David McBeath admits he is “buzzing” after being named in the England table tennis squad for the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

It will be a first experience of a first multi-sport event for McBeath when he joins Paul Drinkhall, Liam Pitchford and Sam Walker in the England men’s line-up in Gold Coast in April.

“I’m buzzing and it’s my first time in Australia as well, so I’m looking forward to that,” said the 26-year-old Rownhams player, who trains full time in Sweden.

“It’s been high up in my ambitions to compete at a Commonwealths, to be part of the team and contribute what I can.”

The fact that his three team-mates took bronze at the World Team Championships in 2016 gives him confidence that he will return from Australia with at least one medal.

He said: “I think we’ve got a very good chance in the team event. The guys have proved with the World Championships bronze that they can compete with anyone. I definitely think we can win gold.

“India have strength in depth, Singapore always have good players, Nigeria have (World No 20) Quadri Aruna and some other good players.

“But England have shown plenty of times we are good enough and have the quality to win gold.

“We’ve got a good team spirit, we are all friends outside table tennis and get on well together. We’ve been around each other for quite a while in the England team or playing abroad and I’ve grown up with the others and played together in the cadets and juniors.”

As well as the team event, McBeath is likely to compete in the men’s doubles and the mixed doubles. He is not ranked high enough in the world to have earned a singles spot.

McBeath was also recently named in the England squad for the Team World Cup in London in February and is looking forward to the benefits of a home crowd.

He said: “I’m delighted to be selected and really excited to see the best in the world coming to London.

“It’s rare that you get such high-level table tennis so close to home and I’m sure my family will be coming to watch and a lot of people from the Waterside club in Southampton.”