IRISH NATIONAL CHAMPION TUTOR’S YOUNG LAOIS TALENT
TOP class current and future table tennis stars from across Co Laois and beyond have spent the last fortnight receiving expert tuition in Castletown. The community centre there hosted the first ever Laois Table Tennis Summer Camp, where up to 60 of the best players from around the county were put through their paces by top class coach and Irish national champion John Murphy. Special guest coach was Irish junior team manager and ITTA technical director John O’Donoghue who said that he was really impressed with a number of young players present. He also commented that a camp such as this gives players a great chance to improve their skills with the possibility that more local children will follow Amylou Hayes in playing for Ireland in the comming years.
Mountrath coach Jimmy Hayes, who also works with a number of clubs in the county and who organised the camp, thought that it was a great 2 weeks. He said that the players really enjoyed it and showed great enthusiasm throughout the event. “It was also great to see so many senior players and coaches come along on different days to help out. The general view expressed by all is that a table tennis centre of excellence in the county is a must in the near future if we are to continue the progress made by many of the young gifted local players”.