A croquet player from Nailsea has brought home a world championship trophy.

James Galpin, of Nailsea and District Croquet Club (NDCC), competed in the Golf Croquet World Championship in Virginia, USA, earlier this year.

The event featured 80 players from 17 countries.

The hoops were set to be extremely challenging, with a ball clearance of just 1/32 inch.

Despite being knocked out in the block stage of the main event, Mr Galpin entered the consolation Plate competition.

His skill saw him win his block and advance through the knockout stages to the final.

In the final, Mr Galpin faced Patricio Garay Jnr from Spain.

The best-of-three final saw Mr Galpin take an initial 5-1 lead, which he extended to 6-2.

However, Mr Garay Jnr staged a comeback to level the score at 6-6.

The final point of the competition was hard-fought, with a series of clearances and misses.

Mr Galpin eventually made a long shot, which hit the upright of the hoop before finding its way into the jaws of the hoop.

It took 40 seconds to confirm the shot had gone through, giving him the win.

Mr Galpin follows fellow Englishmen Euan Burridge and Aston Wade as World Championship Plate winners.

He said: "The weather was uncharacteristically good for October, with warm sun all week, and the hoops were set like concrete."

He learnt to play croquet at NDCC as part of the youth coaching programme, and members of NDCC are looking forward to celebrating with him when he is back in Nailsea.