Siliguri, April 23: The North Bengal Table Tennis Association will centralise its annual summer coaching camp, training paddlers from all the six districts of the region under one roof for the first time.

The nine-day exercise will commence here from May 10.

Till last year, training camps organised by the association were held separately at the district headquarters.

“We are expecting about 70 selected Under-14 paddlers at the camp. This time the association has decided to hold the coaching camp centrally as this will help develop the skills of the players,” said Mantu Ghosh, the secretary of the association.

The camp will be held at Siliguri Indoor Stadium, she added.

According to Ghosh, Siliguri paddlers have a good standard and their “basics” are better than any other promising players in the country. “We have decided to give players from the districts a chance to play with their Siliguri counterparts. This will not only help the district players hone their skills but their parents too will benefit by interacting with coaches,” she said.

Ganesh Kundu, a former national player and currently associated with the railways team, will be the chief coach at the camp. Ghosh, the first Arjuna awardee of the region, will also attend the camp as a coach.

The trainee paddlers from the districts will be provided food and accommodation by the association during the camp.