Liam Pitchford has spoken about his delight at signing a new two-year contract with his club Hennebont.

Pitchford joined the French outfit in the summer and has performed well in both French League and Champions League. He commutes to matches from his training base in Sweden.

The England No 2, in Nottingham for the PG Mutual National Championships which start on Friday, said:

“I’ve played this season and I’ve played well. I have one of the best records in the league. They really wanted me to stay, they spoke about it before Christmas and said they wanted to keep me.

“I had a decision to make because it’s a lot of travelling, but I like the club, I like the team and I like their ambition.

“They’ve proved to me that they wanted to keep me and they want to go forward with me, and they offered me a good contract. I’m happy with how the future is looking.”

Pitchford also spoke of the club’s ambition to improve on their quarter-final appearance in the Champions League this season, where they were beaten by Pontoise. He said:

“To get to the quarters was an achievement, we played well in the group stage. The home leg didn’t go as planned, we had chances but we lost it 3-0. Next season the aim is to go further.”

Playing at that standard has, Pitchford feels, also helped his game to develop. He currently has 11 wins from 16 matches, one of the best averages in the league.

He said:

“I’m playing good matches and great players week in, week out and I’ve proved I can beat them. It’s good for my game to play against them and establish myself as one of the best in the league.”