Putney High School U13 team win table-tennis tournament

Putney High School are targeting further success after winning the central London qualifying tournament for the Jack Petchey Schools Team Championships.  

The school won the U13 girls category, defeating St Marylebone School in the final. 

The team was made up of Isabella Turner-Samuels (13), Skye Laing and Martha Ground (12) and 11-year-old Yasmin Tanalli-Flynn. 

Laing said: “All in all, it went quite well. The end match was quite stressful because if we didn’t win, we wouldn’t go through, so there was a bit of pressure.” 

Putney High also made it through to the finals in the U13 and U16 girls’ categories as runners-up in the qualifying tournament. 

The finals of the Jack Petchey Schools Team Championships are on Saturday January 7 at the University of East London.   

The Championships is a partnership between the Jack Petchey Foundation and Table Tennis England to get more young people playing the sport at school for fun and also to compete.  

It comprises individual and team competitions which are open to boys and girls in full-time education in London and Essex. The partnership also includes the donation of indoor and outdoor table tennis tables to schools and youth clubs in London and Essex.  

Gemma Juma, chief executive officer at the Jack Petchey Foundation, said: “We are thrilled to partner again with Table Tennis England to deliver another fantastic year of table tennis finals – a great day for those who have really engaged with the sport over the past year to challenge themselves in the competition.  

“In addition to the competitions, the Jack Petchey Foundation has also funded indoor and outdoor table tennis tables in 64 schools and 13 youth organisations across London and Essex in the past year, to encourage even more young people to get involved in the sport.  

“Around 250 young people have played on this so far, and we hope to see many of them at the competition’s final.”

PICTURE: STEVEN POVER