Dorking RFC's Callum Mackinnon-Snell has become officially the youngest qualified rugby referee in the country.

The talented Under 13 player turned his hand to officiating last season and has done so well that he has caught the eye of the RFU who are keen to enter him in their fast track programme.

The programme for the most promising referees has already thrown up England's World Cup whistle-blower Wayne Barnes, the youngest referee on the international circuit. But Callum is still more than two years younger than Barnes was when he collected the top Refereeing Mini & Midi Rugby Award.

Fittingly, Barnes was on hand to present the award to the Dorking player last week at Twickenham when Callum became the country's youngest ref.

He is keen to follow in Barnes footsteps, not just on the pitch, but also by supplementing his future university fees by becoming a professional referee. This is the route Barnes took on his way to becoming a barrister.

"Callum is a great lad with a bright future," said Dorking Youth chairman Paul Mosley. "He's already got a better grasp of the rules than most of us in the senior club and he is putting into practice his knowledge by reffing games in the youth section where he is learning the nuances of the art of reffing. High quality referees make for better rugby and we are delighted that the RFU will be fast tracking him. We are very fortunate to have Callum at Dorking and hope his shining example will encourage other boys and girls to take up the whistle."