Little George Brown can't even sit up on his own yet, but Les Heyhoe is hoping that in a couple of decades he'll be taking to the turf to represent his country.

He is so certain of the tot's future that he's put a £100 bet on at 1000/1 that he will make it by the time he's 25 years old.

The 51-year-old rugby nut put his money where his mouth is after George threw a rugby ball-shaped balloon to him.

'I let him hold it, and he was throwing it to me and he really seemed to enjoy it,' he said. 'That's when I decided to place the bet.

'I thought "he's going to play rugby union for England", and I hope I'll be around to see him do it.'

Mr Heyhoe, of St Vincent Road, Gosport, placed the bet to celebrate George reaching six months old.

He plans on keeping the betting slip until his grandson is old enough to understand, then giving it to him to act as an incentive to make the big time.

Mr Heyhoe, the Falklands Veterans' Foundation fund-raising and events manager, wants his grandson, who lives with parents Andrew Brown and Laura Heyhoe in Long Water Drive, Gosport, to get into the game as early as possible.

He hopes that George could be a sporting child prodigy, like Tiger Woods, who rose to world stardom after first picking up golf clubs at the tender age of two.

'I wouldn't have wasted the money if I didn't think there was a chance,' he said. 'As soon as he is old enough, maybe four or five years old, then I'll take him to a game to see if he enjoys it.

'He's got a long way to go before he gets there because he can't quite sit up on his own at the moment, but he could do it.

'I won't pressure him though – he could hate rugby and turn out to be a ballerina.

'Lots of our famous sports stars start off young and maybe the bet will be an incentive.'

The bet was placed with William Hill bookmakers on Tuesday, the day before George reached six months old.