Two budding engineers from Ampleforth College, will have their design skills put to the test next week when they take part in the Royal Navy Engineering Challenge.

Greg Carter and Hugh O'Gorman, both aged 14, spent their summer holidays designing and building a miniature remote-controlled submarine for the challenge, in which they will be up against other young engineers from across the UK.

The pair are travelling to HMS Sultan, the Navy's marine and air engineering school, in Gosport, this Friday to take part in the finals.

To enter the competition Greg and Hugh had to design and build a submersible of 60cms or less and capable of travelling fully submerged under water for a short distance before surfacing to strike a fixed target.

The boys will be up against ten other schools from around the UK and the winners will receive a day at sea with the Royal Navy and a cheque for £500 for their Young Engineers Club.

"Recent tests in the college swimming pool proved that whilst the design works well there are still some buoyancy problems to overcome," said a Royal Navy spokesman.