Seventeen-year-old Witney Roadrunner Mathew Ashton won his first-ever call-up for the South of England after a magnificent display at the third round of the Reebok Cross Country Challenge in Margate.

Mathew Ashton Ashton, running only his second cross country race of the season, after a strong performance in the first round of the Oxford Mail Cross Country League, continued to display his tremendous early season form, finishing in 22nd place in the men's under 20 race.

The start of the race was extremely quick, and Ashton was among a group of early runners to appear at the front of the pack as the lead changed hands a number of times throughout the first two laps of the six kilometre course.

By the start of the second lap, the youngster had dropped back to 28th position, but showed great strength to pull through the field in the final quarter of the race to cross the line in 19mins 9secs - the first Oxfordshire runner home.

His performance in the race, which was his first in this age group, attracted the attentions of South of England team manager Mike Wood, who handed Ashton a call for the Roslaire Cross Country in Belgium this Saturday, his first-ever international competition.