A member of Oswestry Olympians is celebrating after coming third in the UK in the Intercounties Cross Country Championships at the weekend.

Liam Rawlings and fellow Olympian Tom Wilde had both been selected to represent Shropshire at the championships held on Saturday at Prestwold in Loughborough. Liam, who had gained a second place in the UK Challenge Series in Liverpool earlier in the season, was aiming for a top three place against the best under-15 athletes in the UK.

With recent snow and heavy rain over the past week, conditions underfoot were treacherous with the grassy field turned into a mud bath reminiscent of a Glastonbury Festival. But, Liam, who has trained hard throughout the winter, made an excellent start in the front pack from over 300 competitors. He maintained his pace to stay in contention as the front runners began to speed up and still had enough strength left for a sprint finish over the last 100 metres to claim the bronze medal.

Tom started the season in fine form winning the first Shropshire Young Athletes League Cross Country League race for Oswestry Olympians. However injury scuppered his winter training plans. He managed to develop sufficient sharpness in time for the Shropshire County Championships in January to qualify for the Shropshire team. After a few weeks of quality training Tom was prepared for the Intercounties race. He started in the middle of the pack but showed great determination as he worked his way through the runners to finish a creditable 115th in a field of 281 athletes.

It was fitting that the outstanding achievements of these two youngsters was witnessed by Oswestry Olympians coach Tracy Bathers who has given so much time to young athletes over the years and who was present as a member of the Shropshire management team.