have to look at the likes of Owen Lane, Jarrod Evans and Dillon Lewis to see how quickly young players can progress at Cardiff Blues, so this is definitely the right environment for me to improve as a player.
"I'm also really excited about the potential of this squad and what we can achieve in the future with so many good young players coming through to compliment the established guys and internationals."
Prop Keiron Assiratti and flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes have also signed senior contracts.
