Hotshot table tennis players from Morpeth School took top honours in the East London final of the Jack Petchey Table Tennis England team competition at Raines School.

The competition brought together teams from schools from Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets.

And the under-16 girls’ trophy went to Morpeth’s Yasna, Isla, Lily, and Melissa, all 14, and Amalie, 12, who have been playing for three years and all love the sport which is promoted strongly at the Portman Place school.

Yasna said: “Once I got into table tennis I gave up music and drama, so I could give more time to playing. We love each other as a team and we love winning.”

The team has been playing together since last year and beat the Petchey Academy in the final.

Yasna, who plays for the national team when she returns to Kurdistan, wants to qualify for the England team this year.

The under-19 boys’ title also went to Morpeth, whose team consisted of Murhad and Imran both 17, Jamie 18 and Zubair 15.

They have been playing for about seven years and started at their local primary schools. In the final they beat a team from Seven Kings School, Redbridge.

Murhad has played in Holland and Denmark and wants to make his semi-professional debut in the next year. He said: “The standard was good and it’s great to win. We can’t wait for the final.”

Morpeth’s two teams will progress to the London finals at UEL’s SportsDock on January 13.

The Jack Petchey Schools’ Table Tennis Championships include team and individual competitions aimed at increasing participation and awareness in schools in London and Essex.

The project also includes the donation of indoor and outdoor table tennis tables which is also helping to increase interest.

Sara Sutcliffe, chief executive of Table Tennis England, said: “Thousands of young people are playing table tennis in London and Essex thanks to the Jack Petchey Foundation’s support.

“The table donation scheme and team and individual competitions have taken the profile of the sport and standard of play to new heights. They’ve created a lasting legacy and we look forward to thousands more youngsters benefitting from the programme.”

See londonschoolstabletennis.co.uk for further information.