A WIDNES table tennis champion is edging ever closer to his dream of competing in the Paralympics in Rio.

Former SS Peter and Paul pupil, 19-year-old Jack Hunter-spivey is hoping to start the season on a winning note next week at the Butterfly Michael Hawkesworth championships.

This national contest takes place in Bristol on March 14 and 15.

Wheelchair player Jack, who has cerebral palsy, then flies to Italy for the first factor 40 tournament of the international season, the Lignano Master Open from March 19-21.

With next year’s Paralympic Games firmly on the horizon, this is an important year him and the rest of the GB team.

The qualification period for Rio finishes at the end of 2015.

Jack who trained at Halton Table Tennis Centre, will be defending his class 5 title in Bristol.

He enjoyed some good wins over higher ranked opponents in 2014 which helped him to break into the world’s top 10 in men’s class 5 and he finished the season by reaching the knockout stages of his first World Championships in China.

Jack, whose family lives in Stewards Avenue, said: “Making the top 10 was massive for me and something I really wanted to do.

“I feel that I’ve got myself to that level now and players respect me when I go on the table.

“But now I need to get myself established in the top ten.

“The world championships was a huge motivation for me. I lost to a guy that I feel I should have beaten but I’ve learnt from it and I think I’ll be a lot better in the future.”

Although he missed out on qualification for London, Jack experienced some of the atmosphere as part of the paralympic inspiration programme.

He added: “That was an amazing experience for me as I didn’t realise the scale of a Paralympics.

“Now I’ve got a taste for it I want it for myself. I don’t want to be a spectator I want to be there as an athlete.

“This season is definitely more exciting. It’s a massive motivation for me to achieve my dream of going to a Paralympics and hopefully getting a medal.

“Training has been going really well. I’ve been working on my technique and I feel that I’m a better player than I was after the worlds.

“My mental side has also changed which is a big positive and hopefully a big improvement.

“I think I did well last year and got myself to a factor 40 final but I’d like to medal in all the factor 40s this year.

“I need to try and play my best table tennis and see what happens. Hopefully I can get my first tournament win and qualify for Rio.”