Chris Caird, 19, whose family lives in Daventry, plays with a team called FSu, which won a spot in Iceland's Super Division for the next season, starting in October.

Chris said: "I started playing when I was at Danetre School when I was 16, then I made the under-16 county team.

"I went to Moulton College where I got scouted and was offered a scholarship to go to Iceland.

"Last season we won the first division and the under-20s I play with won the cup and championship.

"I can't wait to play in the Super Division. We're a group of young guys on an under-20s team trying to make a big statement against older guys."

FSu is a youth academy, ranked as one of the best in the world by basketball's governing body Fiba.

Basketball is one of the top spectator sports in Iceland.

The academy is attached to a college in the town of Selfoss, just to the south of the capital Reykjavík.

Chris has spent a year at the academy while studying maths, science and English. Next year he will be studying Icelandic to give him more time for basketball.

Chris said: "We only get one day off a week because when we're not playing we're training.

"Everyone there is great and they all speak English. The Icelandic people on the team have taken us out and shown us some sights. We went to see a geyser and I went to the Blue Lagoon.

"Just to get to Selfoss from Reykjavík you have to go cross a big mountain range."