Sam Todd and Torrie Malik will make their senior debuts for England at the European Team Championships in Amsterdam later this month.
Todd will join Marwan and Mohamed ElShorbagy, Curtis Malik, Adrian Waller and his Pontefract stablemate Patrick Rooney in England’s men’s squad at the Frans Otten Stadion from 29 April – 2 May.
Jonah Bryant, who was originally selected as part of the team, has been ruled out by the shoulder injury he suffered during the Optasia Championships last month.
The women’s squad sees Malik join Commonwealth Games gold medallist Georgina Kennedy, world no.13 Jasmine Hutton and recent Bermuda Open Champion, Lucy Turmel, with Malik replacing the injured Lucy Beecroft, who was initially selected.
England’s men will be defending the title they won last year by beating France 3-1 in Wroclaw, Poland. Overall, England have been European Team champions 45 times out of 51 editions of the championships since 1973.
Todd, 23, returned from an ankle injury in late 2024 that sidelined him for almost two years and has now climbed inside the world’s top 50 after an outstanding season so far.
World no.44 Rooney makes his return to the senior team for the first time since the 2023 World Team Championships.
Malik’s selection follows an excellent run of form in recent events, including a semi-final appearance at the New Zealand Open last month where she defeated world no.14 Salma Hany along the way.
England have won the women’s European Team title 43 times out of 46 editions of the tournament. They have faced Belgium in the final for the last three years and the seedings suggest another showdown with the Gilis sisters is likely.
England coach Stuart Crawford said: “We’re looking forward to defending both titles at the European Team Championships. This year’s squads bring a wealth of experience and will no doubt be ready for some tough matches in the latter stages as we aim to repeat last year’s achievement.
“I’m delighted to see Sam and Torrie make their senior debuts after outstanding junior careers. Sam’s place in the team is well deserved as he has climbed almost 100 places in the world rankings over the past 12 months, while Torrie was a finalist at the British National Championships at the start of the season and has been playing very well in recent events.”