A TEENAGER from Mauchline has been starring for Scotland in the Six Nations.

U20 international Paddy Dewhirst started both games against Wales and France in the junior version of Rugby’s showpiece competition.

Dewhirst starred for Cumnock RFC before moving up to Ayr and has pulled on the pink and black jersey across different age levels, mainly thanks to mum Michelle Read.

Paddy said: “My first experience of rugby was back at school. It was part of our PE and we got a wee hour at it.

“I always was an active kid, I was a goalkeeper with a football team but I didn’t really enjoy it as much because you’re just standing around.

“With rugby, I got to run around a lot more and I quite enjoyed it.

“I decided to jack football in because we got to do stuff at rugby rather than standing about all the time and I’ve never looked back.

“I have my mum to thank for it, she has been really supportive.

“She let me go to all these things, I would ask her to go to things and she would never say no. She did all the travelling. I owe her a lot.”

Michelle took Paddy to training day in and day out after he joined the Ayr Rugby Academy to give him the opportunity to improve his rugby.

She said: “We would drive down from Mauchline to Millbrae every Monday to Thursday and then he would have a game on Saturday for his school and a game for his club on Sunday.

“There was a lot of mileage put on my car but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I was more than happy to to do all that because he had it and he put his heart and soul into it.”

Paddy scored Scotland’s only points in the 36-3 defeat to Wales with a first half penalty, something he has worked on from his days staying at Goukthorn outside Mauchline.

His mum said: “Wherever he was, all he wanted was to go and kick a ball.

“Where we used to stay at Goukthorn there was a small wood and Paddy would pick two trees and kick the ball between them.”

But what’s next for Paddy?

“It’s good to be playing for Scotland, brilliant. It’s something I have worked towards for a while and to pull on the jersey, it’s great,” he said.

“The next step is to try and have a good Six Nations and get to the junior World Cup over in France.

“I’d want to try and get a pro opportunity to see if I can go somewhere and do something in rugby.

“I really enjoy coaching, I’ve been doing a lot of it at the moment so that might be something to fall back on.”