EIGHT-YEAR-OLD cerebral palsy sufferer Bailey Matthews earned the cheers of the crowd at Castle Howard as he pushed away his walking support and crossed the line of his first ever triathlon unaided.

On Saturday, Bailey was cheered over the line by hundreds of emotional spectators after completing a 100m lake swim, 4,000m bike and 1,300m run as part of the Castle Howard Triathlon.

The emotional crowd roared its encouragement when Bailey, from Doncaster, stepped away from his walking support to finish the last 20 metres of the race unaided, and into the proud arms of his parents Jonathan and Julie Matthews.

The Castle Triathlon Series saw a range of competitors from elite to first timers doing a series of distances from starter courses to a half iron distance. 

Saturday also saw over 500 children compete alongside the inspirational Bailey.