TEENAGER Kathryn Cordell is hot favourite to recapture the York Ladies Open Squash Championship which starts on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Wigginton player became the youngest-ever winner of the competition two years ago when she ended the three-year reign of Trish Kochaniec in the final.

Thirsk-based Kochaniec gained her revenge in last year's final but the holder has not entered this year.

That has left the way clear for top seed Cordell to win her second title although the likes of second seed Diana King, who heads a strong contingent from South Milford, should push her hard.

All seeds are exempt until the second round and Cordell starts her campaign next Monday against either Elaine Hancock or Sarah Broadhurst.

Matches will be played on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Thursday allocated as a rest day. The final is scheduled for Friday.

Cordell's younger brother, 15-year-old Neil, is seeded at number three in the Men's Championship.

The youngster, an England Under-15 international and Yorkshire champion, won the plate competition last year and could pose a real threat to holder and top seed Matthew Lowery, his Wigginton team-mate.

Neil's dad, Ian, who coaches a batch of promising youngsters at the club, is also in the competition and comes up against one of his protegs - 13-year-old McKenzie Nichol.

Wigginton dominate the entries in the competition, having 16 or the 24 players entered - six of their players figuring in the eight seedings.

The championships have not been particularly well supported by other clubs in the York area and no entries were received at all for the Men's Vintage Championships which have been scrapped this year.

Like the women, all the men's seeds come in at the second round.

Derbyshire county player Lowery starts his campaign against either Mike Pollard and Michael Goodwin on Monday.

Last year's beaten finalist, Ian Tooms, is seeded two and will face either tournament organiser Simon Ewing ot Mal Webster.

The men's plate competition will start on Tuesday with the quarter-finals of the championships taking place on Wednesday with the semi-finals on Thursday and the finals run on the same night as the women on Friday.

York and District Squash Championships

Ladies's seedings

1 Kathryn Cordell (Wigginton), 2 Diana King (South Milford 1), 3 Andrea Mayne (Thirsk 1), 4 Lesley Booth (South Milford 1), 5 Caroline Wyatt (South Milford 1), 6 Debbie Holmes (Dunnington 2), 7 Ruth Bielby (Malton), 8 Alison Elder (Thirsk 2). All the seeds have byes in the first round.

Ladies's first round (Sunday, February 13): 6pm Maggie Downs v Janice Hall, 6.40pm Mickie Erridge v Lucy French, 7pm Janet Severs v Louise Derby, 7.20pm Linda Craggs v Jen Spencer, 7.40pm Linda Pepper v Emma Clark, 8.30pm Marie Elcock v Tracy Moore

(Monday, February 14): 6pm Elaine Hancock v Sarah Broadhurst, 6pm Sheila Clifford v Hilary Eaude.

Ladies's second round (Monday February 14): 6.20pm Alison Elder (8) v Erridge/French, 7pm Caroline Wyat t(5) v Pepper/Clark, 7.30pm Leslie Booth (4) v Severs/Derby, 8.10pm Andrea Mayne (3) v Downs/Hall, 8.30pm Ruth Bielby (7) v Elcock/Moore, 8.40pm Diana King (2) v Clifford/Eaude, 9pm Kathryn Cordell (1) v Hancock/Broadhurst, 9.20pm Debbie Holmes (6) v Craggs/Spencer.

Men's seedings

1 Matthew Lowrey (Wigginton), 2 Ian Tooms (Wigginton), 3 Neil Cordell (Wigginton), 4 Matthew Stephenson (York RI), 5 Jonny Duffield (Wigginton), 6 Paul Walkington (York RI), 7 Andrew Richardson (Wigginton), 8 Nick Grewer (Wigginton).

All the seeds have byes in the first round.

Men's first round (Sunday, February 13): 6.40pm Simon Ewing v Mal Webster, Ian Cordell v McKenzie Nichol, 7.10pm Mike Goryl v Tom Pepper, Chris Rusling v Dave Booth, 7.40pm Andy Pepper v Steve Jobson, Kevin Rusling v Mike Bruce, 8.10pm Bob Robinson v Ben Riley, Mike Pollard v Michael Goodwin.

Men's second round (Monday February 14): 6.40pm Ian Tooms (3) v Ewing/Webster, Neil Cordell (3) v A Pepper/Jobson, 7.10pm Nick Grewer (8) v I Cordell/Nicholl, Matthew Lowery (1) v Pollard/Goodwin, 7.40pm Jonny Duffield (5) v C Rusling/Booth, Paul Walkington (6) v Goryl/T Pepper, 8.10pm Andy Richardson (7) v K Rusling/Bruce, Matthew Stephenson (4) v Robinson/Riley.

Updated: 08:54 Wednesday, February 09, 2005