Farmer skates to glory

Farmer skates to glory

Mr Robinson is already in training for next season

A Cambridgeshire man is "ecstatic" after beating the Dutch at their own game - the unusual sport of fen-skating.

Malcolm Robinson, a farmer from Sutton near Ely, has just returned from winning a major contest that involves about 40 miles on the ice.

Fen-skating - a tradition dating back to the 1800s - is taken more seriously in the Netherlands than in the UK.

Mr Robinson said: "It really was a good feeling to go over to skate against the Dutch people - it's their national sport and to come away with a win, it's got to be great."

Practice skates

His fiancee Kate Love was at the rink cheering him on.

"I wanted him to do well and there was so much banking on it because he had put so much time and effort into it."

Although the long-track season is nearly over for this year, Mr Robinson is not deterred.

He has his practice rollerblades out and is skating around the snowless roads of the fens in preparation for next year.