A BOY from Barnard Castle is believed to be the youngest person in the UK to achieve the extraordinary feat of two holes-in-one in a single round of golf.

James Watson, who lives in the town and attends Teesdale School, has just turned 15 and has been playing golf for only two and a half years.

As a member of Barnard Castle Golf Club, he was playing in a club Stableford competition off the back tees when he holed his tee shots at the third and eighth.

One of his playing partners, Anthony Barker, said: "I've Googled it and the odds against it are 167,000,000-1."

Anthony's dad, Tony, and David Moses also witnessed the incredible achievement by the teenager, who has reduced his handicap from 18 to 11 this year.

Records suggest the feat has been achieved fewer than ten times in the UK, with the previous youngest to do it being a 16-year-old in Northern Ireland.

The last recorded instance in England was by a senior golfer in Hertfordshire in 2010.

James said: "I'm over the moon.

"I couldn't believe it when the first one went in, never mind the second.

"I've been playing three times a week but will have to cut back now I'm back at school.

"I love the game and would really like to make a career out of it."

He used a seven-iron for his first ace at the 160-yard third hole and a four-iron at the 175-yard eighth.

"They were not flukes," he said.

"They didn't take any funny bounces or anything, they just ran straight into the hole.

James was overcome by the shock of it all and his game subsequently fell away after scoring 22 points, four better than handicap, on the front nine, finishing with 31.