TABLE tennis players from Harefield Academy took top honours in the Boys U13 category of the West London Regional final of the Jack Petchey Foundation London Schools team competition.

The competition, at Capital City Academy, brought together 14 teams from schools in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow.

The U13 team, including reserve, was Marshall Cash, 11, Mitchell Pigeon, Chandler Cash, Jay Frost, and Matthew Vincent, all aged 12.

Table tennis ranks high at the school, with players often training up to 15 hours a week.

Coach Eli Baraty has been at the school for seven years and is proud of the numerous teams who have won the London Schools competition so far. Teams have also won the U16 national championships and represented England in the World School Games.

He said: “It all came down to the last game and it was neck and neck. They did well to overcome their nerves.” The win over Whitmore High School, Harrow, was on count-back by just six points.

Hillingdon girls from Burlington Dane’s Academy were also champions won the Girls U13 competition.

The team, including reserve, was Hannah Mohammed, Rima El-Yassine, Hannah Buckley-Smith, Aimey Gerald and Nadia Ahmed, all aged 12.

Jack Petchey, CBE, aged 89 and founder of the Championships, said: “I’ve been a fan of table tennis since my own youth. It’s a fantastic sport for young people to play.”