Two young Furness table tennis stars grabbed the chance to play for England with vigour at the Schools International 2010.

Former Dowdales pupil Scott Crawford and current pupil Emily Bolton showed their worth at the event in Limerick, Ireland.

Taking on teams from the rest of the UK and Ireland, Scott came away with a gold medal from the team event and a bronze in the singles at under-18s level.

Emily, meanwhile, was playing her first international tournament at the age of 12, coming up against opponents up to two years her senior in the under-14s event.

She also came home with a medal, taking a bronze in the team event, having been eliminated from the individual competition at the quarter-final stage.

Playing at the National Arena, at the University of Limerick, Crawford teamed up to great effect with fellow Bristol Academy of Sport student Tom Maynard in the team event to make up England A.

The format of the competition saw both team members play singles matches and then team up for a doubles contest.

They came through a tough final against favourites and hosts Ireland 3-1 to claim the crown.

In the individuals, Scott won bronze, losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Paul McCreery, from Ireland.

The medal haul for Scott followed two silvers for his elder brother Jonathan at the same event six years ago.

Dad Duncan, a coach at the Barrow Table Tennis Centre, where both Scott and Emily have honed their skills, said: “It’s fantastic. The whole family went to watch and it was a really fantastic weekend.

“They played really well together in the doubles, they beat Ireland 3-1 together, which was a good result.

“It’s another gold medal for Barrow, and isn’t that fantastic?”

Emily came up against players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and Jersey in the team competition.

Her team were knocked out in the semi-finals to earn her a bronze medal, while she reached the last-eight of the individual event.

On Emily, Duncan said: “She played under-14s and she’s only 12.

“Every player at that tournament will have been ranked above, so for her to be picked is great.

“We are all chuffed to bits that she was selected to take part and she will certainly go on to play for England again. With the right guidance she will definitely keep performing at this level.”

Last year’s Barrow Junior Sportsperson of the Year Emily – who is coached by former Parkview pupil Tristran Swan at Barrow Table Tennis Centre, as well as ex-England coach Denis Neale – has also been selected to play for the North West of England in the UK School Games in Sunderland at the start of September.

She impressed while playing in the National Championships in Doncaster in the under-12s, under-13s and under-14s events, and has had trials to represent England in the Euro Mini Championship later this year in France.

As of yet the team has not been selected.