Dedicated Craig hopes to make hard work pay off

The 18-year-old was once a tennis player, sufficiently skilled to represent East of Scotland at Under-13 level. And as a seven handicap golfer he looked pretty useful on the course. It was table tennis he chose to pursue, though, and he will represent the nation in India at next weekend's Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune.

"I started table tennis when I was seven when my Dad, who had played at schools level, built a table in my attic," said Howieson. "He did some research and found out one of the best clubs in Scotland, North Merchiston Boys Club, was situated just five minutes away from the house. He took me along there one Saturday morning and it clicked straight away."

Now the focus shifts to India along with the rest of the Commonwealth Youth Games squad. Nothing has been left to chance in terms of preparation, although that has to fit in with work commitments.

"I've been quite busy for the past few weeks because I started university this summer, studying PE teaching at Edinburgh Uni," Howieson explained. "I've been in the gym a lot so I feel in pretty good condition. I'm just going to cram in loads of practice in the next week before we go out and hopefully get a medal. We start competing in India on the 13th and if everything goes to plan we finish on the 18th so I'll have two days to acclimatise and practise and get myself sorted out when we're out there. I'm really looking forward to getting out there. It will be a great experience to be with the team, compete for Scotland and hopefully win medals."

It was North Merchiston Boys Club coach Tom Hook who taught Craig from the very start until a year ago when Craig took up a place at Bristol's Filton Table Tennis Academy. There, guided by ex-Scotland coach Kevin Satchell, Craig has trained full time.

"There's a huge amount of work involved and the academy players in China train up to eight hours a day, so for us Europeans to compete with them we need to be doing the same," said Howieson, who has been in Scotland's senior team since he was 14. He is also a member of the British Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) Talent ID squad, selected for preparation for London 2012. "I spend six hours on the table each day doing different drills and exercises; some match specific work, some on my footwork, then an hour in the gym with a strength and conditioning trainer."

With this level of devotion it's no surprise that Howieson has just had his best season. Highlights include a bronze medal at the UK School Games and a gold medal at under 18s in the British Schools International – both in individual events. "I was pleased with that because I beat both of the English players that are going out to Pune," he explained.