Disabled children from the borough of Sutton prevailed in the regional finals of the Panathlon Challenge beating rivals from Hillingdon, Wandsworth and Richmond.

The victory at St Mary’s University in Twickenham came in the dying stages of the tournament and went down to a recount on the points after Sutton and Wandsworth were tied in a dead heat.

Sutton borough exceeded last year’s performance, where they reached the same stage, to go one stage further and qualify for the London finals.

Helen Turner, wheelchair basketball player and panathlon patron, said: “It's so nice to see pupils who might not normally be given the opportunity, playing competitive sport in such a supportive environment."

In the plate final, competition was also fierce as Ealing, Kingston and Hounslow all put up stiff resistance but none of them could catch Merton, whose runaway success in the boccia and polybat earned them their very first regional title and a spot in the London Panathlon final, which is to be held at the Olympic Park in June.

The Panathlon Challenge has been organised by the Panathlon Foundation, set up in 1999, which operate in London and 17 counties across the UK providing opportunities for disabled children to engage in competitive sport.

For more information visit panathlon.com.