WIDNES table tennis star Jack Hunter-Spivey will be in the hunt for a medal on the world stage this weekend.

He is included in a squad of 14 British athletes that will compete in the World Para Table Tennis Championships in Slovenia from October 17-20.

The 23-year-old class 5 athlete came agonisingly close to taking a medal at the European Championships last year, losing a five set quarter-final to the eventual champion Ali Ozturk.

However, he bounced back to win the US Open in December and has taken medals this year in Slovakia, Slovenia.

Most recently Hunter-Spivey had a strong Czech Open when he lost in the final to the Norwegian former World and Paralympic champion Tommy Urhaug.

Hunter-Spivey said: “Preparation has been going really well.

“I got the silver medal at the Czech Open last month and I feel that I played quite well. I just want to crack on now and play my best table tennis like I know I can.

“At the last World Championships I was very young and I’m more experienced now.

“I’ve got another four years under my belt playing internationals so I just want to go out there and show what I can do.

“It was tough to lose such a close match in the quarter finals at the Europeans and be so close to taking a medal was hard.

“But since then I’ve beaten Baus (current World champion Valentin Baus from Germany) and Tommy (Urhaug) in Vegas.

“I feel that I am now at the level where I can go on to take medals at the major championships and go all the way.”