STRONG-armed South Lakeland teenager Cameron Hunter powered his way to a world championship title at the weekend in the somewhat eccentric sport of stone-skimming.

In a sea-flooded slate quarry on a remote Scottish Island the 14-year-old's stone made over 20 bounces to record a skim of 55 metres. It far outdistanced all the other efforts by other juniors and only fell a few metres short of the men's title, won by an expert stone skimmer who had travelled all the way from Japan just to win the world crown.

Cameron, of Grayrigg, now hold two titles, but only decided to try for the junior world title after winning the All England junior title, at Fell Foot, Windermere, earlier this year.

The opposition among the 350 competitors who took the ferry to the tiny island of Easdale, off the Scottish west coast came from Switzerland, New Zealand and an assortment of European countries.

Cameron, a pupil at Queen Katherine School, Kendal, said the competition had strict rules. Only the round slate pebbles found in their thousands on Easdale beaches may be used and they must pass through a gauge to make sure they are not above a certain size and weight.

His 55-metre skim was a personal best and so impressed veterans of the sport that he was invited to a special training session with them after the contest.

Next year he will still be eligible to try and retain his junior title, but believes he could also lift the overall title.