WILLIAM Butterworth's Nan doesn't mind that her grandson uses the stairs in her house to practice his pull-ups.

And she'll mind even less now that Will, who turned ten yesterday (Tuesday), has been crowned the junior national climbing champion.

"I practice on my Nan's stairs. My Nan doesn't mind me doing it. I can do twenty pull-ups," said Will, when asked about the secrets of his success.

Will has only been climbing for three years but he has already made his mark on the sport.

Competing in the British Regional Youth Challenge, which is organised by the sport's national body - the British Mountaineering Council - Will had to fight his way through three rounds before he made it into the national finals.

The climbers faced steep or overhanging indoor walls, which would have seen most people walking for the door.

They also had to tackle a set of 'boulder' problems, which test a climber's technique and strength to the very limit. "I like the overhangs best," said Will, who goes to the Coppice Primary School in Hollywood, near Bromsgrove. "But I am also very stubborn. If there is something that I can't do, I keep practicing, until I can."

And all that practice has paid off for Will, who left the national finals clutching a trophy and a heap of climbing goodies.

Will is now gearing up for the next stage in his climbing apprenticeship.

He will be competing in the ten-12 age group and will be 'leading' the routes. Up until now Will has been climbing on a top rope, which has safeguarded against any falls.

As a 'lead' climber he will tie into the rope and clip it into carabiners as he scales the wall. But if things go wrong, he'll fall back to the carabiner and then the same distance again until the rope goes tight.

Known in climbing circles as 'clocking up air-time,' Will is not too phased by the prospect of falling.

"I am looking forward to leading and I aim to win," he said, even though he will be up against boys who are two years older than him.

After that the youngster aims to rope in his proud dad Graham to help him get to grips with climbing in the real world.

Graham and Will plan some trips up to the Peak District, maybe to North Wales, the birthplace of modern climbing, and then who knows where.

Those climbers in Yosemite Valley, California, had better watch out - young Will Butterworth is coming!