University of Central Lancashire students selected for Great Britain Baseball at Women's European Baseball Championship
A Burnley student has been selected to represent Great Britain at an upcoming European sports championship.
University of Central Lancashire student Samiya Rahman has been chosen alongside her peer Bethany Casson as part of the 20 strong squad for next month’s Women's European Baseball Championship.
Twenty-three-year-old Bethany and Samiya (27) who are both silver level Sports Scholarship students, will compete against France, Czechia and the Netherlands between August 14th and 17th in Hluboká, Czechia.
Samiya, a part-time MSc Digital Marketing Communications’ student who is based at the Burnley Campus, is an outfielder. She competes for Manchester Baseball Club as well as representing the University in the British Universities and Colleges Sport league.
The former Sir John Thursby Community College and St Mary’s Sixth Form College pupil, who combines her studies with a graphic design assistant position at Burnley Football Club, has also been part of the women’s national team talent pool for two years.
She said: “I was speechless when I found out I’d been chosen, I was completely overwhelmed with happiness and pride. That moment of realisation: ‘Wow, I actually did it.’ Every time I reflect on it, from the moment of reading the word ‘congratulations’ on my selection letter, I get immense butterflies.
“I am really excited to embrace the atmosphere of the Euros - the energy, the fans, the intensity of each game. I’m most looking forward to the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best players in Europe and representing my country.”
It is an amazing feat for the graphic design alumna, who was chairman of the university’s softball team, as she only picked up a baseball for the very first time four-years-ago at a university taster session.
“I had never played before, didn’t know the rules, and had so much to learn,” added Samiya. “I was completely new to the sport, but something just clicked. I never could have imagined that a few years later, I’d be putting on a Team GB jersey, preparing to represent my country at the Women’s European Baseball Championships. It’s been a whirlwind of growth, determination, and joy and I’m beyond proud to be where I am today.”