Redditch youngster Paul Summers is a relative rookie in American football terms, but has already impressed coaches at the highest level enough to be considered for European selection.

Summers has spent a year with Staffordshire University Stallions and has already been chosen for the Great Britain youth trials and a mini camp for Team Europe - a representative side competing annually at the Super Bowl.

Team Europe takes on USA, Canada and Japan in New Orleans at the end of January 2002 in the build up to Super Bowl XXXVI and Summers could be on the 36-man roster after a three-day tryout in Dsseldorf, Germany at the weekend.

He was one of 70 hopefuls aged 16-19 from ten European countries being put through their paces by experienced coaches from NFL Europe.

Conditions in Germany were far from ideal as torrential rain on Friday made the playing surface treacherous for the four practice sessions and a scrimmage against local junior team Dsseldorf Panther.

There was little rest either during the camp as all spare time was spent either in meetings or studying game film.

Paul could have gone straight from the Team Europe experience to representing England against Scotland on Sunday in an annual international clash at Leicester's Saffron Lane Stadium, but chose to remain loyal to his university team.