An unusual new game involving five-a-side football and inflatable zorb balls is being tried in Calne by sports enthusiast Leigh O’Sullivan, who first saw it played on YouTube.

Mr O’Sullivan, of Braemor Road, Calne, is championing bubble football, a game where five-a-side players wear plastic zorb balls over the top of their bodies and heads.

The game has become popular in Europe, with matches held from Italy to Latvia.

The 27-year-old has organised four games at Calne Leisure Centre already and is planning an outdoor tournament at the Beversbrook Sports Facility in April.

He is working with Lee Moseley, who owns Excel Bubble Football Limited in Bracknell, Berkshire.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “He uses them for stag parties. I said to him ‘there’s no-one down in the South West who has started this up so would you mind giving it a go?’ “It’s a contact sport, but you can’t get hurt because you just bounce off each other. It’s definitely an adrenaline rush, people don’t know what the first actual hit is going to be like.

“It’s quite funny when you see a ball in the middle of the hall and you see two people running towards it. If they hit each other exactly at the same time their feet don’t actually touch the ball, they just bounce away from it.”

The outdoor tournament on April 26 will be a family event, with a bouncy castle, stalls and an inflatable five-a-side pitch for children.

It will take up two pitches, with several games going on at the same time.

Mr O’Sullivan, who is a foreman for a construction firm, will use the event to help his friend Simon Hanson raise money for the Naomi House hospice.

Mr Hanson is fundraising in memory of 11-year-old Jade Randall who died at Naomi House in 2012 after battling several genetic disorders and was given respite and palliative care there.

Mr O’ Sullivan said: “Me and Simon are really good friends and I know how much it means to him. Call Mr O’Sullivan on 07703 547542.