HEREFORD Cathedral School pupil William Tucker has made an impressive start to the new skiing season.

The 14-year-old has already competed in seven races and achieved two firsts, two seconds, a fifth and a 12th place.

He started in tremendous form by winning the two giant slalom races run by the Downhill Only Club in Wengen, Switzerland, and finished second in both of their slaloms.

Tucker then travelled to the Three Valleys for the British Association of Racing Ski Clubs' super G, giant slalom and slalom in France.

He got off to a bad start there when the BARSC lost his seed points, forcing him to ski last in the super G, normally considered dangerous for someone of Tucker's high-speed ability.

But on the following day he skied in top form and just one mistake, when his speed caused him to slightly overrun a gate, cost him a place on the podium and dropped him back to fifth place.

Tucker is now looking forward to training at Axam in Austria at half-term and competing in the Inter Schools Championship at Les Houches in France on March 12.

7 William Tucker finds early form on the Alpine slopes.