TWO teenage players, coached by Jason Jokhoo of Totally Tennis, have been chosen to represent Great Britain at the 20th Deaflympic Games in Australia.

Seventeen-year-old twins Alex and Beth Simmons are due to fly to Melbourne at the beginning of January.

They attend Mary Hare Grammar School, for severely and profoundly deaf children of all abilities, in Newbury.

They are coached by Jokhoo at the Greenacre club in the Berkshire town, as well as by Nick Elliot in Abingdon.

Alex will be a member of a four-strong women's team, with Beth as first reserve.

Four men will complete the national squad for the tennis competition.

The sisters have already enjoyed great success this year at the national deaf championships, held in Cardiff.

Alex won the mixed doubles event with partner Daniel Tunstall, and Beth was the runner-up in the women's competition.

At the 10th European deaf championships, held in France in July, the girls teamed up to compete in the women's doubles and finished in fourth place overall.

Alex won the silver medal in the mixed event, again with partner Tunstall.

Greenacre head coach Jokhoo said: "The girls have already achieved great things in their tennis careers at such a young age.

"It is fantastic that they will represent their country at a hugely-prestigious event such as the Deaflympics."

The Deaflympics Games are among the world's fastest-growing sporting events, with some 3,000 deaf athletes from 80 nations due to take part.

The games are built on 80 years of tradition, since the first games were held in Paris in 1924.

Then they were known as the Silent Games and 145 athletes competed.

In 2001, the games were sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee and became known as the Deaflympics.

The need for separate games for deaf athletes is evident from the large number of participants, and they are distinguished from all other Olympic athletes by their special communication needs, both on and off the sports field.