The Daily Record reports

Teenager Ross is rising star at rugby.. despite only having one hand

Mar 16 2012

A SPORTS-MAD teenager has defied the odds to become a rising rugby star – despite only having one hand.

Ross Kennedy, 16, told yesterday how he has put a handicap to one side as he has muscled his way into Glasgow High School’s first XV.

The fifth year pupil has become a regular feature in the top side.

Ross said: “I am very competitive and put my all into everything. I’ve never seen being one-handed as an issue – and it’s not as if I can change it.

“Being born this way, I’ve never known anything different. It is not like I lost my hand in an accident.

“There is not much I can’t do – although I can’t tie my shoelaces, but I am working on that one.”

Ross, of Milngavie near Glasgow, fell victim to Amniotic Band Syndrome during his mother Anne’s pregnancy, which meant he was born without a left hand.

Anne, 54, admitted both her and her husband, Louis, 54, were initially devastated.

His mum, who has two older sons in the Royal Marines, said: “Very quickly we realised our fears were a complete waste of time as Ross never seemed to let it phase him.

“We were advised to get a prosthetic hand for Ross from a very young age.”

But the fake limb never became a regular feature in Ross’s life and from an early age he decided he did not like the added appendage.

Over the years he often hid the prosthetic hand from his parents and even launched one from their car into the Clyde.

Ross said: “I was about six or seven and I hated it. We were crossing a bridge and I rolled down the window and threw it into the water.

“My mum wasn’t happy but it was just useless.”

Ross scored three tries as his team won the Hutchesons’ Grammar Sevens Tournament in Glasgow last week.

And on Wednesday his team won their own sevens, beating Marr College 25 - 12.

Now Ross, who is sitting five Highers this year, is considering taking his love of the game to the next stage.

Ross said: “I’d like to continue rugby when I leave school and maybe even play for Glasgow Hawks – if I manage to reach that goal then I would see where I can go from there.”

This article was posted on 16-Mar-2012, 08:41 by Hugh Barrow.