11-year-old prodigy opens with table tennis win

Gold Coast, Australia: Eleven-year-old table tennis prodigy Anna Hursey made her mark at the Commonwealth Games as she helped pull off a hard-fought doubles win for Wales on Thursday.

The schoolgirl, the youngest athlete at these Games and thought to be the youngest in the competition´s history, partnered with Charlotte Carey in the women´s team event.

Carey and Hursey were 2-0 up against India´s Madhurika Patkar and Mouma Das before being pegged back to 2-2, but they grittily won the last game 13-11 to seal the match.

Although it was Wales´s lone success, as India won the three singles matches to take the tie 3-1, it was an important step forward for Hursey.

Standing just 1.60 metres (5ft 3in) tall, the Cardiff schoolgirl is known as a tenacious competitor, having already broken records by appearing at last year´s European championships.

"She´s taking it in her stride really," Welsh coach Stephen Jenkins told AFP earlier.

"She is actually really mature for her age. It´s just inside her -- she´s mentally strong."