Tributes paid to Ayrshire Tennis stalwart Morris Thompson after his sudden death, aged 70

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Tributes have been paid to one of Ayrshire’s most popular and best known tennis coaches, who has sadly died aged 70.Morris Thompson passed away suddenly at his home in Coylton on February 17.Morris was a well known figure in Ayrshire tennis circles and for many years he was face of the Ayrshire Mini Tennis League.A keen cyclist and hill walker, having walked throughout North America, Europe and Scotland, Morris was a late starter to tennis.Earlier in his life Morris was a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Strathclyde University and worked at Hunterston B Power Station.A significant proportion of his time at Hunterston was spent as a simulator tutor, teaching engineers how to operate the reactor control centre.

He not only provided training courses in Scotland, but both nationally and internationally.He joined Coylton Tennis Club in his 30s where he was initially coached and mentored by the late Alec Murray.His enthusiasm and dedication for the sport quickly flourished and he started coaching Coylton Juniors in the early 1990s with Captain Gower.When Captain Gower stopped coaching, Morris took over as junior convenor and coach at Coylton Tennis Club, coaching both mini and lawn tennis.Initially, he coached youngsters on a Saturday morning, but over the years his tennis coaching portfolio increased to throughout the week.Morris entered many junior teams on behalf of Coylton Tennis Club into Ayrshire leagues and was proud of the local childrens’ achievements and successes.For more than 25 years, Morris held the role of Ayrshire Mini Tennis Convenor and organised Ayrshire Mini Tennis Leagues, the Ayrshire Junior Tennis leagues and Mini Tennis County Competitions for children of all ages, working closely with other