FAST-RISING Hamish McArthur hit the heights to win the British Youth Climbing Championships in Edinburgh.

The 11-year-old Joseph Rowntree School pupil produced a near-faultless display, taking first place in the Youth 'C' age category without dropping a point, and helping Yorkshire to second place in the team event.

The White Rose county's 27-strong team came second only to London and the South East in the final standings.

McArthur, the youngest member of the Great Britain climbing team, recently made his international debut at the Youth Colours European competition in Austria.

The York youngster's father, Angus, said: "He climbed pretty faultlessly and didn't drop a single point.

"Yorkshire came second in the team event, which is a real turn-around as Yorkshire are normally in the bottom three."

McArthur is based at Red Goat Climbing Centre in Layerthorpe, York, and is sponsored by Leeds-based software firm Tracsis.