Ross Wilson is relishing the pressure that the Commonwealth Games will bring.

He heads to the Gold Coast as part of an 11-person squad of both able-bodied and para table tennis players.

Wilson, from Minster, is one of the three para players representing England.

He said: “I’m really excited. It will be our first time as a team playing at a Commonwealth Games and I’m really looking forward to it and doing our best.

“Taking each game as it comes is the way I’m going to look at it, the same as any other competition I’ve played. The pressure is amazing but it’s something I live for.

“We’ve got a lot of goals throughout the year and a lot of big competitions coming up, including the Worlds at the end of the year.

“We’re preparing for the best in the world already so I think whoever is at the Commonwealths, we’ll be well prepared.”

Wilson heads to the Gold Coast in good form, picking up medals during the recent Lignano Master Open in Italy, his last competition before the Games begin and the first of the competitive tournaments in table tennis calendar.

He won a bronze medal in the men’s class eight competition in Italy, topping his group and reaching the semi-finals with a 3-0 win against Ukraine’s Roman Vakarash.

He then lost 3-0 to another Ukrainian, Ivan Mai.

Read more on the Commonwealth Games in this week's Messenger newspaper series