WESSEX junior Annie Tinker stepped into the shoes of Olympic hopeful Megan Viggars in a top international tournament in Italy.

Tinker was part of the England junior squad for the three-day Memorial Ferruccio tournament against European and American opposition.

“I was thrilled to be selected but was expecting my court time to be minimal as I was second setter to Megan (Viggars),” explained Tinker.

“However, Megan sustained an ankle injury at the holding camp and was unable to play.

“This gave me a big opportunity to perform and I gained valuable experience of playing at that level,” she added.

England junior women struggled against tough competition but managed to pull together and close out a win against Greek side Ermis Dramas in a five-set thriller.

Meanwhile, the England junior men’s team, including Wessex outside hitter Matt Hunter, had an impressive tournament which saw them secure a place in the top draw of matches on day two.

Hunter and his team-mates, however, struggled to overcome strong opposition in the final stages, losing out to the Italian and Swiss national teams.

n Wessex juniors Sam Walrond, Joel Roberts and Sam Allen have been preparing for the UK School Games with the England South squad.

“Training with the squad has been a good experience and playing with others at such a high level is always amazing,” said Roberts.

“We have worked hard and we look forward to the UK School Games at the ExCel Centre in London at the beginning of May.”