JEZ Hood's bid to win the European Gliding Championship ended in disappointment after he was bitten by a bat in his hotel room.

The Booker-based pilot and current World Junior champion, had to fly with a cocktail of vaccines inside him after being nipped by the flying mammal.

He was only given medical clearance to take to the skies after having eight different injections including one for rabies.

He said: "I had to try and put it to the back of my mind. It was a distraction having to have the injections but I was lucky that it happened at a point where we weren't flying for a couple of days because of the bad weather.

"It probably didn't help me but I'm not going to blame the bat for my disappointing performance. I will just have to put it down to experience."

Hood finished 21st in the Standard Championship class at the event in Slovakia when he had been targeting a top-five finish.

He was attacked by the bat in the hotel room he was sharing with girlfriend Harriet Chater.

The bat sunk its teeth into him as he tried to shoo it out of the open window.

He said: "It was bit of a shock. You don't expect to find a bat in your hotel room."

But that was just part of the drama for Hood at the event in Nitra.

Hood said: "The whole experience was pretty hairy really. It was very challenging weather. There were a lot of thunderstorms, heavy rain and lightning and it was a very strong field."

Now Hood is hoping for a less eventful championship when he defends his British title in Gloucestershire next month. Because of his disappointing position in Slovakia he needs a good showing to qualify for next year's World Championships in Sweden where he is convinced he won't encounter another bat problem.

He said: "I've heard the hotels in Sweden are a lot better and a lot more expensive. I shouldn't have any problems with bats there."

Fellow Booker pilot Owain Walters was also in action in Slovakia.

He finished 15th in the club class.