WHILE British teenage tennis sensation Andy Murray shined at Wimbledon, one young Bolton hopeful is struggling to follow in his footsteps - because of lack of funding.

Bradley Yates, aged seven, has won a clutch of tennis tournaments since he began playing last year.

Bradley, of Ripley Street, Tonge Moor, was handpicked by a coach from Bradshaw Tennis Club who spotted his potential. Since then he has steadily progressed as a tennis player.

But his fledgling career could come to a premature end because his parents can not afford to pay for his lessons.

Mother Jackie Yates, a teaching assistant, said it costs £80 per month to pay for tennis lessons, which could rise to as much as £500 per month when Bradley starts to travel to tournaments.

She said: "The coach said Bradley had a lot of potential and he has been playing since then.

"He started playing sponge ball and then progressed to proper tennis. He's played at various tournaments and he has done really well.

"Tennis means everything to Bradley, it would be so sad if he had to stop playing because of lack of funding. I spoken to Bolton Council and other sporting bodies for grants but they have not been able to help. I don't really know what I would do if I had to tell Bradley we could not afford to pay for his tennis lessons."

Bradley's coach, Neil Howarth, rates his protege as number one in Lancashire for his age.

He said: "It was obvious when I saw Bradley first play that he had potential. He has natural hand-eye co-ordination and this is why he was picked out.

"It takes a vast amount of money for tennis players to reach the top.

"It's too early to say whether Bradley will be number one in the world or 1,000 in the world, but it would be a crying shame if Bradley was unable to fulfil his potential because of his background."