A Bury gymnast has set his sights on competing at the Commonwealth Games after becoming Scottish champion.

Although Reuben Ward was born in Crumpsall and lives in Greenmount, his parents are from north of the border so he competed in the Scottish Championships in Perth last month.

And despite being just 10, he became the Under-12 champion in the men’s artistic discipline.

“It’s a real feather in his cap,” said his father, Brendan.

“If he keeps progressing as we hope then he’s almost certain to get into the Commonwealth Games, which would be no mean feat.”

Reuben is a member of Bury Gymnastics Club although it was his sister Eve, 13, who first took an interest in the sport.

Reuben decided to give it a go too and after a steady start, was invited to join the club’s elite training group 18 months ago.

That means the Hollymount Primary School pupil now trains five days a week, for a total of 22 hours.

Dad Brendan said: “He started at seven, which is quite late, but he’s made a quick progression.”

His coach, Jake Seager, added: “To be honest, at first we didn’t think he’d go to elite level. He was training for just a few hours each week but I saw he had potential to move up.

“He’s a real hard worker, that’s his greatest quality. The determination he shows in the gym amazes me.

“So I did expect him to do well in the Scottish Championships because his routine was good in training.”

Reuben hopes to build on his Scottish success when he heads north again for the British Championships. They will be held in Glasgow on March 11/12.

“I think finishing in the top eight would be a realistic target for Reuben,” added coach Seagar, who himself came through the junior ranks at Bury Gymnastics Club, which is based at Goshen Sports Centre.

Men’s artistic gymnastics consists of six events – vault, floor, pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars and high bars – and has been part of the Olympics since the very first Games.

The next Commonwealth Games are on Australia’s Gold Coast in 2018. Reuben will be 16 for the following Games in South Africa so his dad Brendan believes he has an outside chance of representing Scotland there in 2022.

Reuben's club-mate Joshua Lincoln also won at the Scottish Championships, becoming the Under-16 champion.