England and County Durham cricket star Paul Collingwood has just helped the national side to a glorious victory over Australia in the Ashes. He started playing as a young boy for his local team and his parents charted his rise to sporting greatness in a series of scrapbooks. They shared their memories with Gavin Havery.

AS soon as he could walk, little Paul Collingwood could be seen at Shotley Bridge Cricket Club, in County Durham, playing with a bat and ball with his older brother Peter.

From an early age, the youngster was never stumped on what career path he should take.

But even his huge enthusiasm for the game could not have given his parents David and Janet - themselves dedicated cricket fans - any idea of the future star their son would become.

Last night, as the proud couple continued to celebrate England's historic win over Australia in the Ashes, they told how Paul's every triumph had been catalogued in a series of family scrapbooks.

Mr Collingwood started keeping a record of the future England and County Durham cricket hero's successes when Paul was only nine and selected for Shotley Bridge Cricket Club's under-13s team.

He said: "The idea was to have something to keep as a memento. When he got picked to play, I would get the team lists and photos so we could see who he was playing with and against.

"It is nice to be able to look back to see some of the people Paul played with when he was first starting out. We did it so we can have a record of it."

According to his father, Paul was more of bowler than a batsman when he started playing, but grew into a confident all-rounder.

Aged 13, he was playing for the under-18s at Shotley Bridge and his talent attracted the attention of Durham County Cricket Club.

He was selected to play for its under-13s side and went on to play for North of England Schools and was chosen to go to Worcester for a trial to play for England.

He succeeded and his family cherish another picture of him in an England blazer at the ground, where he was selected to play for the England under-14s.

At 15, Paul was playing first team cricket for Shotley Bridge, at 17 he got into the second team for his county and, two years later, signed a contract to play first team cricket while still a teenager.

Paul was 25 when he was called up for England in 2001 for the NatWest Triangular One Day Series against Australia and Pakistan. He has remained in the squad since.

His parents will be hoping for rain today as Paul's Durham side head for a draw against Northamptonshire, which would see the team win promotion.

But nothing can top the pride they feel about his team's victory over the Aussies.

Mrs Collingwood said: "He has always wanted to play against Australia in the Ashes.

"We have been hoping it was going to happen for a long time and now it has."

Mr Collingwood is now planning scrapbook number seven about the Ashes win.

"It gives us great pleasure to be able to look back over the years and one day the scrapbooks will be given to Paul's children," he said.