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Size eighteen feet stop play for rugby mad teenager
Last updated at 00:22am on 06.10.06
Carl Griffiths and the unfeasibly large feet he cannot find large enough rugby boots to fit
To many teenage rugby players, a growth spurt is a welcome boost to surviving the rough and tumble of the game.
But for 14-year-old Carl Griffiths, his rapidly growing feet have not proved to be such an advantage.
And now, at size 18, he really has become too big for his boots.
Carl has been forced to give up his favourite sport because he can't find footwear for his massive feet.
They are double the shoe size of the average British male, and three sizes bigger than the largest rugby boots available.
And now the 6ft 3in forward can only watch from the touch lines as his village team mates play the game he loves.
It is believed Carl's enormous feet - which are still growing - are the result of drugs he was given to combat childhood leukaemia.
He was eight years old when doctors discovered he was suffering from the disease, and after a course of chemotherapy he was treated with steroids to help him regain his strength.
But two years after he was given the all-clear from the disease, the drugs seem to be still having an effect.
Yesterday he explained: "I would love to play rugby but they only make boots up to size 15 so I have to watch instead.
"I managed to squeeze into a pair of fifteens for a while but they hurt my toes.
"The referee could see there was something wrong and sent me from the field.
"Now I could not even get into them. My feet have grown two sizes so far this year."
Carl, who played for his local team at Trimsaran, near Llanelli, South Wales, added: "I was devastated to be dropped. We won every game but one last season and I really enjoyed it.
"I'm heartbroken because I love playing and I'm an ideal second-row forward because of my height.
"But my feet are 17 inches long now and they are still growing. I've tried everywhere to get boots but it's impossible."
Carl's parents are convinced his problems are the result of the drugs he received during his illness.
Wayne Griffiths, 38, a security guard said: "We think the growth spurt has something to do with all the chemotherapy and steroid treatments he underwent.
"He still has to go for check-ups and we've mentioned his big feet to the consultant.
"They are puzzled and are looking into it." Mr Griffiths - who wears a size 13 - added that the family had tried everything to locate a pair of size 18 boots.
"They don't seem to exist," he said.
For day-to-day footwear, Carl's mother Michelle, 36, managed to track down two pairs of size 17 trainers from the US, but because they break school uniform rules, he has to carry a note for teachers which explains his special requirements.
Amazingly, Carl has still got some way to go to claim the biggest feet record. It currently which belongs to the late American actor Matthew McGrory, who wore size 29s.
