An electrician from Moira with a rare hobby has been selected to play for Team GB, but he needs to raise the funds to get there.

Bradley Clifford-Fransman, 19, needs to raise hundreds of pounds if he wants to compete in the tent-pegging World Cup qualifier in Oman in August.

The equestrian sport involves picking up pegs from the ground with a lance or sword while charging at full speed on a horse.

In 2015, Bradley made history by becoming Britain’s first ever junior representative of the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa, walking away with two bronze medals in the pair and team events.

This time, he’s hoping to do even better, with his eyes firmly on the prize. In order for Bradley to compete, however, his family are looking for people to sponsor his trip out there.

Mum Deborah Fransman has said that she is disappointed that she can’t join her son to cheer him on, but the family are struggling to find the funds for Bradley to go, let alone having to fork out for family members to make the journey as well.

In 2015 he took part in the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa

She said: “Last time, we got a grant from a charity to pay for the trip, but this time we are struggling to find any sponsors.

“I just want to find the money to send my son to Oman to represent Team GB doing what he loves.”

She has said that the flight to Oman is set to cost £575, and his insurance could rack up another £350.

If he is able to compete in Oman, he will be joined by Michael Smith from Devon, Adrian Deane from East Sussex and Jenna Copley from Gloucestershire. The team will compete against strong groups in the support, including Oman, Egypt, Qatar, Yemen and Syria.

What is tent-pegging?

In a tent-pegging competition, riders charge at full speed across a straight course holding a lance or sword. Riders use the weapon to pick up wooden or cardboard pegs in the ground, crossing the course at a designated speed.

Riders earn six points for each peg carried for at least 10 metres when using cardboard or 15 metres when using wood. Removing a peg, but not carrying it the full distance earns four points and striking a peg, but not dislodging it, is worth two.

Like many equestrian sports, tent-pegging comes from warfare. The most commonly accepted origin of the sport goes back to cavalry soldiers who fought troops mounted on elephants in the Middle Ages. The soldiers had to spear the elephants in the toe, and tent-pegging was established as a training method.