Ormesby 'Hopes' Project
Ormesby Table Tennis Club's bid to find the next Paul Drinkhall or Karina Lefevre from the TEESSIDE area as part of the Ormesby "HOPES" program moves up a gear in the next week as the club looks to establish a training squad for youngsters age 12 and under at the club's headquarters on Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough.
The Ormesby Club has linked with the International Table Tennis Federation and Sport England for this talent search and have already run a series of table tennis coaching sessions in primary schools throughout the area. On Saturday 14th January between 10.30 am and 12 noon, and on Wednesday, 18th January between 5.30 pm and 7.00 pm, the Ormesby Table Tennis Club is inviting youngsters from the schools to come to the club to join in an introductory training session.
In addition to the youngsters from the schools where the "Hopes" sessions were run last term, parents who would like their children to receive table tennis coaching and start to climb the ladder up to international standard are invited to bring their boys and girls to either of these sessions which are free of charge.
The club will then continue the project by running separate sessions for boys and girls on two nights a week between 5.30 and 6.30 pm for players selected from these introductory sessions which will be conducted by the club's leading coaches, Alan Ransome and Steve Brunskill.
Club Chairman, Alan Ransome, said, "The Club has a terrific record of finding local youngsters with talent and providing the coaching, competition and encouragement which is necessary to win a place in the English national teams. The club is regarded as one of the best in England for this and there is no doubt that youngsters living in the Teesside area have a far greater chance of achieving international recognition in table tennis than in most other areas throughout the country."
