Bingley’s junior tennis player George Hill impressed after reaching the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) national Talent ID finals.

The nine-year-old, who has recently been selected for the LTA’s AEGON Future Stars programme, was one of 62 youngsters from across the midlands and the north to make the Bolton Arena session after he successfully progressed through preliminary days to make the final week.

Hill showed off his skills in front of the LTA Talent ID team, who were looking to spot potential stars of the future.

He said: “I hope I did well. We had some skills and drills tests in the morning and then had a hit on court in the afternoon, which was actually good fun.

“I was excited when I heard that I had got through to the finals of Talent ID, so I’m just hoping that I’ve got some good results.”

The day was overseen by Andrew Lewandowski, head of talent management at the LTA.

He said: “It was fantastic to see so many enthusiastic and talented players give it their all at the Talent ID finals, which are central to our vision for British tennis.

“George has performed really well and shown lots of ability across a number of different tasks, testing qualities including athletic ability, coordination, speed and agility, plus a real natural talent and love for the sport.

“With the level of LTA support available for junior players and the talent ID network that simply didn’t exist five years ago, there has never been a better time for the LTA to identify and help develop talented players.”

LTA player director Steven Martens added: “Identifying talent from an early age is crucial to get them fully engaged in the sport and we’re confident that these young players will demonstrate that we have a wealth of talent coming through in the junior ranks.

“Tennis is a sport where skills need to be developed step by step and we hope that each of these players will go on to reach their full potential.”