Betty Bird and Pam Butcher are world singles champions as English players returned from the World Veterans’ Championships in Alicante with a collection of medals.

Bird won the WS80 category, beating Japan’s Chizuko Nagase 3-1 (12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8) in the final, having overcome another Japanese player, Tetsuko Harada, 3-2 in the semis (5-11, 12-10, 4-11, 12-10, 11-4).

And Butcher struck gold in the WS85 class by surviving a comeback by Kaneko Kujirai, also of Japan, to prevail 3-2 (11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-7).

Also on the top step of the podium was Lorestas Trumpauskas, who alongside Israel’s Dmitry Abramenko won the MD40 class, beating Russian pair Aleksandr Savelev & Georgii Rubinshtein 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 12-10). The Russians had defeated England’s Neil Charles & Tom Cutler 3-2 (8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9) in the semi-finals.

In the MD85 section final, Bill Wall & Alf Perry won silver as German pair Friedrich Rossler & Heiner Koula prevailed 3-2 (11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7)

In the MS70 class, Brian Hill had to settle for silver as he was defeated by Denmark’s Niels Ramberg 3-1 (6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6).

Both Bird and Butcher reached the semi-finals of the WD80 competition – Bird alongside Jean White and Butcher partnering Marianne Blasberg of Germany) but both pairs suffered defeats.

In the consolation events, there were gold medals for English trio Linda Simpson (WS65), White (WS80) and Perry (MS85).