NORTH Watford athlete Adam Bowden has been rewarded for an outstanding 2001 season with the award of the John Legge Scholarship by the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund.

The trust was set up following the death of Pickering, a former international coach and BBC commentator, and is designed to provide financial support for promising young athletes.

The scholarship was created in memory of John Legge, a former ultra distance runner, and is awarded to the young athlete judged to be the most promising distance runner.

Bowden, 19, has been awarded the fund in recognition of a scintillating track season, which has seen him ranked in the top seven in the UK at four different track events.