TWO East Lancashire table tennis players will be looking to cement their place among the European elite this week.
Megan Shackleton and Fliss Pickard are part of a 16-strong British squad that will compete in the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Slovenia - and both are genuine medal contenders.
Shackleton, 18, competes in the Class 4 singles and Class 4-5 doubles alongside the experienced Sue Gilroy while 23-year-old Pickard makes a return to a major tournament for the first time in four years.
Todmorden teenager Shackleton won a bronze medal at the World Team Championships in Slovakia earlier this year and she travels to Lasko looking for an upgrade.
“Preparation has been going really well,” said Shackleton. “We’ve just come back from a really intense training camp in Slovenia; I’m playing at a good level and I’m really excited about the Europeans.
“I think I’ve learnt how to manage my expectations in matches now and through winning a few team medals in major events as well I’ve built on my experience of those big tournaments and how to manage myself as an athlete.
Shackleton won a team bronze on her major championship debut in the European Championships two years ago and has made steady improvement since then, registering her first win over a top 10 player in the Slovenia Open in May.
“Having beaten a top player gives me a lot of confidence,” she added. “I’ve been working hard over the last couple of years and it is good to see the improvements in my game and that I’m tapping into my potential a little bit. I believe that I am now really competing with the top ten.”
While Shackleton will be looking to improve in the singles, she has high hopes in the doubles with five-time Paralympian Sue Gilroy after their medal-winning performance at the World Team Championships in Slovakia.
“I learn a lot from Sue,” she said, “She has a lot of experience and has been to five Paralympic Games. We are competing well together in the team events and winning medals and that gives us both confidence that we are playing well on the big stage and she helps me to manage those situations as well.”
Pickard from Burnley is back on the big stage since competing in the European Championships in 2013 and is looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m really looking forward to the Europeans,” said Pickard. “I think overall I’m a completely different person on and off the table to four years ago.
“My mentality towards the game has changed massively and I’m a lot stronger – I’ve done a lot more work in the gym and technically I am a lot better.”
She added: “Preparation has been going really well. I’ve changed a lot of my training over the summer with a lot more intensity and it is doing me good.”
Pickard defeated the former World champion, Katarzyna Marszal, from Poland on her way to winning gold in the Belgian Open in 2015 and this season has recorded wins over the Russian World number three Raisa Chebanika and the World number four Antonina Khodzynskaya from Ukraine.
“I think I need to play to my strengths,” she said. “If I am mentally on my game then my opponents struggle because I am a big fighter.
“I’m playing well at the moment and hopefully I can keep it going and peak at the European Championships and be ready for some big challenges.
“It means a great deal to be going to another major championships and I’m really looking forward to getting out there and putting in some good performances.”
The full British squad for the European Championships is:
Will Bayley (class 7) – Tunbridge Wells/Sheffield
Paul Davies (class 1) – North Cornelly
Rob Davies (class 1) – Brecon
Kim Daybell (class 10) – Sheffield/Leeds
Ashley Facey Thompson (class 9) – London/Sheffield
Sue Gilroy (class 4) - Barnsley
Jack Hunter-Spivey (class 5) – Liverpool/Sheffield
Paul Karabardak (class 6) – Swansea
Tom Matthews (class 1) – Aberdare
Aaron McKibbin (class 8) – London/Sheffield
Martin Perry (class 6) – Paisley/Sheffield
Felicity Pickard (class 6) – Burnley
Megan Shackleton (class 4) – Todmorden
Billy Shilton (class 8) – Stonehouse (Gloucestershire)/Sheffield
David Wetherill (class 6) – Torpoint
Ross Wilson (class 8) – Minster/Sheffield
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