Rowing

STANDING at 6ft 5ins, it's fair to say 17-year-old William Laughton has got a big future ahead of him.

The former King's pupil, from Lower Withington, was recently selected to attend a training camp in Switzerland with the Great Britain Junior Rowing Squad, but missed the trip after contracting a fever just before leaving.

The sport runs through the family - with Will's brother George also involved in the Great Britain set-up at under-23s level.

"My Dad used to sit and watch the Boat Race and tell us how good it was," he told Express Sport.

"My brother gave it a go, and then told me how great the sport was, so I tried it and it worked out quite well."

Will reached the semi-final of his first-ever regatta after only three weeks of experience as a single sculler, and now has his sights set firmly on emulating his hero Matthew Pinsent.

"Pinsent went from the junior Britain squad straight to Redgrave and the Olympics, so I guess that would be something to aim at," he said.

"I'm not sure whether I could make a career out of it, because there's not as much money to be made as something like football, but we'll see how it goes."

Will currently attends Sir John Deane's Sixth Form in Northwich and will now be looking to qualify once more for the British squad in April.