Two Livingston Handball Club youngsters will mix it up with the best in Britain after being selected for the Great Britain men’s under-18 programme.
Goalkeeper Sam McEwan and wing Dallas Callaghan have been rewarded for their brilliant form and will now get the chance to be part of the GB set-up over the coming year.
While it’s a second straight year for Sam, the call-up is a first for Dallas, with club coach Allan Stokes admitting everyone at Livingston is full of pride at the pair’s achievements.
Speaking to the Courier, he said: “They’ll be involved in GB camps throughout the year and take part in games and tournaments. It will be a brilliant experience for them to test themselves at that level and be around the best players in the country and compete against top players.
“There’s a huge sense of pride from everyone at the club for both of them and it’s a deserved achievement.
“They lost a couple of really crucial development years due to covid so they didn’t have that smooth transition from youth to senior that we would have hoped for them.
“They were thrown in at the deep end a wee bit which could have been really challenging, but they’ve shown that they’re more than capable of being a success at this level.”
He added: “Both players have played pivotal roles in us having a hugely successful season so far. We’re top of the league and unbeaten and the two of them have been in brilliant form.”
The call-up can also be used as an inspiration for the club’s players, admits Stokes.
He added: “It gives the players in their team a huge boost and shows what you can achieve but also the young players in the pathway as well. It can be an inspiration for them.
“They can see that there’s two players in the senior team representing Great Britain. They can see that it’s possible and it gives them maybe that extra drive and determination to go and match that.
“It’s a huge honour for the club and also the players to have been selected.”
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