He’s already invented his own trick, been a winner on the Freestyle National Tour (FNT), won a blaster ski event within two weeks of first sitting on one (he finished second on his first ride) and has been featured in a national jet-ski magazine.

And all this success isn’t coming in the junior ranks. Josh has been a revelation at the adult events and is planning to move on from the FNT amateurs to the FNT pros next year and would like to go on to the Jet Sport Racing Association of Great Britain when he’s 16.

With his recent success in the blasters competition, as well as second place in the FNT third round, he is getting people talking.

“I just couldn’t believe it. I was expecting to come about fifth because the two times before I came seventh,” said Josh of his freestyle second place.

His performance that day in the freestyle competition was described as ‘dazzling’ by Jet Skier and Personal Watercraft Magazine reporter Graham Reid.

The scribe added: “He started with a flat-out, no-handed superman and linked all his tricks together. It had me tongue-tied several times.

“His Aussie barefoot backward fountain, which he held for several seconds, was simply superb.”

The difference between the two events is pretty simple.

On a blaster ski you sit down and compete in a slalom event while in freestyle you have to show your tricks off on a smaller ski.

“You get two minutes to go out and do as many tricks as you can and are marked on crowd-pleasing, difficulty and how well you linked all the tricks together,” said Josh.

He trains at Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire, and Marlow, Oxfordshire, and is aiming for bigger and better things over the next few years.

“I’ve started competing in the pros and hopefully I can get over the amateurs and just do that by the end of the year,” said Josh, who has been freestyle skiing for three years but only competing for one and been racing blasters for a matter of weeks.

His speed around the course was unbelievable when first on the blaster so he has started entering competitions.

“The first time I rode it I came second and won the next time,” said Josh, who is helped by his uncle Paul Harper, whose ski he first sat on three years ago.

His proud dad, Paul, said: “He’s quite a natural, he had a few lessons and came on from there. Everything he does, he does well.”

derek.bish@haverhillecho.com