User:Mikethebike70

Mike Williams ('International Caps')(Michael Hayden Williams)(born 3 June 1970) is the designer and curator of the World's first website dedicated to honours caps awarded to people to commemorate a special event, such as representing their club, county or country in a sporting event. His website 'internationalcaps.webs.com' is a World renowned gallery of caps and a source of information about what such caps look like, where they can be found and bought, how much they may be worth, and who makes them.

Mike is also known for being a former rugby player, amateur cyclist, motorcyclist and international racing car test driver.

'''Background: ''' Mike Williams was born in Aberdare, South Wales, UK. He attended Brackla Junior School, Brynteg Comprehensive School, West Glamorgan Institute Swansea, Cardiff University, and the University of Glamorgan.

Williams qualified as a solicitor in January 2000, and works as a personal injury solicitor as well as running his website and an honours cap manufacturing company.

Williams grew up in a motorcycle racing environment has been a motorcycle racing fan for over 45 years. '''Rugby career: '''

Williams played competitive Rugby Union for Brackla Junior School 1st XV, Brynteg Comprehensive School 1st XV, West Glamorgan Institute Swansea 1st XV, Cardiff University 1st XV, Llanharan RFC and Bridgend RFC.

Williams was a member of the very first official Brackla Junior School rugby team in 1980 which lost 0-10 to Llangewydd School in front of a large crowd at Brackla school's home ground. Williams played Scrum Half that day, and went on to play Outside Half and Full Back being a good ball handler and accurate kicker.

Williams went on to play for Brynteg School 1st XV between 1986-1989 alongside Welsh internationals Robert Howley and Neil Boobyer. Williams played Outside Half, Full Back and Right Wing for Brynteg and was a prolific try scorer and goal kicker. Williams scored 24 points and a full house (3 tries, 3 conversions, 1 penalty goal and 1 drop goal) in one game against Stanwell Comprehensive School in 1987.

Also in 1987 Williams was a member of the Brynteg 7s squad, including Robert Howley, which won the 1987 NatWest Sevens Rugby Tournament at Rosslyn Park RFC, and the 1987 Windsor Sevens. Williams was also in the Brynteg School squad which played a 90th Year Anniversary match against a star studded Brynteg Old Boys XV consisting of multiple internationals including JPR Williams, Gerald Williams, Gareth Williams, Owain Williams and Wilson Lauder, at the Brewery Field on 2nd April 1987.

Williams played for Llanharan RFC at Under 21 and Senior level between 1989-1992. He played outside half, centre and full back.

Williams played for West Glamorgan Institute 1st XV at outside half between 1990-1992.

Williams played for Cardiff University 1st XV at outside half during the 1992-93 season.

Williams played left wing in a Welsh Universities Trial at South Glamorgan Institute Cardiff alongside full back Justin Thomas. Whilst neither Williams nor Thomas made the final starting XV, Thomas was selected to play for the Wales senior national team at full back against England at Twickenham later that year.

Williams trained with Bridgend RFC during the Summer of 1993, and was selected at full back by former international referee Clive Norling to play in a pre-season match against Bridgend Athletic at the Brewery Field.

Williams' last competitive rugby union game was for Cardiff University v Taffs Well in 1993.

In 2015 Williams' rugby career was resurrected by an invitation to play Touch Rugby in new official leagues formed by the Welsh Rugby Union. Having no associated Club at that time Williams was placed in a Barbarians squad. The squad went on to win a division of the Ospreys league, and thereafter play the Cardiff Blues league champions, Glifach Ghosts at the Millennium Stadium Cardiff in November 2015. The Barbarians lost 10-2.

In 2016 Williams was invited to play Mixed Ability Rugby for Swansea Gladiators RFC. Mixed Ability Rugby includes both able bodied and disabled players and involves restricted and limited physical contact. Williams played in both Touch Rugby and 15-a-side matches for the Gladiators, including games at the Sixways Stadium in Worcester, and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

In 2019 Williams was invited to play Touch Rugby in the Ospreys Winter League series, playing for the Ospreys in the Community squad.

'''Cycling: ''' Williams rode in his first mass start cycling event in 1987, and has gone on to complete over 200 non-professional cycling events and Sportives. Williams has been the fastest finisher in 14 Sportive events between 1987 and 2015.

'''Motorcycling: ''' Williams has always been a big motorcycle racing fan, and was the Manager of Team Iwanski-Meaden motorcycle racing team between 1990-1993. The team won 3 Welsh Championships, the British Clubmans Championship in 1991, and competed at the 1992 Isle of Man TT races. The team was also featured in a BBC2 TV documentary in 1992 called “A Bit On The Side”.

Williams has ridden Speedway bikes and raced Minimoto bikes against some of Britain's very best professional motorcycle racers.

'''Motor Racing: '''

In 1993, whilst at Cardiff University, Williams saw an invitation to attend a go karting event at Llandow Karting Centre. Williams duly attended and finished second in the event, which included multiple British Pro Kart drivers.

Williams went on to win kart races at most UK Indoor Karting Centres, and also several Pro Kart Sprint and Endurance Races, and a result was selected by Elvington Leisure Karting (ELK) to drive one of their factory Honda Pro Karts in the British and European Pro Kart Championships. Williams' best result was a 10th place finish at the Alain Prost Circuit in Le Mans France in 1994.

In 2000 Williams bought a Ferrari 348ts road car and drove it at numerous track days throughout the UK. Williams also competed for the Ferrari Club of GB kart racing team.

Williams attended a single seater driving experience session at the Stowe Circuit in Silverstone, and having showed considerable pace was led to several race teams searching for drivers. With the cost of car racing being too prohibitive, Williams adopted a testing role, driving all sorts of racing cars at circuits all over the World.

Williams' inventory of race cars include historic Formula 1 cars, IndyCar, NASCAR, Dragster, Formula 3000, Formula 3, Formula 4, Formula Renault 2.0, Formula Audi, Formula Mazda, Formula Ford and Formula Vee.

Williams has tested racing cars throughout the UK and also the United States, Australia, Abu Dhabi, Sweden, Estonia, Austria, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

References: www.internationalcaps.webs.com