Natalie's Rugby League mascot is top of the world

John Stankevitch from Rochdale Hornets and Martin Ballard from the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, the Hornets Team sponsor, present Natalie with her prizes

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A pupil at Beech House School in Rochdale is on top of the world this week after her design of a mascot for the Rugby League World Cup 2013 got through to the final of a national competition.

This summer organisers launched a competition to find a mascot idea which will be used to promote the 23 team tournament staged in stadiums across England and Wales next year, including Fiji v Ireland here in Rochdale.

12-year old Rugby fan Natalie El-Hage was selected from all the entries received in the borough and has gone forward to the final judging panel. Her mascot was nicknamed ‘Scrummy’ and is based around the design of a sports drink bottle.

John Stankevitch from Rochdale Hornets and Martin Ballard from the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, the Hornets Team sponsor, visited Natalie at school this week to present her prizes, which included tickets for her family to watch Fiji v Ireland at Spotland Stadium next October, a £10 voucher to spend at the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, plus tickets for a Hornets game.

Her classmates who had also entered the competition got a Free Family Swim pass from Link4Life for the new Rochdale Leisure Centre, a £10 voucher to spend in the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre and tickets to watch a Hornets game.

The eventual overall winner’s creation will be brought to life by a top graphic designer whose experience includes working with Disney.

Tickets for the tournament go on general sale on Friday 26 October.