Ella bidding to be Top Trumps champion

Ella Wright, aged 10, has been sharpening her skills ahead of the grand final taking place in London on Saturday (JUN 7).

Ella, a pupil at Oakham Primary School in Oldbury, will head to iconic toy store Hamleys for the final.

She has already seen off tens of thousands of other school children, aged between seven and 11, in the heats.

At the Grand Final, Ella will play youngsters aged from eight to 11 from all over the UK, including children from Scotland and Wales.

And, as the only West Midlands contestant in the final, Ella is already the official regional champion – whatever the result of the Grand Final.

She will compete against 11 others in a turbo version of the numerical card comparison game using different themed packs of Top Trumps including a Sport pack, a Toys version and a 'Wonders of the World' pack.

For the first time the Top Trumps Schools Tournament – in its fifth year - will be a public event so people can watch the final unfold live on the shop floor.

All 12 finalists will be given a goodie bag of prizes while the champion will get a trophy and a special VIP ride on the London Eye.

Ella said: "I am very excited about the competition but a little nervous too.

"I am amazed I am in the final because so many people were in the competition. I am really excited to go to London and experience the capital and explore it. I would like to win but I am just excited to be going."

Staff and pupils at her school are giving her their backing.

Year five teacher Robin Fearn said: "It is brilliant that Ella has made it to the final. It is the third time we have had a pupil reach the final of this competition so hopefully it will be third time lucky."

The National Children's Bureau carried out detailed research on the tournament and found the game helps with numeracy and literacy.

Top Trumps was invented in 1977 and 51 million packs have been produced worldwide.