A HELENSBURGH teenager has been selected to be part of the Scotland netball squad at the 2018 School Games.

Lia McGrath, 15, will take part in the national multi-sport event for the UK’s talented school-age athletes at Loughborough University from Thursday, August 30 to Saturday, September 2.

The talented Hermitage Academy student is a member of the town's G84 Junior Netball Club and has an impressive record of success with the team, winning the under 15 Scottish Cup, U15 and U17 league championships, reaching the U15 District A Final, winning the Development League and securing the S3 Gold Scottish Schools championship.

Her treble success in one year led to her acceptance to the Scotland U15 Long Squad and U17 trial.

Lia will be following in the footsteps of some of Britain’s biggest sporting stars who have competed at the event before going on to senior international success.

Previous competitors include Paralympic champions Hannah Cockroft, Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock, Olympic champion Adam Peaty, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and sprinter Adam Gemili.

At the event McGrath will experience the excitement of competing at the highest level. She will live in a dedicated Athletes’ Village on the Loughborough University campus, take part in an School Games ceremony and perform in front of huge crowds of spectators.

Over 1,400 athletes will compete across 11 sports at the School Games, five of which include disability disciplines.

This year the School Games has introduced four new sports; canoeing and rowing, laser run, netball and triathlon.

The event will give many young people, across a variety of different sports, an experience of high-level competition in a multi-sport environment similar to an Olympic or Paralympic Games.

Ali Oliver from the Youth Sport Trust said: “The School Games National Finals provide a great opportunity for talented young athletes like Lia.

“Competitors get a real taste of what it’s like to be part of a world-class sporting event at the amazing sporting venues of Loughborough University, and the event is a great way to see our future sporting champions in action today.”