Essex ski racing brothers Tom and Freddie Clough returned home to Chelmsford this week as medal winners.

The brothers, who both attend King Edward Grammar School in Chelmsford, prospered in an encouraging week at The British Land Junior National Ski Championships in France, in the high altitude Olympic resort of Tignes.

They skied consistently well, racing from the unfavoured high start numbers to conquer the often bumpy and rutted courses produced by the soft spring snow, to land a worthwhile haul of medals and titles.

Tom, 16, became Boys Overall British Junior Champion ahead of Inverness skier Forbes Mitchell.

This was achieved with a bronze medal in the Junior 1 Giant Slalom, followed by a gold medal when winning the Slalom title.

With over 150 racers competing from 10 different nations, Tom was one of the few racers to pick up two medals from the three races.

Not to be outdone, in the Children's championships, Freddie, 13, landed three medals as he finished runner-up for the overall British Children 1 Combined Championship.

He started with a silver medal in the Slalom, finishing only 15 hundredths of a second behind the eventual overall British title winner Ed Drake.

Then with two races contested on the final day after the postponement of the Giant Slalom due to heavy snowfall, Freddie rallied with a bronze medal in the Giant Slalom and then in the afternoon, he finished second in the Super G.

"Both brothers this week have confirmed they are among Britain's brightest future prospects," confirmed ex-World Cup downhiller Graham Bell, Britain's Performance Director.

As well as wininng the overall title, Tom collected a cheque for £250, which was kindly donated by First Choice Holidays, who help support young skiers.

The British Land Junior National Ski Championships were sponsored for the fifth successive year by The British Land Company.

Triumphant Tom . . Chelmsford skier Tom Clough on his way to winning the overall junior title at The British Land Junior National Ski Championships in France.

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