MATT Blyton, from Constable Burton in Wensleydale, will be part of a team representing Great Britain at the European petanque championships in Gothenburg at the end of this month.

The school governors at West Burton School, near Leyburn, where he is the headteacher, have given him three days leave so that he can compete.

He and his team narrowly missed out on the opportunity to represent Britain at the world championships.

Since March, they have competed in five heats around the country, losing a decisive game in the last one at Kenilworth to end up third, rather than first, among the top 100 teams in the country.

The top three teams, however, will all represent Britain at the European championships. Mr Blyton's teammates are Vanessa Webb, from Bury St Edmund's, and Phil Claydon, from Slough.

With a different team, Mr Blyton recently won the North of England triples championship and has been selected to play for the Northern region in the inter regional championships at the end of the year.

He said: "This is the first time a player has been selected without going through the qualification process."

He regularly plays at the Wensleydale Petanque Club meetings on Monday evenings from 7-9pm at Akebar Park. He said all were welcome as they had members playing at all levels, including beginners.

It is a sport for all ages and for both sexes.

Petanque is probably very similar to the game of bowls played by Francis Drake when he was waiting for the Spanish Armada.

Today, however, 50 nations participate in the world championships, including Thailand, where it is the national sport.