The new year offers new horizons for Corinna Whitaker. Having finally broken through to Scotland’s top-ranked women last month, the 18 year-old knows 2009 heralds a new era for the sport in Scotland.

With the bold appointment of China’s Li Chao as full-time Scottish national coach, there are hopes that the game can reach a new level.

A former coach to the Welsh national side, he has been charged with getting Scotland into the top eight in the Commonwealth during his tenure here.

His first test comes in May when Scotland host the Commonwealth Championships in Glasgow, an event Whitaker fully expects to be part of.

A sports coaching and development student at Langside College, she has been training four nights a week in Glasgow.

The Scotland squad held a four-day camp at the end of the year where they tested themselves against some top Chinese players as Li Chao’s influence was evident even before he formally took up his post.

Scotland have won medals at Commonwealth level before - Richard Yule in Edinburgh 30 years ago and the women’s team led by the late Carole Dalrymple won a bronze in Cardiff some years later but success has proved elusive since.

Scottish men’s number one Gavin Rumgay reached the last eight of the last Commonwealth event in India and has now established himself on the grand prix circuit.

Like Whitaker, from Perth, Rumgay has blazed a trail that the new Scottish female number one is keen to follow.

“Gavin has done really well and has now established himself in the [world’s] top 250,” she points out, “I would love to do what Gavin has done and travel regularly to grand prix events and that is what I am aiming to do.

“The trouble is that we all know each other’s games inside out. That’s why it’s good to get out of Scotland and play in as many tournaments as you can in England or abroad.

“I went to Sweden last July for a seven-day training camp and that was a great experience. Just to get the chance to play against different players was good and I’d like to do more of that.

“I’ve picked up a lot of experience in recent months and have been playing for Drumchapel in the British League which has also helped develop my game.”

Whitaker, whose father John is chairman of Table Tennis Scotland, has been playing for nine years now and has won a Scottish doubles title with Natasha Milliken, although the singles title has so far eluded her.

“I first started playing because of my dad,” she continues, “He set up a table in the garage and I started playing when I was nine.

“I’ve just taken it from there and travelled around to tournaments and come through the ranks.  The Commonwealth Championships in Glasgow is obviously a target for me but also table tennis is in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

“Hopefully, the sport will get a bit more recognition in Scotland when we have events like that coming up and it’s an exciting time for the game here.

“Playing under Li Chao can only help my game. He has a lot of experience and is well respected in the game and it can only help me.

“I’m also hoping to make some trips abroad to play in the next few months - I’m looking at Luxembourg and Sweden - and I’m hoping to develop my game further.”

RM
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