YOUNG table tennis star Anaya Patel has had a busy few months as she looks to climb up the rankings.

The 11-year-old has been competing in under-13 to under-18 events and at the end of last season in the national rankings, she was ranked 68 in the under-13 category and ranked 132 for under-15s. A strong start to this season has seen her now ranked 22 at under-13 and 69 in the under 15s.

This is a remarkable rise, as the youngster only started playing competitive table tennis outside of school in March this year.

In August, the player from Lychpit was invited to a residential training camp for future elite players for under- 13 girls by Table Tennis England in Preston.

Last month, Patel played in a West Midlands Two Star event and lost in the semi-finals 3-2 to the overall winner and number one seed Amy Marriot from South Yorkshire.

The 11-year-old’s next tournament was the Stockton Junior Four Star competition, winning her first-ever medal.

The Lychpit player was seeded number four at under- 13, but made it to the final beating England number nine Alana Mansfield 3-1, before losing to the current national under-11s champion Ruby Chan from Yorkshire.