THREE pupils from Abingdon School are celebrating passing their entrance examinations to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Lower sixth-form pupils Sam Walton, Matthew Winters and Ben Kemp, will finish their studies and complete university degrees before taking up their places to train as Army officers.

Matthew and Ben were also awarded sixth-form scholarships.

The trio are members of the school's Combined Cadet Force.

The rigorous selection procedure saw them competing against applicants from all over the country. It involved a two day assessment by the Army Officer Selection Board at Westbury in Wiltshire and involved a variety of aptitude and fitness tests, leadership skills and interviews.

Matthew, 16, from Wallingford, said: "The CCF played a very important part in getting the scholarship to Sandhurst. The leadership and experience it provides are invaluable."

Sam, 16 from Kennington, says he wants to join the Royal Engineers and both he and Matthew plan to read engineering at University. Ben, 16, from Newbury, is a boarder at Abingdon.