A LARGE number of players have entered the Fasprint Selby Table Tennis Championships at Riccall Regen Centre this Sunday.

Players will take part in 12 different events with the first matches starting at 8.45am and the main finals at 6pm.

Main interest is featured around the open singles event and the title of Selby champion.

Chris Nicholls is top seed for the title he was won times - a record that was broken last year by Tate & Lyle team mate Mick Wilcockson who won his seventh title. Wilcockson is the number two seed.

Both players, who are unbeaten in the local league this season, will be faced with some difficult matches to reach the final but should they get there it should set up a classic attack versus defence encounter.

Wilcockson is number one seed in the veterans event where he is sheduled to meet old rival Jim Robe (Eggborough Ospreys) in what promises to be another interesting event.

The ladies singles will be a battle between three promising teenagers with 17-year-old champion Claire Harrop and her Sherburn club-mate Simone Silvistris (15) facing a big challenge from Tate & Lyle's fast improving Hayley Smith (15).

Thirteen-year-old Stephen Robinson (Tate & Lyle) is top seed in both the junior and cadet events with holders Daniel Jenkin (Sherburn) and Luke Crother (Thorpe) seeded at two in their respective age groups. Robinson is also top seed in the junior doubles where he teams up with Hayley Smith.

One of the hardest events to predict is the open doubles where holders Mick Wilcockson and Andrew Kirk (Tate & Lyle) should face strong opposition from experienced pair Jim Robe and Pete Harpham (Eggborough Ospreys), Martin Hood and Martyn Symons (Eggborough Kites), Keith Webster and Dave Jackson (Eggborough Merlins), and Chris Nicholls and Stephen Robinson (Tate & Lyle).

Top seeds in the division two singles are Dave Jackson (Eggborough Merlins) and Geoff Harrop (Sherburn) in what potentially is another close battle. Martin Hood and Pete Harpham (both Eggborough) are top seeds in what looks an interesting restricted singles event.

Other singles to be contested for include the popular handicap singles and doubles, plus the novice singles an event for players who have never previously won anything.

Updated: 09:39 Thursday, March 20, 2003