A Black Country inventor has seen his dream come true after a ball he created to help budding rugby players has gone on sale around the country.

Byron McFarlane, from Wolverhampton, designed a ball which will bounce back in a straight line when it is thrown against the wall.

The teacher’s idea was to offer rugby players the same way of practising their catching and throwing as budding footballers have for kicking. The 29-year-old’s ball has a rounded end so that it rebounds off walls like a football – allowing players to practice throwing and catching.

But it is still shaped like a rugby ball so that players can get to grips with it and practise their drop kicks.

His design has proven so popular that the Welsh Rugby Union has approved it for teams to use in training junior players.

And it is now on sale after being developed by rugby equipment specialists Mitre.

Mr McFarlane, who teaches design and technology at Thorns Community College in Dudley, came up with the idea four years ago when he entered an inventing competition.

He said: “I’ve never been much of a rugby fan, I always preferred football, but I knew there wasn’t much out there to help people practise on their own.

Mr McFarlane built a prototype at a cost of £9 at his home in Bowen Street, Parkfield. Each ball, called Mitre Reload, retails for between £7.99 and £9.99 via Amazon.co.uk website.