If the Hungarian Olympic Team were on a charm offensive this weekend, it certainly worked! Adam Pattantyus and Daniel Zwickl accompanied the legendary Krisztina Toth (competing in her fifth Olympic Games!) on a visit to Ellenborough Table Tennis Club on Sunday and thus provided local children the opportunity to see the standard to aspire to. Hungary has always been one of the top table tennis nations in the world.

The afternoon started with Zwickl leading a professional warm-up and then the children being split into three groups, each coached by an Olympian. This was followed by both Pattanyus and Toth participating in exhibition matches before the climax for the children: queuing up to play an Olympian (or two or three!) of their choice, and an opportunity to ask them any questions.

New Club Chairman, Keith Williams said: “Though we have an outstanding resident magician, Leon Thomson, it was our Head Coach Gergely Urban who wove his magic on this occasion in getting members of the Hungarian Olympic Team to fight their way through the traffic from the Olympic Village and give quality time to our youngsters.  If this inspires just a couple of kids, it will have been worth it. I’m sure our juniors will be cheering the Hungarians all the way (except if they play Great Britain, of course!) .