KATIE Holt was the toast of Dorset after winning gold and silver medals at the Butterfly Schools’ International Table Tennis Championship in Worcester.

The 15-year-old, representing England A, partnered London Academy's Patricia Ianau to a 3-2 victory over England B in the intermediate girls' team event.

And the teenager, a pupil at Bournemouth School for Girls who trains at the Dorset Table Tennis Centre in Christchurch, was runner-up in the singles.

Holt and Ianau saw off competition from Scotland ,Wales, Ireland, Guernsey and Isle of Man to emerge victorious in the team event.

Buoyed by her gold medal, Holt won all her group games in the singles and progressed through to the knockout stages, beating Scotland's Wictoria Smolarek 3-1 in the first round.

She had a big test in the quarter-final where she really had to dig in against Scotland's number one cadet Faye Leggett, eventually triumphing 3-2 (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 14-12) after it seemed the chance had gone.

Holt, who is coached by ex-England international Matt Ware, then eliminated close friend and England team-mate Gemma Kerr 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-8) in the semi-finals.

She made an encouraging start in the final against Mia O’Rahilly Egan and took the opening set 11-2.

But despite having beaten O’Rahilly Egan in the team event, the Ireland youngster hit back to take the title 3-1 (2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7), forcing Holt to settle for silver.

O’Rahilly Egan had been a serial destroyer of English hopes as she defeated the Ianau sisters in successive rounds – Natalia in the quarters 3-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7) and Patricia in the semis 3-2 (11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4) before seeing off Holt.

There was a special presentation to former English Schools' Table Tennis Association president John Arnold MBE and his wife Margaret, who have given more than 50 years of service to schools’ table tennis.

John Arnold oversaw the merger between ESTTA and Table Tennis England and retired following the event.