ILKLEY Grammar School pupil Tom Dover enjoyed a glorious trip to Southern Europe earlier this month as his Blackburn Rovers Under-14s/Under-15s side triumphed in the Ibercup.

The club's youngsters spent six days playing against a variety of teams in the competition in Portugal and emerged victorious after a gruelling schedule.

Tom was a part of the team which played seven games in total in Cascais, with Rovers going up against European heavyweights such as the likes of Sporting Lisbon during their successful title tilt.

After two wins and a draw in the group stage, they qualified for the last 16, where two more wins saw them face Sporting in the semi-final for a place in the showdown involving the last two.

Rovers emerged 2-0 winners against Sporting and went on to face Israeli side Ashdod in the final, which was always going to be a tough test considering their opponents won on penalties against Atletico Madrid in the last four of the competition.

Tom played in front of a crowd of over 1,000 people, with the game being screened live on the internet to many thousands more back home.

Blackburn were impressive in the final and after two disallowed goals, they ran out 3-0 winners to lift the trophy to the delight of Youth Development Phase Coach Dan Stubberfield.

Ilkley pupil Tom will be hoping his performances have got him noticed on the international stage as he looks to progress even further in his burgeoning career.