Dylan Williams, from Llanelli in West Wales, had to make the difficult decision to pull out of the Welsh para bowls squad for Birmingham 2022 due to his deteriorating health.

Williams’ bowls career spans more than thirty years but his life changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) eighteen months ago.

Despite his illness, Dylan continued to bowl. He was invited to play for the Welsh para bowls squad in test matches in Leamington Spa and Ayr last summer before gaining selection for this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Within weeks of being selected, however, Dylan’s health deteriorated so profoundly that he had no choice but to pull out of the squad.

Williams’s story resonated profoundly with Team England’s Craig Bowler who rallied support from the wider team.

The full Team England Commonwealth Games squad signed a shirt for Dylan and Bowler, along with the Team England Para Squad presented the England shirt to representative of Team Wales at the most recent International Test Event at Leamington Spa.

“The bowling community was right behind him, and I had to do something to show that.

“Although a shirt won’t make him better, it will remind him that we’re thinking about him.

“We all need to live like it’s our last day because you never know what the future holds”.

Everyone at Bowls England has Dylan and his family in our thoughts at this difficult time.