KENT rower Ben Smissen has taken a step nearer to representing Great Britain in next year’s world junior championships.

The 16-year-old youngster has been called up to a GB Under-18 training camp in Sarnen, Switzerland, from December 13-20, where GB officials will be looking at “possibles” for the world juniors.

Smissen, from St Francis Close, Deal, has received one of 50 invitations to the training camp after finishing 74th out of the 150 competitors who took part in the GB Under-18 squad trials at Boston in Lincolnshire two weeks ago. Smissen covered the 5000-metre course in 21min 23sec, slashing nearly 50 seconds off his previous best time.

The selectors clearly noted that Smissen was two years younger than most of the other hopefuls at the trials, and they were also impressed by the fact that the youngster has limited experience both of sculling and river rowing.

Smissen was a member of the Deal Rowing Club junior four which won South Coast Championship this year.