England No 1 Liam Pitchford has signed a sponsorship deal with Japanese table tennis manufacturer VICTAS.

The deal began on June 1 and strengthens his connection with Japanese table tennis following the news that he will play for Saitama in the top Japanese T.League when the new season gets under way in August.

Pitchford will be playing with VICTAS products, including using VICTAS V>15 Extra rubbers. The VICTAS and TSP brands are associated with many professional table tennis players, including Koki Niwa. They are also the official uniform supplier for the Japan Table Tennis Association.

Yoshinori Kodama President and CEO of VICTAS Inc. said: “We are delighted to support Liam, we wish him even greater success. The target of both Liam and VICTAS is to be the winner of tomorrow.”

Bribar will be the exclusive importer and supplier of VICTAS/TSP equipment to the UK market.

Barry Chapman, Managing Director of Bribar Table Tennis (UK) Ltd, said: “We are delighted to welcome Liam into the VICTAS/Bribar family. The VICTAS policy of ‘I am next’ is aimed at supporting and progressing the next generation of world champions and we believe this move will help Liam to fulfill his highest ambitions.

“Liam knows that VICTAS products are both innovative and of premium quality and this was a major factor in his decision.”