A YOUNG athlete has been denied the chance of competing in a county competition because of a fax error.

Runner Matthew Lomax's name did not show up on the list of entrants sent to the organiser of the Durham Schools Athletics championships.

Officials of Durham Schools Athletics Association, refused to bend the rules and allow the 15-year-old to compete in the 3,000m, a title he was tipped to win, at Jarrow on Saturday.

Mike Howard, team manager of Shildon Athletics Club, accepts he made the original error by placing a pencil tick by Matthew's name to be added to the programme, which had not copied on the fax.

However, the Sunnydale Comprehensive School pupil could have competed in the race, which only three of seven runners turned up for, if officials had permitted it.

A Durham Schools AA spokesman said: "The rules are made by a committee of people from across the area and state the entries submitted are final.

The mistake wasn't ours so we had to abide by the county constitution."

Coach Dave Matthew and Matthew's father Neil Lomax were so angered by the decision they have written to Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster and Durham County Council's director of education asking for their support in urging officials to be more lenient in future.

Mr Matthew said: "It's ludicrous that officials chose to stick so rigidly to the rule book and stopped a promising athlete competing for a title so important to him."

Mr Lomax said: "No disrespect to the other runners, he could probably have won the event by half a lap.

"If athletics was just a hobby for Matthew we wouldn't feel so upset, but his athletics always comes first, he trains for two hours six times a week, and the county title was so important to him.

"It was a disgraceful decision not to let him compete, a genuine mistake was made by someone else yet Matthew was made to suffer.