The annual Inter Spinal Games were again held at Stoke Mandeville over three days and were a great success for table tennis.

The Games provide an opportunity for people with recent spinal injuries to discover a range of sports and activities. Competitors come from 14 spinal units that are based all over the UK.

On the first day the competitors have a chance to try a wide range of sports under the guidance of experienced coaches. Table tennis coaches Karl Bushell and Shaun Newcomb are on hand to help develop their skills and promote our sport.

Days two and three become competitive and table tennis proved very popular with 53 men and 20 women entering the competition. The standard this year was very high with many excellent matches. The finals held on the Thursday were of a great standard and a crowd of over 100 created a great atmosphere.

The winners of the various events were:

Ladies Para: Winner Benita Lambert (Salisbury), runner-up Sarah Heanaghan (Stanmore), third Hilary Wolstenholme (Pinderfield)

Ladies Tetra: Winner Fiona Fraser (Glasgow), runner-up Nicola King (Rockwood), third Nicki Thomson (Salisbury)

Men’s Para: Winner Oliver Carpenter (Stanmore), runner-up Andrew Adams (Glasgow), third Russell Loughlin (Stoke Mandeville)

Men’s Tetra: Winner Stewart Tanfield (Middlesbrough), runner-up Alan Patterson (Belfast), third James Morrison (Stoke Mandeville).

At the closing awards ceremony and dinner, Karl and Shaun presented medals to the above successful competitors.

It is hoped that many of the competitors will now take up the sport of table tennis and join local clubs and start to compete in organised events.