Philip Sillars, 11, demonstrates the skills learned during the rugby coaching. (Pictures by Daniel Guerin, 0593558)

ST MARTIN’S Primary School was a hive of sporting activity on Saturday for the HSBC Morning of Excellence. A total of 252 children between the ages of eight and 11 took part in 10 different sports.

More than 20 coaches and 15 helpers oversaw the morning. The fund raising event for the school, which is in its 11th year, is organised by the PTA, the chairwoman of which is Caroline Bradley.

‘The idea of the morning is to get in expert coaches from sports across the board so that kids who are sporting and those who maybe aren’t can try out a different sport,’ she said. ‘It keeps the kids busy, active and out of mischief. It’s all about having fun and making new friends as well.’

The 10 sports on offer were cricket, football, netball, rounders, rugby, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball and, for the first time, judo. The Japanese martial art proved to be a very popular addition.