Ireland star Bowe puts Downshire pupils through their paces

Earlier this year the Carrick school was chosen as the winners of the Subway #TrainwithTommy competition. They were hand-picked from hundreds of entries by the Lions’ star, scooping the top prize for their creative photo submission which featured pupils spelling out ‘Pick us Tommy’. Speaking after training session, the Monaghan man told the Times: “It went well. It was good fun and we had a great time out on the pitch. We managed to get Ciaran Campbell out to help out with the coaching so I think that the boys enjoyed it. “We tried to just have a bit of fun, to be honest. I thought that with myself being a winger I’d leave the tackling and the contact for another day. It was just a case of working on handling and trying to catch the ball above our heads and working on communication, passing and bits and pieces like that. I think the boys really enjoyed it. “It’s been a brilliant day. I really enjoyed it. I’ve been in to the staff room where I met a lot of the teachers and everybody has been very friendly to me here. Even when we were out on the pitch, the coaches were very keen to get involved and pass on the messages that myself and Ciaran were giving to them. It’s been a positive day for all involved.” Bowe said he recognised the importance of using his profile to promote the game at grassroots level. “I think it’s important for any player who is part of the professional set-up to get out and try and be a role model, I suppose. We had 40 young kids here today who were talented players but they are not all going to go on to become professional rugby players. “But even coming out here today, it’s great to give them that sort of inspiration - hopefully they can take something away from today.” Lindsay Davison, who submitted the entry on behalf of Downshire School, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have Tommy here today. The pupils have been very excited all week and have been really looking forward to this training session. “In Downshire School, we are rugby mad, the teams train daily and all the boys are very committed. The session was excellent and a great opportunity for them to train with a top coach and one of the best rugby players in the country. “We would like to say a huge thank you to the Subway brand for making this possible and giving us £1,560 worth of gear for the school.” Don’t miss next week’s Carrick Times for more photos from Tommy Bowe’s visit to Downshire.