Pupils impress at Jack Petchey Schools event

East London Advertiser: Isla Hammond was the under-13s girls' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover)Isla Hammond was the under-13s girls' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover) (Image: ©Stephen Pover)

Hotshot table tennis players from Morpeth School and Raines Foundation featured in the annual Jack Petchey East London singles competition, in partnership with Table Tennis England, at Raines Foundation.

The event bought together 103 players from 15 schools from Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets.

And in the under-16 girls’ category Morpeth’s Yasna Hawbash, 13, beat Jaynath Ahmed, 15, from Raines by an 11-2, 11-3, 11-3 margin and said: “I played quite well but I know I can be better. The final was against a really good friend so I had to put the friendship aside because I wanted to win.

“I really like table tennis and I want to do my best this time in the final. Of course I would like to win.”

East London Advertiser: Kian Panyandee was the under-16 boys' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover)Kian Panyandee was the under-16 boys' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover) (Image: ©Stephen Pover)

In the under-13 girls’ category Isla Hammond from Morpeth was runner-up to Eastbury’s Natalie Slavcheva, who won a close match 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-1.

And in the under-19 boys’ event, Morpeth’s Jamie Dignum, 18, was runner-up to Jack Stockdale of Havering Sixth Form College after losing 11-4, 11-5, 11-6.

Morpeth’s Nabilah Rafat, 16, was runner-up to Eastbury’s Sarah James in the under-19 girls’ competition, losing 11-5, 11-2, 11-5, while Michael Brown of Raines was runner-up in the under-13 boys’ category following an 11-6, 11-1, 11-6 defeat to Ben Hee of City of London School.

And in the under-16 boys’ category Kian Panyander, 14, also finished as runner-up.

East London Advertiser: Jaynath Ahmed was the under-16 girls' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover)Jaynath Ahmed was the under-16 girls' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover) (Image: ©Stephen Pover)

The singles finals of the Jack Petchey Schools’ Table Tennis competition take place on Saturday June 10 at the University of East London’s SportsDock.

The Jack Petchey Schools’ Table Tennis programme is aimed at increasing participation and awareness of table tennis in schools and youth clubs in London and Essex.

It includes team and individual championships plus donation of tables, indoor and outdoor with equipment, to secondary schools in London and Essex. Four Table Tennis Academies in London and one in Essex. Donation of tables and equipment to youth clubs in London.

Since the start of the programme in 2011, a total of 1,598 table tennis tables have been donated to 358 secondary schools and colleges in London and Essex.

East London Advertiser: Jamie Dignum was the under-19 boys' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover)Jamie Dignum was the under-19 boys' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover) (Image: ©Stephen Pover)

Emily St John, head of development at Table Tennis England, said “We thank the Jack Petchey Foundation for encouraging all our hugely energetic and enthusiastic players. This is the sixth year of the programme and since then over 40,000 school children have been able to access our sport. It’s a wonderful testimony for this partnership.”

Trudy Kilcullen MBE, chief executive officer at the Jack Petchey Foundation, said: “We exist because we want to help young people achieve in life. We are impressed by the table tennis programme and the number of young people who take part. We are proud of our partnership with Table Tennis England.”

Sir Jack Petchey CBE, the 91-year-old founder of the Jack Petchey Foundation, is passionate about giving young people freedom and opportunity and added: “I’ve been a fan of table tennis since my own youth. It’s a fantastic sport and I am delighted to see this partnership develop with more young people from London and Essex taking part.”

For further information about the scheme visit jackpetcheytabletennis.org.uk.

East London Advertiser: Nabilah Riflat was the under-19 girls' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover)Nabilah Riflat was the under-19 girls' runner-up at the Jack Petchey East London Schools Championships (pic Stephen Pover) (Image: ©Stephen Pover)