A BOY aged nine has scooped a clutch of top honours for his birds and eggs at Penistone Show .

James Nicholson won first prize in the soft feather bantam class with his Barnevelda Bantam, finished second out of 18 with a silver mallard duck and took first and second in an egg competition.

James from Bar Lane, Mapplewell, said the secret to his success was preparation.

“I spent a lot of time cleaning all the hens and we washed the ducks in the bath upstairs.

“The first thing the judges look at is their bum to make sure they haven’t got any fleas.”