Will Bayley will defend his men's class 7 world title at the World Para Table Tennis Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, from 13 to 19 November, as one of 12 players in the British squad.

Bayley, 37, is the world No 1 in his class and has won his last three international tournaments. He is joined by Rob Davies, the Rio 2016 Paralympic champion, and Bly Twomey, the 16-year-old European champion, who plays her first World Championships.

Shaun Marples, the interim performance director of British Para Table Tennis, said the team had "a very strong squad on paper" but warned that the standard at the Worlds was rising every year. The squad travels a day early to help the players adjust to jet lag, and the support staff includes coaches, a psychologist and a physio.

Bayley's defence

Bayley, who has reached Paralympic and world finals before, said he had changed his approach after a slower start to the season and then gone back to what worked for him, and had enjoyed "a really good run the last three or four months".

He said the sport was changing every year and that he had to evolve to stay ahead. In Pattaya he also plays mixed class 14 doubles with Twomey. "We haven't played together for a long time so there are no expectations," he said.

Davies chases the missing title

Davies, 42, plays men's class 1 singles. He won gold at Rio 2016, silver at Paris 2024 and silver at the 2014 World Championships, and won his last two tournaments, in France and Spain. He said the world title would mean a lot because "it is the one I'd like now". He partners Jack Hunter-Spivey, the 2022 Commonwealth champion, in men's class 8 doubles.

Twomey returns to Thailand

Twomey won Paralympic bronze in Paris and the women's class 7 European title in Sweden in 2025, and has won a medal at each of her three major championships so far. In July she won gold at both the World Para Future and World Para Elite events in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

"Going to Thailand and getting two gold medals is a massive advantage," she said. She also plays women's class 14 doubles with Fliss Pickard, with whom she won Paralympic bronze in Paris.

Doubles medal hopes

Billy Shilton and Martin Perry, ranked No 2 in the world in men's class 14 doubles, have won titles in Montenegro, Slovenia and China this year. Shilton won the world title in that event in 2022 with Paul Karabardak. "The level has improved so much and there are more good pairs now," he said.

Pickard won the women's class 14 doubles world title in 2022 with Grace Williams, who this time partners Perry in mixed class 14 doubles.

The squad

  • Will Bayley: men's class 7 singles; mixed class 14 doubles (with Bly Twomey)
  • Rob Davies: men's class 1 singles; men's class 8 doubles (with Jack Hunter-Spivey)
  • Jack Hunter-Spivey: men's class 4-5 singles; men's class 8 doubles
  • Tom Matthews: men's class 1 singles; men's class 4 doubles (with Chris Ryan)
  • Chris Ryan: men's class 2 singles; men's class 4 doubles
  • Aaron McKibbin: men's class 8 singles; men's class 18 doubles (with Joshua Morizono)
  • Joshua Morizono: men's class 9 singles; men's class 18 doubles
  • Martin Perry: men's class 6 singles; men's class 14 doubles (with Billy Shilton); mixed class 14 doubles (with Grace Williams)
  • Billy Shilton: men's class 8 singles; men's class 14 doubles
  • Fliss Pickard: women's class 6 singles; women's class 14 doubles (with Bly Twomey)
  • Bly Twomey: women's class 7 singles; women's class 14 doubles; mixed class 14 doubles
  • Grace Williams: women's class 8 singles; mixed class 14 doubles

What's next

The championships run from Friday 13 November to Thursday 19 November in Pattaya.