AN OXFORDSHIRE teenager will hope to follow in the footsteps of her sporting heroes after she was selected to represent England South West in rugby sevens.

Olivia Jones, 16, will join the team for the multi-sport School Games in Sheffield. The major sporting event will see more than 1,600 potential stars compete across 12 sports between September 12 and 15.

Olivia, who lives in Yarnton and attends Cokethorpe School, in Ducklington, near Witney, said: “I am so excited and it should be a really good experience.

“I can’t explain how overjoyed I felt when I received the email saying I had been selected. I am really looking forward to the games stage and the opening ceremony as I haven’t done anything like that before.”

Olivia said she got into rugby at the age of five and was inspired to take up the sport after watching her older brother Mark from the sidelines.

She now plays for Wallingford Rugby Club, Oxfordshire and England South West – but has bigger dreams.

Olivia said: “It would be amazing to play for England.”

Footballer David Beckham, who acts as a Sainsbury’s Active Kids ambassador, said: “Olivia should be incredibly proud of being selected to compete in the Sainsbury’s 2013 School Games.

“To be given the chance to compete in a multi-sport event and experience a major sporting occasion like this is a huge opportunity for these young people.”

The event is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust.

Paralympic gold medallists Hannah Cockroft, Jonnie Peacock and Ellie Simmonds and upcoming British sprinter Adam Gemili all attended the event in the past.