TABLE tennis starlet Charlotte Bardsley says she learned a huge amount from being part of the England squad at the ITTF Team World Cup in London.

The 15-year-old from Stourbridge, who attends Heathfields School in Wolverley, was the youngest member of the England squad and second youngest in the whole women’s tournament at the Copper Box Arena in London.

She did not get a chance to play as England, who qualified as hosts and were the lowest-seeded of the 12 teams, were knocked out of the group stage.

A 3-0 defeat by third seeds Hong Kong was followed by a 3-1 reverse against sixth-ranked Singapore, but Bardsley says she will take a lot from being around some of the best players in the world, including the all-conquering Chinese team, which beat second seeds Japan in the final.

“It’s been fantastic, not just seeing the players but the whole process,” said Bardsley. “I’ve learned a lot watching the quality of the balls the top players play, the speed and spin they put on it. It was good to see what I need to aim towards.”

A young England squad also included two other teenagers – 19-year-old Tin-Tin Ho and Denise Payet, 16, alongside Maria Tsaptsinos, 20, and the more experienced Kelly Sibley, 29.

Bardsley said: “We had a really good team spirit throughout and the girls showed some great stuff, there was good support on the bench and I was happy to be part of it.”

The competition was won by China for the 10th time, beating Japan 3-0 in the final.