Matthew Rowan has become a tennis champion at the age of just eight-years-old!

The Darlington youngster, who is in his first year at Mowden Junior School, won the County Durham and Cleveland Red Level Mini Tennis Championship at Tennis World in Middlesbrough.

Matthew began showing an interest in just tennis 18 months ago and began coaching sessions at the Wellfield Lawn Tennis Club where he has been getting an hour's tuition every Saturday in a mixed class of young children.

Matthew soon began attending mini tennis events held around the area and he won enough events to get invited to the County Durham and Cleveland Southern Region play off event.

He won this competition, and he and three other boys as well as four girls then took part in a Masters event against the Northern Region winners.

Matthew also won this event and is now "as happy as a child can be," said proud father Malcolm.

He added: "His next aim is to move up to and win the Orange Level event this year, and then the Red Level event by this time next year.

"Matthew is not what you would call 'tennis daft', but he is very motivated.

"When he can not play with his friends, and is banned from his Playstation, he spends his time knocking the ball against the side of the house. We have cleared a space at the back of the house a few weeks back and put up a net between two sticks so he can now play 'real' tennis on a small court whenever he can get someone to play with him, which is usually us.

"He follows the tennis on the television and his hero is Tim Henman. One of his prize items is a picture of him taken with the Tim Henman model in Madam Tussaud's at Easter.

"We encourage him in the sport to a degree, but we do not feel we want to push him to much by getting him private tuition or sending him to practice every day. We feel that if he is enjoying doing something he is quite good at then that is enough for now.

"He does hate losing though, and it is going to be difficult for him when he moves up to a higher level of play and is near the bottom of the pile, rather than at the top. However he has been in events where he has lost the first game, but not become to disheartened and gone on to win the event.

"He has a great belief in his ability, or that he is going to win. Maybe that is what champions are made of?