MULTI-TALENTED Alex Cook will swap the javelin for a scrumcap after she was accepted into the U17 South West (north) rugby team.

She is joined by her classmate Kelsey Johnstone, who also impressed coaches at the trials, which were held at the Hartpury College in Gloucester last week.

The Swindon Harriers javelin thrower, who turned 16 last Friday, ran to the postman to get her birthday cards and jumped with joy as she also discovered her acceptance letter.

Cook said: "I was eager to find out so I ran to the postman. I started screaming to myself. I was so excited and happy that I got in.

"I'm thrilled for Kelsey, she is my best friend and it is a bonus to be going with her."

Her close friend Johnstone, 15, was equally jubilant and the pair attended their first training session with the side in Gloucester on Sunday.

She said: "I'm a little surprised that I got in. I am a huge rugby fan, I love it so to play for the SW is amazing."

The pair, who attend John Bently School, Calne, have only been playing rugby for the past ten months and were introduced to the sport in their PE lessons.

Cook said: "Our PE teacher Sam Morgan plays for Chippenham ladies and told Kelsey and I to go along to training."

Since then the girls have been playing for Chippenham and have also featured for the Wiltshire girls side.

Having the potential to go far in a number of sports may pose an interesting dilemma, but Cook seems to have her strategy worked out.

She said: "If I had to chose between the sports I would go with the one I had a better chance of competing at a high level."

Head coach Adrian Knighton, who has been involved with this squad since 2001 and has coached women's rugby at Bridgewater, Nailsea and Backwell near Bristol for the past eight years, said it is getting harder to make the regional side.

"We sent invitations to around 50 girls for the trials, and there are 30 in the squad," he said.

"It's harder this year than ever before to get in because the sport is becoming more popular with girls and this year for the first time we had a county championship which identified a lot of good players."

The main focus for the girls is the U17 regional festival at Litchfield Rugby club from April 24 where England scouts will be searching for talent for the RFU academy squads and national teams

In preparation for this campaign the squad has a trial match against South West (south) on March 13, and on March 20, travel to a quadrangular festival which will involve three other regional sides.

"Basically the development system goes club, county, region and then England, so the giels have done very well to get to this stage," Knighton said.