Tom Tackles Rugby Challenge
Fourteen-year-old Billingham boy Tom Kill has been selected for the Durham County Under 15 Rugby Squad. Tom’s achievement has been made more remarkable by the fact that he is a year younger than the majority of the other squad members. This will mean that he will have two full seasons to impress at county level.
Tom, a member of Tees Active Sports Academy and an integral part of the unbeaten Billingham Under 14 Rugby team, impressed selectors at the county trials at Keiper School in Houghton le Spring last weekend.
The Billingham Campus pupil had to compete against over 90 young rugby hopefuls, most of whom were older than himself. Tom who is a member of the Newcastle Falcons Development Scheme and was not physically intimidated by the older opposition as he is 6 foot tall and weighs in at 11 ½ stone and can run the 100m in just over 12 seconds.
Tom has already scored 20 trys this season for Billingham and will be working hard to secure his place in the Durham team at outside centre. Tom, a talented athlete, competed at the English Schools Athletic Championships earlier this year, has a gruelling training schedule which involves a training session at the Newcastle Falcons every second week alongside his rugby commitments to Billingham and the Billingham Campus Rugby teams.
Tom who would like to emulate his rugby sporting hero Lewis Moody said “ I am really happy to be selected and all the help and guidance I have received from Stuart Usher at Billingham Campus and Wayne Finney at Billingham Rugby Club has really helped me to develop my rugby skills over the past few years”
Over the next two years, this young rugby star will hopefully impress the North of England selectors who will be keen spectators at county matches. Who knows this talented Billingham youngster may be gracing the hallowed turf of Twickenham in the not too distant future.
If you need any information on Tees Active Sports Academy contact Allan McDermott on (01642) 528772.