YOUNG wrestler Charlie Meadows has his eye on a place on the national talent squad after impressing in a prestigious European tournament.

The 12-year-old, who is a member of Bolton Olympic Wrestling Club, won all three of his bouts to claim gold at the Ringerverband Nordrhein-Westfalen championships in Dortmund, Germany.

Charlie, who is the reigning English and British champion in his age and weight category, stayed in Holland prior to the competition, attending a training camp with the De Halter Wrestling Club in Utrecht.

He went on to represent both De Halter and Bolton Olympic at the championships in Germany, which were hosted by Landessichtung KSV Kahn Marten.

Leon Van Os, coach at De Halter, said: “I love Charlie’s wrestling style, and his final match against a Dutch competitor who has previously finished second at the Tallinn Open – Europe’s largest wrestling tournament – was I believe the best match of the competition."

British Wrestling normally only consider young wrestlers for the national talent squad aged 14 and above.

But Bolton Olympic head coach Tony Morris hopes they may make an exception for Charlie after his performance in Germany.

And he added: “This is a great result for Charlie as this was a high standard competition. His hard work and preparation certainly paid off with this fantastic international result."

Next up for the young Boltonian is a trip to Finland for the Helsinki Open at the end of November before the British Junior Championships early in December.