A young ice hockey player is off to Finland to represent the South East of England.

Allington Primary School pupil Stewart Manser, 10, has been played ice hockey since the age of six - much to the amusement of his pals, who are all soccer enthusiasts.

His mother Rebecca Manser said: “His whole life revolves around ice hockey.”

Stewart currently plays for the Invicta Devils, who compete in the Southern Area Under 12’s league.

Matches take him across the South East - to Gosport, Oxford and Peterborough.

But following several trials, Stewart was selected as a member of the South East U11 team for a tournament in Finland in March and he will also be taking part in the National Junior Conference Tournament in May, where all four regional teams in England and a team from Scotland compete.

Mrs Manser said: “Stewart is completely dedicated to his sport and lets nothing interfere with his training or matches.”