by Jackie Thorley

EUROPE beckons for one of Staffordshire's brightest young prospects, who is eager to compete against top foreign players.

Thirteen-year-old Ben Stannard has faced home-grown talent on the national circuit for several years and the Betley teenager is setting his sights on playing in tournaments abroad.

Stafford Grammar School student Stannard is ranked among Britain's top 25 players at under-14 and his status has earned him a £1,000 grant from the Lawn Tennis Association. Part of the cash will be used to fund the youngster's competition schedule, which may include Tennis Europe events in Denmark, Israel, Croatia, Spain and Turkey.

"You can't play your best tennis when you're competing against the same faces again and again.

"Going abroad is something Ben needs to do, to find out what it's like and where he is in comparison to players from other countries," said his mum, Sue.

"He has to understand the system of being away from home, getting to a tournament, finding someone to hit with and if there is a doubles event – finding a partner. Nothing is made easy in tennis. It's an individual sport with a lot of pressure and expectation," she added.

Stannard travels to Tipton Sports Academy for coaching with Ron Allan and fitness training with Staffordshire's number one female player, Amy Sargeant. He belongs to Stafford Grammar's Elite Sports Programme, which allows him time off from lessons for specialist coaching on Wednesdays and on two further afternoons a week.

"Ben tried going into full-time tennis when he left his last school, but he found he needed to have the extra stimulation of something else. So it works better for him to be at school. He is now more positive about the game. He doesn't consider himself to be the best and wants to improve over the next 12 months, but he feels that he's progressing and that he's in with a chance," said Sue.

The European tournaments which he hopes to compete in will take place between January and April.