DROITWICH'S favourite son Ashley Giles is the strongest link - and that's official.

The cricket star won a special episode of the BBC's Weakest Link of England's cricketers, including some fellow Ashes heroes, and in doing so pocketed £10,000 for charity. In a tense finale shown on television over the weekend he pipped fellow Ashes hero Matthew Hoggard to come out on top.

The spin-bowling hero, currently on England duty in Pakistan, also took the opportunity to put Droitwich on the map nationally.

When asked by Anne Robinson what were the highlights of his life he said that being made an honorary citizen of Droitwich ranked up there as one of his proudest moments.

Having faced some of the world's fastest bowlers he was not intimidated by the acerbic host of the show either. He said Anne Robinson was not half as scary as she seems on television. He said: "She was great, I enjoyed Anne. I thought she was quite sexy actually."

Mr Giles, who moved to Worcestershire six years ago and plays cricket for Worcestershire's rivals Warwickshire, was granted the civic accolade last month at a special ceremony in St Richard's House in the town's Victoria Square for his heroics in wrestling back the Ashes from the Australians for the first time in 18 years.