The first five athletes have been named in the newly created England Under-23 Squad.

The set-up intends to help players bridge the transition from the junior to senior level by providing training opportunities as a group and with the Senior squad.

The five athletes in the first cohort are: Mari Baldwin, Mollie Patterson, Louis Price, Shayan Siraj and Jasmin Wong.

Emma Vickers, Head of Pathway Development at Table Tennis England, said: “We’re excited to launch, for the first time, an Under-23 programme for our players, which will include a series of camps and an international event.

“We recognised that a number of players have exited England youth programmes and have struggled to make the transition to the senior squad.

“Therefore, we have decided to include this squad within our programmes to allow us more time to work with and develop our talented players with senior potential, and ensure steps are in place to support the progression of players into our senior teams.”