OXFORD Brookes University student Oli North is setting his sights on Italy after he was selected for the Great Britain Bulldogs student team.

Oli, 21, of Headington, who is currently on a year's placement at Land Rover in Gaydon, Warwickshire, as part of his studies for an engineering degree, will be pitting his wits against Italy's Under 25 national team in Rimini on October 6.

And Oli, who plays cornerback - in rugby union terms a defensive winger - for the Oxford and Brookes' combined American football team, the Cavaliers, can't wait for the challenge.

"It was an amazing feeling when I got selected, because all the hard work I did to get in the team seems to have paid off," he said.

"It's going to be great to have the opportunity of playing against some top players. It will be very interesting to see how we match up with them."

Oli, no relation to the American Colonel Oliver North of the same name, said: "I really enjoy playing. My job is basically to patrol the side of the pitch preventing the opposition from getting through.

"I'm much better at stopping other people playing than playing myself. I consider myself more of an artisan than an artist.

"Everyone picks up on my name. I've got used to it. At least it gets me remembered!"

He first got the gridiron bug as a youngster living in the States.

"When I was ten, I was living in Los Angeles and we played American football as part of our PE lessons.

"But it wasn't until I was back in the UK, when I was 15 or so, that I got hooked. I was watching it on TV and I thought 'I wouldn't mind having a go at that.'

"I was living in Northampton at the time and I used the internet to find a team. The trouble was the nearest team was a youth side in Peterborough. I played for them, but the travelling became bit of a problem.

"When I came to Brookes three years ago, I signed for the Cavaliers. We're actually quite a good team.

"We won the South Central League in 2001. This year we missed out, losing in the play-offs."

Sport runs in the North family's blood. Oli's father, John, won a rowing Blue at Cambridge University, while brother Robin, who is studying engineering at Imperial College, London, is also keen on sport.

"I tried to get Robin into American football, but his main sport is canoe polo," he added.

As well as preparing for Italy, he is also hoping to attract the necessary sponsorship to finance the trip.

He added: "It's been hard juggling athletic pursuits with my studies, but this selection has made it all worthwhile."

One thing Oli is not looking forward to - the 32-hour coach journey to Italy!