It is every boy's dream to captain his country to sporting success, but for Cockermouth's Matthew Henson it became a reality.

Matthew, 21, of Mosser Avenue, spent nearly two weeks on tour in South Africa with English Lions Youth rugby league team last month.

The squad stayed in the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria from November 21 to December 2.

Matthew, who has played rugby since he was seven, was helped with the cost of the tour by his club Egremont Rangers.

He has previously represented BARLA Under 17s in the Czech Republic and against Scotland and Wales.

The team played two matches against South Africa Under 23s on the tour and won both.

The first finished 32-4 to the Lions, with Matthew notching a try and a goal.

The second finished 26-18 to the Lions, with Matthew again getting on the scoresheet with a try.

The players also spent time in a nature reserve and taught schoolchildren basic rugby skills.

Matthew said: "It was a brilliant experience and definitely something I would love to do again.

"It's always a great honour to represent your country, particularly when you get the opportunity to travel while doing it and to be captain was a massive honour which I will never forget."