A TRURO pupil will be appearing on the national stage after winning the South West School Cross Country Championships.

Finn Birnie crossed the line at the event held in Chippenham, Wiltshire, 20 seconds ahead of the field to qualify for the UK finals in Blackburn on March 14.

The 14-year-old Truro School student had to battle for his first place finish as he fell behind the leading pack at the start, timing his run to perfection.

John Knowles, the school’s cross country coach, said: “Finn ran an extremely sensible and mature race.

“He controlled his race from the start and didn’t panic when an early group formed ahead of him.

“He worked hard on the hills and paced himself very well to win, leading the last two thirds of the race from the front.”

Alongside Birnie, six other runners from Truro will be part of the South West team in Blackburn, including Harris Mier who finished fifth in the race despite being a year younger than most of the field.