A YOUNG gamer from Alcester has proved to have thumbs of steel as he was crowned Junior Expert in a national video game competition.

Daniel Burton, 11, of Abbey Close entered the annals of video gaming history when he overpowered the competition in the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y Battle Tournament 2014 Grand Final.

He beat off stiff competition in the regional heats in Birmingham and was crowed winner in the Junior Expert category in London on April 26 where comedian Johnny Vegas was on hand to present the award.

Daniel said: “I’ve loved every minute of the tournament, especially being presented with my Junior Expert award by Johnny Vegas in London.

"I managed to win my final battle using Garchomp on another Garchomp, so I’ll make sure I definitely use that Pokémon in any future battles with my friends.”

Pokémon is a popular video game by games manufacturer Nintendo which sees players catch weird and wonderful creatures to fight against each other.

The Junior Expert battles saw Pokémon trainers aged 12-years and under from across the country compete, using their best Pokémon to win a weekend trip to Alton Towers for their whole family.

Daniel emerged victorious from his rivals in the final heat by using level 50 Tyranitar and Garchomp with the Rock Slide and Draco Meteor moves.

Following his success Daniel will be taking to the Pokémon stage again, having been fast tracked to the UK Pokémon Video Game Championships in May, where he will be hoping to continue his winning streak.