YOUNG Vale sportsman Peter Kirby has spoken of his relief at narrowly escaping eviction from the BBC's reality show, Born to Win.

Peter, of North Littleton, the national fencing champion in the under-20 category, was one of three male contestants facing being thrown off the programme last Saturday.

Former international hurdles champion, Colin Jackson, however, one of the programme's mentors, saved him, much to Peter's relief.

The decision means he survives for at least another week, as he remains in the running to win a bursary to help him reach the top in his chosen sport.

He described the threat of eviction as "pretty scary" but believed he had a good chance of surviving, as he was not the lowest placed competitor and did not have the least number of points.

"Being saved was a relief," he said on the programme's official website, "I felt good but, at the same time, you feel bad for the other two.

"We've made friends and they're good blokes and you don't want to see anyone go but you know someone has to."

He added: "The reason I was in the drop zone was because I lost focus."

He went on: "I knew as soon as I'd finished what went wrong and then Colin confirmed it.

"I've just got to listen to what he says and try and improve my performance."

One male and one female contestant will each win a bursary at the end of the series.

Peter is a member of the Shakespeare's Sword fencing club, based at King Edward VI School in Stratford.