Nothing like putting pressure on children. Michael James Hainsworth is still only two-years-old, but could very well make his parents quite wealthy if a bet his father has placed pays off. Father Andrew, from Hartlepool, is so confident that his young son, born January 5th, 1997, will grow up to be a great rugby union player that he is staking a bet of £40 with William Hill at odds of 5000 to 1 that Michael James will represent his country in the World Cup before 2027.

The bet will pay £200,000 to the proud parent (or is that parent from hell) if it proves successful. The Sun newspaper ran the story with the headline "Swing Low, Sweet Carrycot".